SPORTS

Lauren Moore finishes her triple jump trial, landing in the sandpit, during a meet | Photo courtesy of Lauren Moore

Diving into senior Lauren Moore’s seven year journey in track and field

May 29, 2026

Lelani Laruelle competes in long jump at a track and field meet at Fremont High School. Photo | Stella Petzova

Senior and jumper Lelani Laruelle commits to UC Berkeley for Division 1 track and field

May 27, 2026

Laruelle reframed her mindset and overcame mental blocks, finding fulfillment in the sport

Varsity Badminton falls 28-2 against Lynbrook High School

May 25, 2026

Seniors who have participated in a high school sport for four years reflect on the ways their respective sport has impacted them

May 24, 2026

Although they don’t plan on playing for a college the seniors discuss other ways they will continue to keep their connection to their respective sport alive

In Review: Volume 5, 2026

El Estoque’s staff review recently released media, from Harry Style’s first single in two years “Aperture” to the album that was originally set to be released in Sept. 2025 “Icon” by Brent Faiyaz

Fiona Chen, Emmy Harimoto, Sana Karkhanis, Isabelle Kok, Yixuan (Joyce) Li, Emma Ma, Zaid Naqvi, and Raj Thapliyal • March 7, 2026

This is Volume 5 of El Estoque’s “Arts & Ent: In Review,” in which staff review recently released media, including albums, movies, EPs, TV shows, books and games.

"Aperture" - Harry Styles

After nearly two years on hiatus, Harry Styles makes a journey back into the world of entertainment with his latest single “Aperture.” The track, released on Jan. 22, is the first song to be released from Styles’ upcoming album “Kiss all the time. Disco, occasionally” set to come out on March 6. “Aperture” is a clear evolution in his style, indicating he has returned to music reinvigorated and re-inspired in terms of genre and production.

This artistic growth is most prevalent in the composition of the track, shifting away from pop-rock to house and electronic influences by incorporating more synth and a vocal echoing effect among other elements — something he didn’t have much of on his previous works. Additionally, while “Aperture”’s runtime — nearly five minutes — is extensive, it refreshingly avoids repetition through a constant shift in beats and vocal intensity between the verses, chorus and bridge, displaying growth not just in genre, but also in technique.

“Aperture'”s themes of invigoration and starting again emerge through lyrics such as “I’m going on clean” and “Time won’t wait on me / I wanna know what safe is,” fitting accordingly with the context of Styles’ return to a public platform. However, the impact of the track’s lyricism falters in accordance with Styles’ vocals, which are often low in pitch and become difficult to decipher amidst all the noise of the production in the song. Despite this, the emotions behind the song do not require complete lyrical comprehensibility, as they are strongly reflected in Styles’ vocal intensity and diction. Overall, “Aperture” stands alone in Styles’ discography, but through genre shifts and compelling production, it still stands out, serving as an exciting taste of what listeners can expect from Styles going forward.

RATING: 4/5 (Reviewed by Sana Karkhanis)

"Luv u" - Connor Price and Nic D

Connor Price has already released six singles in 2026, four of which were with fellow artist Nic D. Both Nic D and Connor Price combine aspects of hip-hop, pop and rap to create their own unique style. While some of Connor Price’s singles are emotionally heavy and introspective due to his songs being a reflection of his life, “Luv u” is a more high-energy song because of its fast-paced flow and high-pitched background vocals. By layering voices in the chorus, the artists create a melodic harmony, adding to the upbeat messaging of the song. Additionally, Nic D’s more serious, low inflection adds a steady flow to the song, which naturally complements Price’s unique and airy voice.

While the lyrics do contain some generic phrases about love, both artists have their moments of creativity through the analogies made during their respective verses. For example, Nic D ends his verse with, ”I got a soft spot for the hard shell with a soft touch / When you look back, you'll see it's all us.“ Similarly, Price ends his verse with, “A palm full of roses, caught me red-handed / Always speak candid, I said it, then I meant it.”

Despite the creative lyricism from both artists and the catchy chorus, “Luv u” is relatively short at only two minutes and 10 seconds. Additionally, some lines from both artists are vague and only exist as filler between the more impactful lyrics, such as Price’s line, “Is the sky blue? Way you lookin' in that dress / Gotta slide through, always standin' by you.” Overall, while “Luv u” does not differentiate itself heavily from the norm in the R&B and rap genres, the song excels in utilizing existing concepts within those genres, enough to make it memorable.

RATING: 4/5 (Reviewed by Raj Thapliyal)

"Starlight" - Cannons

As a preview to their upcoming album “Everything Glows,” Los Angeles-based indie pop trio Cannons released “Starlight” on Jan. 30. Drawing on 80s-inspired textures and melodic basslines, the song balances nostalgic tones with modern production, an example of the band’s recent shift towards catchy melodies and emotionally resonant pop.

