tag:quandyfactory.com,2026-9-21:/2026921 2026-9-21T12:00:00Z Quandy Factory Newsfeed - All Quandy Factory is the personal website of Ryan McGreal in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.. http://quandyfactory.com/blog/297/the_world_is_done_waiting_for_america_to_return 2026-09-19T12:00:00Z The World is Done Waiting For America to Return <p>We find ourselves today in a world that is highly volatile and dangerous, fraught with intersecting perils that desperately require imagination and dexterity to manage.</p> <p>We have multiple regional wars raging, all of them at serious risk of escalating into wider, more devastating conflicts. </p> <p>We have burgeoning technologies whose own inventors are begging governments for sensible regulation in order to mitigate the risk that they could escape control and wreak havoc on our systems of survival.</p> <p>We inhabit a global climate that has been destabilized by decades of uncontrolled greenhouse gas emissions, and is producing devastating extreme weather events of ever-growing frequency, intensity and scale.</p> <p>In the years after the pandemic, we lost many of the early warning systems that guard against the next pandemic, even as the transmission vectors for disease proliferation continue to expand and public health authorities struggle with a loss of public trust.</p> <p>These are all thorny collective action problems that require careful coordination to align the interests of parties with divergent and often competing agendas.</p> <p>One lesson I learned from the pandemic was that extraordinary circumstances don’t always inspire better leadership. Sufficiently reckless leaders can turn a crisis into a catastrophe - and the worse the outcomes, the more aggressively they double down on blaming everyone and everything but themselves.</p> <p>Worst of all, I learned that there are far too many citizens, even in mature liberal democracies, who are willing to look the other way, accept the blame-shifting excuses, or actually welcome the devastation. </p> <p>The former US president who oversaw just about the worst pandemic response of any developed country, and who helped normalize within his political movement a profound distrust of empirical sources of knowledge, is once again the president. </p> <p>He incited a violent assault on the peaceful transfer of power when he lost his election in 2020 and refused to accept the results. His army of dedicated followers stood with him and the broader leadership of his party failed to hold him to any kind of account. </p> <p>He emerged stronger, angrier, and more determined than ever to transform the office of the presidency into his own personal engine of vengeance and self-enrichment. </p> <p>Elections have consequences. 77.3 million American voters decided in November 2024 to re-elect him, despite everything he had done up to that point.</p> <p>In his second term, he has launched a war with Iran and has pursued an erratic, haphazard and shamelessly transactional approach to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.</p> <p>He calls the risks posed by misaligned artificial intelligence a “hoax” and refuses to consider meaningful regulation, even as some of the industry’s own leading figures warn that increasingly capable AI systems require independent oversight.</p> <p>He withdrew the US from the Paris Climate Agreement and ripped apart the ambitious domestic policy framework that was finally starting to bend the trajectory of greenhouse gas emissions, fateful decisions that have made any hope of international cooperation more difficult.</p> <p>He has defunded, dismantled or weakened core elements of American and global public-health infrastructure, withdrawn the United States from the World Health Organization, cut public-health funding, and installed a health secretary who is truly breathtaking in his depravity and unfitness.</p> <p>The defining challenges of our age cannot be solved by any nation acting alone. They require institutions, alliances, expertise - and above all, trust and sustained cooperation between countries. Instead, we have a president who has made it his mission to undermine institutions and alliances, denigrate expertise and violate trust.</p> <p>The best case scenario the world can hope for, over the next two years and four months, is that the institutions and practices of American democracy and the rule of law muster the resilience to act as a check on his malicious impulses.</p> <p>That is not a comforting place for the world to be. However, the upcoming midterm elections are an opportunity for the American people to take stock of the past 20 months and decide whether they want more of the same or a change in direction. </p> <p>The world is watching. But we’re no longer waiting passively for a few tens of thousands of American swing voters to save us. </p> <p>As the US continues to undermine the foundations of the postwar international order it built and sustained for decades, an order that benefited the US itself more than any other country, the other liberal democracies of the world are stepping into the void, laying the foundations of a new system that is more genuinely multilateral, more resilient, and less dependent on any one country to be the sponsor and guarantor of everyone’s security.