two years into doing this Blank Tapes thing and the most exciting doors yet are starting to open. I hope it never stops feeling surreal 😳

Denver folks, I’ve officially made a mark on your beautiful city

I might need a “turtle x-ing” sign in my driveway

happy 4th y’all 🧨

jackson balling@jax.blanktapes.co · last yr.

my family’s new july 4th tradition is to watch this episode (“Lois”) of Detroiters, solely for this scene

our local diner (and the best one in Durham) has been closed for almost 2 months and reopened today, so of course I’m here for lunch walked in, saw the owner, and she said, “It’s so good to see you! Welcome home” it’s good to be a regular somewhere 🥹

let’s fucking goooooooo 😤

with these 5 spirituals reimagined with a folk-punk edge, Vito Dito and Ken Moshesh (ex-Sun Ra percussionist) lay down sounds that feel both ancient and futuristic. As our contributor Stephen Mullaney puts it, this EP deserves a packed room and a loud sound system 🔗 blanktapes.co/review-vito-...

Review: Vito Dito — Space Ways Spirituals with Ken Moshesh

Where ancient sounds meet future spirits, Vito Dito and Ken Moshesh forge an EP of spirituals that feel timeless

blanktapes.co

genre tags are usually reductive. but when burns and the torchlights got called "jazz-grunge" at a show they played without a guitar, the label actually stuck. check out the full chat about how that happened, making a debut LP in 20 hours, and more! blanktapes.co/interview-bu...

Interview: Burns and the Torchlights

The Chapel Hill bass-led act on accidental genre labels, twenty-hour album sessions, and the Triangle scene that raised them

blanktapes.co

RIP to a true ambassador for his species it may seem weird to eulogize a snake, but this boy was like a cat and dog got fused into a tube of liquid glass. truly an honor to have rescued and given him over 3 great years hope you’re snuggling up in the great hoodie pocket in the sky, bud

An amazing friend of the site is in need of financial support after battling chronic leukemia. Please consider sending some love to Corbie Hill and his family if you're able. gofund.me/cb497a68b

Donate to Help the Hills get ahead of their medical bills, organized by Corbie Hill

First off, we look pretty good for a couple that's been through five bouts… Corbie Hill needs your support for Help the Hills get ahead of their medical bills

gofund.me

this could be anywhere in the world

valentine's day is always a hard time for me because of the massacre

scum.

Tom Joscelyn@tomjoscelyn.bsky.social · 9mo ago

This is an actual post from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth: Praising ICE after Alex Pretti was killed, blaming the Democratic leadership of Minnesota, and writing that ICE is greater/better than Minnesota. He is actively demeaning the people of Minnesota just hours after Pretti was murdered.

He does this every Friday.

we've got a pair of new interviews live at blanktapes.co this past week worthy of your attention

what even is this world

a man with white hair and a beard is wearing a black suit and a yellow tie

ALT: a man with white hair and a beard is wearing a black suit and a yellow tie

media.tenor.com

Federal Reserve@federalreserve.gov · 9mo ago

Video message from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell: www.youtube.com/watch?v=KckG... www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/s...

the calender's doing the thing again, I see

IT'S HERE! Our 2025 Rewind is live and STUFFED with so much good music that you won't know what to do with it 🔗 blanktapes.co/2025-rewind/

2025 Rewind: Our Favorite Albums, EPs, and Artists from North Carolina

Highlighting the abundance of music released from our artist community in 2025

blanktapes.co

we're barreling towards 2026 but don't let that distract you from the amazing new records of November! I've got write-ups on Abigail Dowd, Burlap Circus, MAVI, and scrape + 32 other releases to check out (so do it!) blanktapes.co/new-music-nc...

New Music NC: November 2025

Featuring Abigail Dowd, Burlap Circus, MAVI, scrape, and 32 new releases from North Carolina artists

blanktapes.co

blanktapes.co just hit 100 published articles! 🥳 a few months have passed since I've done one of these "letter to the editor" columns. it felt like the best way to touch on the milestone and offer some life updates. can't wait to share what we've got in store for 2026!

Bonus Track: November 2025

Giving thanks, a Mountains to Sea Vol. 1 update, and getting tripped up by Geese

blanktapes.co

how it’s going:

algorithms seem hell-bent on flooding every social media feed with articles about ICE in NC, but only to show off all the awful racists/bots who congregate in the comment sections 🤮

this man is single-handedly getting me back into chevelle

if cheVelle wrote "SOMEBODY THAT I USED TO KNOW" by Gotye

YouTube video by mac glocky

youtube.com

Posted for no reason

finally trying to get back into the social media groove after a chaotic few months of work/life 🫠 so here's my first interview in a hot minute with one of my favorite writers/zine creators in the Triangle check it 👉 blanktapes.co/interview-ma...

Interview: Matia Guardabascio (Writer, Secret Astronomer / Durham Beat)

Creating the local media you want to see, rejecting objectivity in music journalism, and finding community through curiosity

blanktapes.co

whos in the social media bubble now you gooncel freaks

looking for some new music? check out this smorgasbord of releases from local North Carolina artists over the past month! blanktapes.co/new-music-nc...

New Music NC: October 2025

Featuring Certain Seas, susong, Tab One, and 49 new releases from North Carolina artists

blanktapes.co

my favorite Joyce Manor song? probably “perfect sound whatever” by Jeff Rosenstock

Grant Sharples@grantsharpies.bsky.social · 12mo ago

My favorite blink-182 song? Probably “heart tattoo” by Joyce Manor

“you ever hear of that old movie, the emperor’s new groove?” I am a thousand