“Starlight” opens with a steady electronic beat and pulsing bass soon joined by lead singer-songwriter Michelle Joy’s clear, expressive vocals. Her delivery is rather controlled, allowing subtle inflections to carry the weight of lyrics about needing guidance and support. Harmonized backing vocals and slight reverb lift the melody in the chorus while still keeping the song balanced.

Rather than relying on complex wordplay or dramatic storytelling, “Starlight” conveys vulnerability through its motifs of light and dependability in lyrics such as “In the dark, be my light” and “Guide me through this endless night.” While the track’s thematic simplicity may fail to illuminate deeper reflection, it allows listeners to immediately relate to the emotional core of the track, reinforcing the sense of steadiness that Joy is seeking.

“Starlight” may not drastically reshape Cannons’ sound, but it showcases the band’s strengths in melody and emotional clarity. The track’s balance of old-school production and tender motifs offers an experience that is reflective, showing how nostalgic pop can sound timeless.

RATING: 4/5 (Reviewed by Zaid Naqvi)

"Homewrecker" - sombr

Grammy-nominated singer sombr released his single “Homewrecker” on Feb. 5 alongside a music video starring himself, actor Milo Manheim and influencer and model Quenlin Blackwell. Featuring a Wild West-inspired movie set, the plot of the video centers a love triangle with sombr and Blackwell as the two romantic leads and Manheim as their egotistical, romantically unfaithful director. Manheim is dating Blackwell while sombr longs to start a romantic relationship with her.

The message of the video is highly reflective of the song, which is about yearning for someone who is already involved with someone else. The themes of jealousy and angst are easy to interpret through lyrics describing sombr’s growing connection to his love interest “We sit on the fire escape / We talk and talk ‘til dawn.” His desperate envy of her lover is seen through repetition of the lyric “be better” during the chorus. This passionate lyricism reinforces his jealousy and pining as the central takeaway, conveying a sense of desperate pining.

Blackwell and sombr’s acting reinforces this message, as they share tender exchanges and affectionate glances, which — juxtaposed with Manheim’s angry, self-centered nature — heightens sombr’s belief that he would be the better choice. Blackwell and sombr are perfectly costumed for the immersive Wild West setting while Manheim appears like the only one who doesn’t really belong, despite sombr technically being the third wheel.

However, considering sombr’s newfound status as a Grammy-nominated artist, it is surprising that “Homewrecker” lacks experimentation and risk. This makes the song slightly boring and indistinguishable in his discography, failing to showcase artistic evolution. Overall, “Homewrecker” is guttural and passionate as sombr excels in delivering an emotionally-charged song and music video, yet he ultimately fails to try something new, resulting in an underwhelming release.

RATING: 4.5/5 (Reviewed by Sana Karkhanis)

"Amnesia" - Evan Pak and Yihao Xing

Korean-American songwriter and composer Evan Pak released his single “Amnesia” on Friday, Feb. 6, featuring Chinese R&B and soul singer-songwriter Yihao Xing. Centering around heartbreak within a Korean R&B soundscape, the song explores the emotional struggle that follows a breakup.

Pak and Xing portray those themes through their lyrics, with lines such as “And playing with my feelings, make me crash my car” and “Your love’s amnesia.” These phrases describe a love so intoxicating that it ultimately causes one to lose their own dignity and sense of self. Beyond lyrics, however, the vocal delivery feels restrained. While both singers hint at emotion, it is sometimes challenging to fully take it in due to the collision of vocals and loud beats from the background track. Nonetheless, the song’s conclusion section features more soulful vocal performances, where the artists’ desperate and breathy tones finally shine through the intrumentals.

In terms of production, "Amnesia's" hook establishes the mood effectively, balancing popping sound effects with soft, background vocals alongside the main melody. As the song transitions into the chorus, the production shifts into dramatic bursts of upbeat percussion, static sound effects and string intruments. While this combination is satisfying to hear once, its repetition throughout the track becomes overwhelming.

At times, dense layering of sound effects and beats clashes with the vocals, making certain lyrics difficult to comprehend. The style and vocal blending between the two artists creates a cohesive sound, but also diminishes one of the best parts of a collaboration: allowing each artist to stand out. As a result, it is difficult to distinguish which voice belongs to which between the two artists.

Despite these issues, “Amnesia” succeeds in creating a captivating and dark pop-R&B atmosphere, particularly through its strong introduction and resonant prechorus. “Amnesia” attempts to convey the emotional struggle within the artists themselves, but the overwhelming production leaves listeners with a different kind of amnesia of wanting to forget the entire song together.