</p> <p>For the first time in the postwar era, countries that were deeply invested in the US-led international system are increasingly treating the United States not as the pillar of that system, but as a source of political and strategic risk that they need to hedge against. </p> <p>A fundamental shift has been set in motion, and its consequences will play out over the coming decades.</p> Ryan McGreal 2 http://quandyfactory.com/blog/296/new_single:_stranger 2026-05-26T12:00:00Z New Single: Stranger <h3>Single</h3> <p>You can listen to the song embedded on YouTube here on this page:</p> <div style="text-align: center"> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZQkBRqR07dk?si=Bp0ScYWVuJkOX45S" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe> </div> <h3>Streaming Links</h3> <ul> <li><p><a href="https://music.apple.com/ca/album/stranger/6773205208?i=6773205209">Apple Music</a></p></li> <li><p><a href="https://youtu.be/ZQkBRqR07dk?si=zXmbEFFu8dA2eAuc">YouTube</a></p></li> <li><p><a href="https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQkBRqR07dk&si=JDdt3mMGvnDSM7dw">YouTube Music</a></p></li> <li><p><a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/4aucFkWD77ZPzNffBr0445?si=6abKwieTR7Wf0t2lX9VCHQ">Spotify</a></p></li> <li><p><a href="https://music.amazon.ca/tracks/B0H2Y68MB8">Amazon Music</a></p></li> </ul> <h3>Lyrics</h3> <pre><code>Verse 1: When I came to you as a stranger You opened the door And let me in When I was held down by the ranger You knew it was for The state I’m in When I was at the door seeking entry You told the guards To please be kind When I showed my face to the sentry You waved to me And then you signed Chorus: When I was a stranger You opened the door And let me in When I was a stranger Verse 2: When I had no food and was starving You set me up To show you care When I saw what the butcher was carving You knew how much You’d need to share When I was in rags and all tattered You brought me clothes And kept me warm When I was ice cold, my teeth chattered You sheltered me Against the storm Chorus: When I was a stranger You opened the door And let me in When I was a stranger Verse 3: When I was shipwrecked and drowning You pulled me up And gave me air When enemies all were surrounding Held under siege Your horns did blare When I was in hospital ailing You cooled my brow And heard my plea When I was in prison unjustly You fought my cause And set me free Chorus: When I (It’s what you did unto the least of my brothers) Was a stranger (It’s what you did unto me) You opened the door (It’s what you did unto the least of my brothers) And let me in (It’s what you did unto me) When I (It’s what you did unto the least of my brothers) Was a stranger It’s what you did unto me </code></pre> <h3>Release Cover Image</h3> <p class="image"> <img src="/static/images/IMG_7279.jpeg" alt="Stranger album cover" title="Stranger album cover"><br> Stranger album cover </p> Ryan McGreal 2 http://quandyfactory.com/blog/295/no_good_options_for_trump_in_iran 2026-03-26T12:00:00Z No Good Options for Trump in Iran <p>Notwithstanding his ever-shifting rationales, for Trump to “win” his Iran war in any meaningful sense of the term, he needs to achieve a set of military and political objectives that are impossible without a major ground invasion (and effectively impossible even with one).</p> <p>For Iran to win, all they need to do is survive.</p> <p>They don’t need to hit every ship trying to pass through the Strait, they just need to hit one or two and every other ship immediately loses its insurance.</p> <p>It’s the perfect asymmetrical power imbalance. There is no way to protect every single ship from all the cheap and undetectable methods Iran has to deploy weaponry. </p> <p>That gives them outsized leverage, but it also increases the likelihood that Trump decides he can’t afford to leave them in power.</p> <p>Ironically, the US vis-a-vis Iran is in some ways not too different from Russia vis-a-vis Ukraine. Despite a vastly higher population and economic capacity, Russia fell into a trap when it invaded. It can’t make sustained progress and is hemorrhaging people and equipment at a staggering rate. </p> <p>But unlike Russia, the US government cannot withstand the political fallout from a deadly military quagmire. </p> <p>Which is not to say I have any confidence that Trump understands this. Instead of solid intel and clear policy guidance, he’s getting daily sizzle reels of explosion porn from his staff.