RECOMMENDS

OUR TOP POPCULTURE PICKS OF THE MONTH

SINGLE 1. Blondshell’s “Sepsis”

“I’m going back to him/I know my therapist’s pissed,” Blondshell — 24-year-old singer-songwriter Sabrina Teitelbaum — sings on the latest phenomenally catchy alt-rock blast from her hotly buzzed upcoming debut LP, due out in early 2023. Catch her on tour this fall.

MOVIE 2. ‘Catharine Called Birdy’

A.K.A. “Lena Dunham and the Holy Grail.” The Tiny Furniture writer-director turns in a breezy, funny feminist medieval comedy about a young woman nicknamed Birdy ( Game of Thrones’ Bella Ramsey) trying to avoid being married off by her parents.

VIDEO GAME 3. ‘The Last of Us: Part 1’

A remake of a classic video game, this emotionally harrowing experience follows a grizzled smuggler and mouthy orphan fighting for survival in a post-apocalyptic America. Coming to PlayStation 5 ahead of its upcoming HBO adaptation.

TOUR 4. Lizzo

Hot off the release of her great new album, Special, one of pop’s eclectic performers is back on the road, delivering good-ashell disco-soul fire and bad-bitch affirmation to an arena new you.

BOOK 5. ‘How We Roll’

Ever wonder how the joint was invented? Or how the New York City blunt came to be? This book offers insights and interviews with famous potheads (Tommy Chong, Wiz Khalifa), as well as detailed instructions to make anyone an expert.

MOVIE 6. ‘Blonde’

Filmmaker Andrew Dominik takes on Joyce Carol Oates’ fictional novel — don’t call it a biopic! — about Marilyn Monroe, with Ana de Armas done up as an eerie doppelgänger for the iconic movie star and an NC-17 rating that is reportedly well-earned.

DOCUMENTARY 7. ‘Untrapped: The Story of Lil Baby’

An inspiring look at Lil Baby’s journey, from his hustler years to his recent role as an advocate for the Movement for Black Lives. The documentary, streaming on Amazon Prime, lovingly depicts the Atlanta rapper’s passions, motivations, and drives, and culminates in his heartfelt performance at last year’s Grammy Awards.

TV SHOW 8. ‘Los Espookys’

The offbeat, multilingual comedy — about friends who stage horror-moviestyle scenarios to help solve their clients’ problems — is finally back, with the gang being haunted by the ghost of a beauty-pageant queen and trying to appease some literal inner demons.

ALBUM 9. ‘Lou Reed: Words and Music, May 1965’

This revealing archival set contains the earliest known recordings from the godfather of punk, then in his folk phase, but already gesturing toward the raw, poetic genius of the Velvet Underground, especially on primordial versions of “Heroin” and “I’m Waiting for the Man.”