RATING: 2.5/5 (Reviewed by Emmy Harimoto)

"GOLDEN HOUR : Part.4" - ATEEZ

South Korean boy band ATEEZ is back with their 13th mini album, “GOLDEN HOUR : Part.4.” With this new installment to their “GOLDEN HOUR” series, the group stays within its comfort zone — signature explosive instrumentals backed by powerful choruses dominating most of the tracklist.

Opening the EP with a space-adventure theme marked by techno vibes and eerie synths, “Ghost” builds to a forgettable climax. Similarly, feel-good songs “On the Road” and “Choose” make for nice but forgettable listens that fail to add much to the album. However, in lead single “Adrenaline,” ATEEZ is in their element. They may be reheating their own nachos, but the formula is tried and true, with a thudding bass and massive energy holding up the track. The vocals in the pre-chorus are loud and powerful, and hard-hitting rap verses further intensify the buildup to a final, explosive chorus.

“NASA” keeps the EP cohesive with its space-themed title, coming in with an eerie intro that captures listeners’ attention. It then bursts into gritty and glitchy EDM beats that take unpredictable turns, as if navigating the chaos of space. Though its lyrics are often complete nonsense (take “Eyes on the ball, no pasta,” for instance), its catchy hook and epic instrumentals scratch the brain in just the right way.

Though “GOLDEN HOUR : Part.4” plays to ATEEZ’s strengths, filled with thunderous instrumentals and endless energy that pumps adrenaline through listeners’ veins, it also wouldn’t hurt for the group to experiment with other sounds once in a while. For those unfamiliar with ATEEZ’s “noise music,” the EP may take some adjusting to, but it’s easy to get carried away by the excitement and intensity that is so unique to this group.

RATING: 3/5 (Reviewed by Emma Ma)

"WANT IT" - WEST OF EDEN

Since releasing “butterfly” in 2023, WEST OF EDEN has built a steady presence in the Asian indie pop and R&B scene. The Seattle-based quartet — consisting of jun.e, slone, keanu., and riensu — released 20 singles and one EP and have amassed over 5.2 million streams on Spotify since their debut. They’ve opened for artists like demxnta and yung kai, and headlined sold-out shows of their own. WEST OF EDEN’s creative process is unlike any other: they assemble every step of their music on Discord. Someone produces the beat, then passes it to members to add personal touches before recording vocals.

Released on Jan. 30, “WANT IT” reflects all of these dynamics. Produced by riensu, with lyrics by riensu, keanu and slone, the song perfectly exemplifies WEST OF EDEN’s signature of emotion through minimalism. The arrangement is sparse, yet strategically textured with synths, guitar and percussion without dominating the vocals to give space for a syncopated, hypnotic delivery.

Lyrically, “WANT IT” is obsessive, with lines like, “I can’t let go / I need it now” creating a mantra-like tension. The repetition of this line mirrors the emotional loop of desire that expresses longing and frustration clearly, but WEST OF EDEN’s restrained minimalism leaves room for interpretation.

However, that restraint is also its limitation, holding back WEST OF EDEN from realizing its full potential. The lyrics can feel vague at times, leaving emotional context underdeveloped, along with a lack of strong dynamic progression. Moreover, there’s no distinct hook, which contributes to a sense of flatness over the song’s short two minutes and 41 second runtime.

Regardless, “WANT IT” is a compelling track that brings out WEST OF EDEN’s signature, though it leaves just enough unsaid to keep the listener craving the more inventive risks of their past work.

RATING: 3/5 (Reviewed by Fiona Chen)

"Would You Go Down on a Girl?" (deluxe) - Déyyess

Alternative artist Déyyess’ EP “Would You Go Down on a Girl?” carries the soul of a strobe-lit teenage night out: full-bodied yearning, unabashed eroticism and a hyperreal luster. With the Feb. 6 deluxe release of this echt alt-pop collection, Déyyess sinks fully into the summery sound that she’s made her own, taking a comfortable place between indie and soft rock.

“Lights Off” starts off the seven-track EP with immediate warmth, combining gorgeous instrumental flourishes with a lush chorus that sticks like body glitter. Déyyess grapples with accepting the volatility of an illicit affair, pleading, “You’re making me proud with my fingers in your mouth [...] Do you think of my face and wish I’d take his place?” The song’s production is a nod to 90s flair without replicating it wholesale, and thrumming percussion deepens her comfortable dream-pop style.

Five exquisite tracks follow, broken up by a more balladic interlude in between. Each explores different facets of a burgeoning romance, zeroing in on moments full of desire and skittish delight. This comes in the form of details that feel larger than life — miniskirts on “golden thighs” in “Me, Oh My”; a cafe crush’s sunlit hair in “She Knows”; perfume-soaked, indulgent self-pleasure in “Lips Like Sugar.”