</p> <p>All of which is to say: this war could fizzle out, or it could escalate into a catastrophic morass. And the person with the power to decide has no principles, no strategic sense and no capacity to honestly evaluate his decisions and learn from them and is surrounded by shameless sycophants.</p> <p>Trump’s greed might be our saving grace. So far, markets are pricing oil based on the TACO principle, assuming he will declare victory and withdraw rather than trigger a global recession.</p> <p>But his need for approval and validation cuts both ways. He also loves to be the guy who Went There when others balked.</p> <p>Domestically, he’s acting as if his dismal poll numbers don’t matter. He could just be delusional, or he could be trapped in a filter bubble in which he doesn’t get to see negative polls, or he might be betting that he’ll be able to suppress enough votes to hold onto Congress through the midterm elections scheduled for this fall.</p> <p>If it’s any one of those, he might decide the risk of looking weak is worse than the risk of sending oil prices to $200+ per barrel and tanking the global economy - or he might even allow himself to be convinced that consequences just don’t apply to him. </p> <p>So much of what will happen in the next few years will come down to the whims of the most intemperate, capricious and reckless person to sit in the Oval Office in any of our lifetimes. This is no way to run a planet.</p> Ryan McGreal 2 http://quandyfactory.com/blog/294/new_single:_theres_no_way 2026-03-20T12:00:00Z New Single: There's No Way <p>I have just released my fifth single, <em>There's No Way</em>.</p> <h3>Single</h3> <p>You can listen to the song embedded on YouTube here on this page:</p> <p><div style="text-align: center; margin-left: auto; margin-right:auto; width: auto"></p> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-qxMOOLwpVw?si=6Si5neqfwm6UKdOP" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe> <p><div></p> <h3>Streaming Links</h3> <ul> <li><p><a href="https://music.apple.com/ca/album/theres-no-way/1886742355?i=1886742356">Apple Music</a></p></li> <li><p><a href="https://youtu.be/-qxMOOLwpVw?si=h4Qnwy0JADr3-DYb">YouTube</a></p></li> <li><p><a href="https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=-qxMOOLwpVw&si=dUv9MG8p7LqKC1V3">YouTube Music</a></p></li> <li><p><a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/4yD3P8XGoNXezEBRjDjqn4?si=SfzI3j6zR02Uwmh_qngdmA">Spotify</a></p></li> <li><p><a href="https://music.amazon.ca/albums/B0GT6LYTPM?do=play&trackAsin=B0GT7G885F&ts=1773960397&ref=dm_sh_v1uRZ7ftAlBhAARy9WGjWYyK7">Amazon Music</a></p></li> </ul> <h3>Lyrics</h3> <pre><code>Chorus: There’s no way To get to there The cliff just drops Verse 1: We’ve lost the plot, gone off the rails Around the bend and off the trails Blown off course amid the gales Regretting all our vices We’re off the map and out of phase Picking through these pathless ways Turned within a turn of phrase And left with our devices Bivy without chalk or ropes Stumbling on these trackless slopes We’re past abandoning all hopes A million miles from wonder Astray beneath the canebrake gloom Adrift in the infernal flume We cower from impending doom Like villagers from plunder Chorus 2: There’s no way To get to there The cliff just drops And you can’t pay To save a chair When the music stops Verse 2: Everyone’s a coat of arms Scripted lines and phony charms A fool's parade of false alarms A thousand farms of rage bait Hiding in the highlight reel Trolling with the scrolling wheel How are we supposed to feel When we can’t even think straight Chorus 3: There’s no way To get to there The cliff just drops And you can’t pay To save a chair When the music stops Bridge: We search for golden daffodils That other road consumes us still A braid hung from a balcony A failure mode in falconry We feel the cleaving in our eyes Trespassing in a world of cries Our evening shadows rising fast We let it go and sing at last Chorus 4: There’s no way To get to there The cliff just drops And you can’t pay To save a chair When the music stops There’s no way To get to there From here somehow But you can stay And breathe the air It’s clear right now </code></pre> <h3>Release Cover Image</h3> <p class="image"> <img src="https://quandyfactory.com/static/images/theres%20no%20way%20album%20cover.png" alt="There's No Way" title="There's No Way"><br> There's No Way </p> Ryan McGreal 2 http://quandyfactory.com/blog/291/new_single:_im_not_ok_and_how_are_you_doing 2026-02-26T12:00:00Z New Single: I'm Not OK (And How Are You Doing) <p>I have just released my fourth single, <em>I'm Not OK (And How Are You Doing)</em>.</p> <h3>Single</h3> <p>You can listen to the song embedded on YouTube here on this page:</p> <p><div style="text-align: center; margin-left: auto; margin-right:auto; width: auto"></p> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/52mZebDUtHs?si=UZdvbkXJN0Z01pMN" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe> <p><div></p> <h3>Streaming Links</h3> <ul> <li><p><a href="https://music.apple.com/ca/song/im-not-ok-and-how-are-you-doing/1880635768">Apple Music</a></p></li> <li><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52mZebDUtHs">YouTube</a></p></li> <li><p><a href="https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=52mZebDUtHs&si=KG4iCRU53bMsSzx6">YouTube Music</a></p></li> <li><p><a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/0N9T8uaiAxOOhsvr9te9Tn?si=e67009e2c6054cbf">Spotify</a></p></li> <li><p><a href="https://music.amazon.ca/tracks/B0GQ1LGV9T?marketplaceId=A2EUQ1WTGCTBG2&musicTerritory=CA&ref=dm_sh_3cde86qxWbGlqzb1EmbvGmrI3">Amazon Music</a></p></li> </ul> <h3>Lyrics</h3> <pre><code>Are you OK? 'Cause I’m not OK. Are people OK? I mean, truly?  And are you alright? 'Cause I’m not alright I'm rather uptight  And unruly Now are you quite well? ‘Cause I just can’t tell I’m having a spell But I'm hiding And are you in sync? 'Cause I'm on the blink I'm close to the brink  And backsliding  And I have to ask you: Are you well-adjusted? I don’t want to task you If you can’t be trusted Are you feeling woozy? ‘Cause this is a doozy And nothing is quite what it seems And I have to ask you,  Are you well-adjusted?  'Cause you won't believe What I may have just did Are you copacetic? 'Cause I'm just pathetic  And coming apart at the seams </code></pre> <h3>Release Cover Image</h3> <p class="image"> <img src="https://quandyfactory.com/static/images/not%20ok%20album%20cover.png" alt="I'm Not OK (And How Are You Doing)" title="I'm Not OK (And How Are You Doing)"><br> I'm Not OK (And How Are You Doing) </p> Ryan McGreal 2 http://quandyfactory.com/blog/290/new_single:_iridescent_flashes 2026-02-08T12:00:00Z New Single: Iridescent Flashes <p>I have just released my new single, "Iridescent Flashes", in which I shamelessly indulge my maximalist tendencies in a nostalgic homage to my fuzzy memories of the early 1990s.</p> <p><strong>Update:</strong> I have released a new version of the song called "Iridescent Flashes (Better Mix)" which I believe has a better vocal mix than the original.</p> <h3>Better Mix</h3> <p>You can listen to the song embedded on YouTube here on this page:</p> <div style="text-align: center; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: auto;"> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LTU970Se5xs?si=mAyR91JgLS7gwxJi" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe> </div> <h3>Streaming Links</h3> <ul> <li><p><a href="https://music.apple.com/us/song/iridescent-flashes-better-mix/1877269679">Apple Music</a></p></li> <li><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTU970Se5xs">YouTube</a></p></li> <li><p><a href="https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=LTU970Se5xs&si=92G7jCCAHaNk39NL">YouTube Music</a></p></li> <li><p><a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/2cSIQBdHSvyi0SlKpTJwKG?si=b8490fc9893b4ef4">Spotify</a></p></li> <li><p><a href="https://music.amazon.ca/tracks/B0GMYXS2ZN?marketplaceId=A2EUQ1WTGCTBG2&musicTerritory=CA&ref=dm_sh_CrweaHOFryNk3QFnGCxcswskX">Amazon Music</a></p></li> </ul> <h3>Lyrics</h3> <pre><code>Verse 1: I’ve seen Princess Point where the water froze Skating with a red nose I’ve seen Mustard playing at Amigos Upstairs where the candles flow Chorus 1: These iridescent flashes Evaporate like dew Verse 2: I’ve seen Sianspheric at the Corktown My brain had a meltdown I’ve seen Permanent in the downtown Before it was torn down Chorus 2: These iridescent flashes Evaporate like dew And all that’s left is ashes Of all the things I knew </code></pre> <h3>Release Cover Image</h3> <p class="image"> <img src="/static/images/iridescent_flashes_album_cover.png" alt="Iridescent Flashes album cover" title=""Iridescent Flashes album cover""><br> Iridescent Flashes album cover </p> <h3>Original Version</h3> <p>You can listen to the song embedded on YouTube here on this page:</p> <div style="text-align: center; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: auto;"> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NavpMe3dT3w?si=xFHSdimo2m_lpFMS" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe> </div> <h3>Original Version Streaming Links</h3> <ul> <li><p><a href="https://music.apple.com/us/album/iridescent-flashes-single/1874657744">Apple Music</a></p></li> <li><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NavpMe3dT3w">YouTube</a></p></li> <li><p><a href="https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=NavpMe3dT3w&si=5e8w6CLGTQM9uNZd">YouTube Music</a></p></li> <li><p><a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/754dVIi5TBBnizGpze7cpg?si=f72e0ccb55404898">Spotify</a></p></li> <li><p><a href="https://music.amazon.ca/tracks/B0GL9RMV45?marketplaceId=A2EUQ1WTGCTBG2&musicTerritory=CA&ref=dm_sh_pxoP6qcF2m46fRaAXTwH2tejl">Amazon Music</a></p></li> </ul> Ryan McGreal 2 http://quandyfactory.com/blog/289/confronting_the_fascist_assault_on_reality 2026-01-26T12:00:00Z Confronting the Fascist Assault on Reality <p>It’s not your imagination: the word “lying” feels inadequate to describe the Trump administration’s communications because it is inadequate. They’re not <em>merely</em> telling lies: they are waging war on the public’s capacity to know what’s real and therefore to operate and make sensible decisions together in a shared reality.