With this EP, Déyyess builds a rare and exciting shrine to sapphic love. She handles it tenderly, but is still thoroughly queer, choosing not to hide behind apologetic chastity or euphemisms: a candidness that steeps “Would You Go Down on a Girl?” in intense, addictive intimacy. Even when the last strings of “Silverlake Baby” fizzle out, listeners will undoubtedly be reluctant to leave the EP’s luminous closeness behind.

RATING: 5/5 (Reviewed by Isabelle Kok)

"Icon" - Brent Faiyaz

Moody, magnetic and maddeningly mercurial, “Icon” refines Brent Faiyaz’s iconic cool detachment into something sleeker and more deliberate. While his previous production “WASTELAND” cemented Faiyaz as R&B’s resident antihero by luxuriating in toxic confessionals and tabloid spectacle, “Icon” feels more distilled: a late-night monologue delivered through dim studio lights and glinting gold chains.

Across the album, Faiyaz leans into his signature elements: heavy, enveloping bass; effortless layered harmonies; minimalist trap percussion and hazy synth washes, leaving generous negative space around Faiyaz’s elastic tenor. Tracks oscillate lyrically between syrupy devotion and emotional evasiveness, whether he’s reframing cliches like, “Looking for love in all the wrong faces” (instead of all the wrong places) or nearly pleading, “How do you feel? / Is it anything like I feel?” The production often shifts mid-song — basslines softening before sharper snares crash in — a mirror to the instability of the relationships he sketches. However, even when he experiments with pitched vocals or whimsical, string-laced openings, the mood remains cohesive — nocturnal, groovy and faintly guarded — and maintains an intentional iciness that’s restrained, but never sterile.

“Icon” doesn’t reinvent Faiyaz’s thematic palette of desire, distrust and self-preservation; instead he doubles down on the mythology of himself. Fame is both armor and aphrodisiac; romance is volatile — “hot as July, cold as the wintertime” as Faiyaz says it — and intimacy feels just out of reach, suspended between fantasy and control. The album blurs affection and yearning with ego until they’re indistinguishable. Lines that might read as braggadocious on paper feel strangely vulnerable in his delivery, as if the flex is less about dominance and more about defense.

If the album stumbles, it’s in that very aesthetic cohesion that verges on the monochrome. Individual tracks occasionally blur together, washed in the same smoky hues stylistically — relative to itself and Faiyaz’s previous productions. Moreover, although the song’s cool composure is hypnotic, its emotional palette stays within shades of graphite and silver. Still, that consistency is also its allure. “Icon” may not shatter the mold with unpredictability, but it doesn’t need to; it thrives on subdued tensions, subtle shifts and lingering atmospheres.

In true Brent Faiyaz fashion, the album doesn’t resolve so much as linger. He remains untouchable, slightly obscured — both the sculptor and the statue — and dares you to decide what it costs to be both desired and distant, a tension that glows and stays long after the bass fades.

RATING: 3.5/5 (Reviewed by Yixuan (Joyce) Li)

About the Contributors

Fiona Chen, Staff Writer

Fiona Chen is a sophomore and a staff writer for El Estoque. She loves unwinding with bedroom R&B, taking evening walks, and indulging in all kinds of green grape drinks.

Emmy Harimoto, Copy Editor

Emmy is a sophomore and copy editor for El Estoque. She loves taking photos, dreaming of her next travel adventures and keeping her Wordle streak alive.

Sana Karkhanis, Arts & Entertainment Editor

Sana Karkhanis is currently a junior and an Arts & Entertainment Editor for El Estoque. In her free time she enjoys analyzing movies, taking photos of her dog and telling funny jokes. Here’s one: What’s the difference between a tuna, a piano and glue? You can tun-a piano but you can’t piano a tuna! And the glue? I knew you’d get…stuck…on that.

Isabelle Kok, Editor-in-Chief

Isabelle Kok is currently a senior and an Editor-in-Chief for El Estoque. She loves to take walks, naps and ibuprofen.

Yixuan (Joyce) Li, News Editor

Joyce is currently a senior and a news editor for El Estoque. In her free time, she likes to rewatch shows, binge video essays on YouTube and listen to music.

Emma Ma, Staff Writer

Emma is a sophomore and a staff writer for El Estoque. In her free time, she loves to read books in uncomfortable positions on her couch, listen to music and goof off with friends.

Zaid Naqvi, News Editor

Zaid is a junior and a News Editor for El Estoque. When he isn’t asleep, he likes to read, play his guitar and eat pizza cookies (he thinks “pizookies” sounds dumb) at BJ’s with his friends.

Raj Thapliyal, Sports Editor

Raj is a senior and a sports editor. He enjoys playing volleyball, table tennis, playing video games, and taking his dog out on walks.