</p> <p>It’s why they’ve eviscerated science funding: the scientific method is pretty good, historically speaking, at identifying and reducing errors of perception and interpretation, so it has to go.</p> <p>It’s why they’ve been threatening and bullying universities, which operate at arms’ length from government and have a lot of their own funding to conduct research and promote evidence-based public policy.</p> <p>It’s why they’ve been relentlessly assailing news media organizations with defamatory accusations, spurious lawsuits and regulatory meddling, and getting their billionaire friends to buy up legacy and new media companies alike and corrupt them into regime propaganda.</p> <p>It’s why they leaped out of the gate bullying and threatening prestige law firms that might otherwise bring suits against the government and force a fair consideration of the evidence in a court of law. For that matter, it’s why they’ve been railing against judges who dare to rule against them, inciting violent threats against the judges’ lives. </p> <p>It’s why they’ve been aggressively purging federal law enforcement and regulatory agencies and the senior military ranks of anyone who exhibits professional integrity, replacing them with shameless, unprincipled hacks and sycophants who will carry out the regime’s bidding.</p> <p>Destroying the idea of an independent objective reality is central to fascism. It <em>has</em> to be, because fascism is objectively nonsensical - an incoherent mishmash of chauvinism, bigotry, grievance, mythology, cult of personality and unquestioned obedience to a political narrative that is forever contradicting itself.</p> <p>And that’s not all: another driving force is that the people who joined Trump’s government to execute his agenda have by now committed so many egregious crimes and atrocities that any acknowledgement of reality would open them up to serious legal jeopardy. </p> <p>Unlike Trump’s first-term cabinet members, who for the most part saw their role as trying to rein in his excesses and who frequently resigned or were fired when he tried to make them cross a personal redline, his second-term cabinet members were chosen for their shamelessness and enthusiasm to carry out his will. </p> <p>Even if some member of his administration were to spontaneously develop a sense of ethics, by now they’ve already blown through so many redlines that to quit in protest would be to expose themselves to the full wrath of the Justice Department - an agency already acting as an instrument of Trump’s vindictiveness. </p> <p>And even if he didn’t have dirt on them, which he most certainly does, he has shown that he’s willing to subject anyone who displeases him to the meat grinder of a legal apparatus that picks its enemies first and then looks for some reason to hang them.</p> <p>So they’re trapped in a web they helped build: they are under enormous pressure to continue their assault on the truth. (And to be fair, we must assume that most of them are happy enough to keep doing it. After all, it was nigh impossible to sign up to join Trump’s second administration and not know what you were getting into.)</p> <p>This is hardly a new observation, but when reality itself is under attack, the act of asserting reality becomes an act of resistance.</p> <p>In the starkest examples yet of what I’m talking about:</p> <p>Renee Good and Alexi Pretti were not “domestic terrorists” or “assassins” and they did not threaten anyone’s safety. They were executed by a paramilitary force acting far outside any legitimate legal jurisdiction.</p> <p>No matter how belligerently Trump and his political appointees insist otherwise, these actions are illegal and unjustified.</p> <p>And for what it’s worth, polling clearly shows most Americans don’t believe what he says about it.</p> <p>You may ask how <em>anyone</em> could continue to agree with Trump’s policy of terrorizing Democratic-leaning cities with his violent paramilitary forces, but the people who still support him comprise a small and shrinking minority.</p> <p>Which is to say, fascists drunk on their own hyperbole may convince themselves that they can overwhelm the public with their propaganda and shape reality according to their will. </p> <p>But reality cannot be denied for long. </p> <p>And for all the quirks and dysfunctions of the American media environment, Americans <em>really</em> don’t like being told what to believe or what to do. The anti-establishment hostility that helped usher Trump into power is now turning against him, since he has become the establishment and his assertion of government power is now the thing under scrutiny.</p> <p>The future is unwritten. That doesn’t mean a fascist can impose a given future through sheer force of will. It means there is space for a sufficiently engaged citizenry to come together in a broad, organized democratic coalition that holds firmly, nonviolently and relentlessly to their inalienable human rights and to the truth, and who keep growing and persevering in solidarity and pulling creatively on every lever of influence and disruption until the fascists are forced once again to withdraw in defeat.</p> <p>This has happened before, many times, and it will happen again. History is not over. The future is not a boot stamping on a human face forever. </p> <p>We can still choose to live in the truth. </p> Ryan McGreal 2 http://quandyfactory.com/blog/287/my_favourite_songs_of_2025 2025-12-29T12:00:00Z My Favourite Songs of 2025 <p>Best of 2025</p> <h3>Baxter Dury - Schadenfreude</h3> <p>I can forgive Dury mispronouncing the title of his own song, because he absolutely owns the vocal delivery in his cool, flat Cockney accent, invoking Bill Drummond’s deadpan spoken word delivery of “The White Room” by the KLF. </p> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8aDR5Wuhj6Q?si=KKXDrDs7aduUOz6j" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe> <h3>Beach Bunny - Clueless</h3> <p>Honestly, I could have picked just about any song from Beach Bunny’s latest album, Tunnel Vision, a pitch-perfect collection of infectiously hooky power-pop anthems ruminating on insecurity and disillusionment.</p> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IsLLmb1Yxj4?si=yLYOTEnvCsilnWkF" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe> <h3>The Beaches - Takes One to Know One</h3> <p>Known for their cheeky, self-aware vocals, Toronto’s The Beaches continue the trend with their 2025 album No Hard Feelings. This single, a hilarious and heartbreaking exploration of a wildly dysfunctional relationship, is built on gorgeous indie-pop hooks.</p> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RNVI--FI18o?si=6xh39JJyx3-ipl-h" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe> <h3>Briston Maroney - Real Good Swimmer</h3> <p>Crunchy, country-tinged alt rock in the vein of early Beck with just a dash of Kid Rock, Real Good Swimmer is a trippy meditation on youth built on an infectious groove and growling ’90s guitars.</p> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OmMfXCbi2MA?si=0f-fCT-nSV4TA-6u" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe> <h3>Chappell Roan - The Subway</h3> <p>Possibly her most beautiful song yet, Chappell Roan’s The Subway is heart-rending dream pop yearning for an end to the sharp pangs of grief following a breakup. Roan’s gorgeous soprano voice soars and breaks with glottal grace notes that gently evoke the more overt Celtic stylings of the Cranberries’ Dolores O’Riordan.</p> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/woLfAvD5iXI?si=e5x9Wab5xMb7G0YX" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe> <h3>CMAT - The Jamie Oliver petrol station</h3> <p>After umpteen listens, I still have absolutely no idea what this song is about, but the relentlessly driving beat and steadily rising intensity are impossible to resist. CMAT’s voice is wildly powerful, impish and soaring in equal measure.</p> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BTWg-Ky6VZU?si=3DUGuhWfjLfXXjv6" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe> <h3>Danny L Harle and PinkPantheress - Starlight</h3> <p>I really want to like PinkPantheress, but like so much modern pop, her songs consist of one or two ideas repeated for three minutes. This song is not that - the rave/hyperpop hybrid keeps endlessly mutating and transforming as it builds in ominous intensity.</p> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tYBGqo2bIo0?si=bTRpt4Ts_cI5mJ7y" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe> <h3>Del Water Gap - How To Live</h3> <p>Dreamy indie pop with soaring harmonies and the slightest hint of folksy flavour, this meditation on what it means to live with meaning is produced beautifully.</p> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/o59MV8xR-h0?si=_LMMFQ8jDX8E98Iy" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe> <h3>The Faint - Projector Project!</h3> <p>This frenetic electro-dance punk anthem opens with the clever line: “I contradict myself / No, I don’t” and continues with a brash reflection on the ways we protect our identities by reflecting our own most shameful traits outward.</p> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/w3q_qm0a0Pw?si=4Z57GqKELcVOm7ZB" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe> <h3>George Alice - SOS</h3> <p>A cry for help dressed in the lush garb of an indie synth pop anthem, this single by Australia’s George Alice explores loneliness and desperation in the era of smartphones.</p> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/g6VCiDSlWRI?si=AuMZEalSfoMUgpeq" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe> <h3>Girlpuppy - I Just Do!</h3> <p>The past few years have been excellent for female-led alternative rock bands, and Girlpuppy is producing some excellent music in this genre. I Just Do! is tender and bracing in equal measure, paralleling her observation that the same emotional vulnerability that exposes you to danger also opens you to love.</p> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Rp6jCtnhCDs?si=rNTA7Skj3uaik0TZ" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe> <h3>GUV - Let Your Hands Go</h3> <p>GUV, the artist formerly known as Young Guv, solo project of Fucked Up guitarist Ben Cook, trades his iridescent jangle-pop shimmer for a dancedelic homage to the Second Summer of Love: melodic, euphoric, and irresistibly groovy.</p> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HusHXboN2QY?si=yvprXsChqiVht2Cn" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe> <h3>Hannah Jadagu - My Love</h3> <p>Dreamy indie pop with lush, reverby vocals and languid, cosy rhythms, My Love expresses the universal longing for a tenderness that has gone missing. “My love, I hope you get all my time.”</p> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/spVWnbL_U-M?si=3txUbjvcYRTWjjYz" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe> <h3>The Head and The Heart - Beg, Steal, Borrow</h3> <p>A “Bitter Sweet Symphony” for the Stomp Clap Hey crowd, this track feels at once earthy and elevated - rustic piano-driven Americana with warm harmonies and a swelling, arms-wide-open chorus.</p> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nlulYL8MUPM?si=S3ewO1XsaUMWLSnh" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe> <h3>Holy Holy - So Be It</h3> <p>I was never a huge fan of Australian indie rock band Holy Holy, but with this haunting elegy to their indefinite hiatus, I’m starting to think I’ve been missing out. The sound is richly textured, while the lyrics embrace a gentle acceptance of the inevitability of changes and endings.</p> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xvmKCld9t5Q?si=kne-mqeNkGvmYcBQ" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe> <h3>Indigo De Souza - Heartthrob</h3> <p>In this stirring anthem of resistance and resilience, Indigo De Souza reclaims her agency over her own body in the face of abuse and manipulation. Combining urgent guitar riffs with raw, tender vocals, the soaring major scale balances the emotional charge of the lyrics.</p> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3QseKM81OqQ?si=hfmcwkuLZzSSkRg8" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe> <h3>Jessica Winter - L.O.V.E.</h3> <p>Certainly my number #1 earworm of the year, L.O.V.E. proves that you can create something majestic from the simplest of parts: a catchy four-on-the-floor beat, bright piano chops, warm strings and Jessica Winter’s cosy, theatrical vocal stylings.</p> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UCuJNQQLbwk?si=NSHgTov80yVGA9aN" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe> <h3>The Last Dinner Party - Count the Ways</h3> <p>Transmuting the swagger of AM-era Arctic Monkeys through baroque chamber rock, The Last Dinner Party prove with their sophomore album that they weren’t one-trick ponies.</p> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UKXIJqT7B2o?si=zsX2Fv11hkqPOBVF" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe> <h3>The Lemonheads - Cell Phone Blues</h3> <p>Their first album came out almost 40 years ago, but The Lemonheads show they can still bang off an incredibly fresh-sounding single, combining raw, catchy musicianship with gorgeous harmonies.</p> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XHCTYw77bVE?si=ESCsKH0lcT3fX_9O" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe> <h3>Michael Marcagi - Midwest Kid</h3> <p>Michael Marcagi caught lightning in a bottle for his EP Midwest Kid, and the title track perfectly captures the agony and despair of the heartland in this roots rock anthem.</p> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Q6p5tUi1qHY?si=i7X6DBwuOhgvSlZL" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe> <h3>Milk & Bone - Forgone</h3> <p>Atmospheric synth pop combining lush vocals and cold, mechanical noises, this song sends chills up my spine.</p> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eynsFsI3x4k?si=MW9TLTSf8iTJOI5Z" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe> <h3>Momma - Rodeo</h3> <p>With this muscular alternative rock masterpiece. Momma channel the great female-led rock bands of the 1990s through a glossy modern indie-rock lens.</p> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Sry-CJbhx18?si=WZHxq8lRAnyPVu0X" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe> <h3>Nep - Daytona</h3> <p>Have I mentioned it’s been a great year for female alternate rock bangers? Nep perfectly execute the quiet-LOUD dichotomy of Pixies-inspired rock with this nostalgic paean to a once-iconic hometown in decline.</p> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dgD3ySkXOwo?si=Uzn7bmcukxqO65MA" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe> <h3>Ninajirachi - Infohazard</h3> <p>It was hard to choose a single from Ninajirachi’s brilliant debut album, I Love My Computer, but I landed on this track - an eerie rumination on getting exposed to a snuff film - for mostly nostalgic reasons: it just about perfectly evokes the otherworldly space trance of Mike Olson’s Guardians Of The Earth, which, as I check the dates, came out around the time Ninajirachi was born. I’d love to know if there’s a direct line of influence there.</p> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/p2ZdeIKJA8c?si=ulCuzjFjQUP5xkkr" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe> <h3>Peel Dream Magazine - Seek and Destroy</h3> <p>Twee like Belle and Sebastian and effervescent like Stereolab, Peel Dream Magazine fuse motorik rhythms with turbid synths, soupy reverb, and wispy vocals for a fresh, gently swirling take on indie post-rock.</p> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WKOeBMV1Sbc?si=_44NSO_uUfsUP-UT" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe> <h3>Robyn - Dopamine</h3> <p>This song was a slow burn for me: it took a few listens to get into it, but once it clicked, Robyn’s meditation on the duality of physical chemistry and emotional resonance launched into my top 30.</p> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vitil9qMN6A?si=Xp83s7uQYokqGx_0" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe> <h3>Sam Fender - Little Bit Closer</h3> <p>Is it awful that I think Sam Fender sounds the way I wish Bruce Springsteen sounded? He has moved from strength to strength since his 2019 debut, plumbing ever-deeper emotional hollows in his unique brand of Geordie roots rock, and this exploration of faith and disillusionment might be my favourite song of the year.</p> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5PfstrOiIX0?si=Lxcg2f9sX4YoL0Lz" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe> <h3>SG Lewis - Back of My Mind</h3> <p>SG Lewis is just so freaking good - this pulsing dance track swirls with emotion, combining warm synth plucks with twirling arpeggios and haunting vocals.</p> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nu70vHf5pEc?si=0gGQLiHh9tIzHO-t" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe> <h3>Sharon Van Etten - Idiot Box</h3> <p>When I was a kid, the “idiot box” was the TV to which we all glued our eyes, watching hour after hour of garbage. As Sharon Van Etten warns us in this irresistible tune, today’s idiot box lives in our pockets and replicates the 24-hour crap cycle with infinite scroll, leading us ever farther away from each other.</p> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uVyhon0Nw8Q?si=LawCusnul3xW_DrD" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe> <h3>Wolf Alice - The Sofa</h3> <p>The Sofa is the comfortable emotional stasis that stops us from taking risky steps out of our comfort zone. This song combines stunning vocal harmonies with languid, ‘70s tinged indie folk in a refreshing break from Wolf Alice’s typical harder sound.</p> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UXOgzXmd5Zo?si=Jd5M-FrqD8FksTKw" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe> Ryan McGreal 2 http://quandyfactory.com/blog/286/new_single:_crunch_time 2025-12-23T12:00:00Z New Single: Crunch Time <p>I have just released my second single, <em>Crunch Time</em>, a harder, more alternative-sounding song compared to my first single, <a href="/blog/285/new_single_bots_demo">Bots</a>.</p> <h3>Single</h3> <p>You can listen to the song embedded on YouTube here on this page:</p> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PK_hF7fwHbk?si=vSMQs3GZ9B90aUAy" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe> <h3>Streaming Links</h3> <ul> <li><p><a href="https://music.apple.com/ca/album/crunch-time/1863946937?i=1863946938">Apple Music</a></p></li> <li><p><a href="https://youtu.be/PK_hF7fwHbk?si=11lNrj21NNB7kXmB">YouTube</a></p></li> <li><p><a href="https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=PK_hF7fwHbk&si=SoQ6GcsDeKEYHfod">YouTube Music</a></p></li> <li><p><a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/12arjAtvj7tBTeKdHUVES0">Spotify</a></p></li> <li><p><a href="https://music.amazon.ca/tracks/B0GCB1PJGV">Amazon Music</a></p></li> </ul> <h3>Lyrics</h3> <pre><code>Crunch time I'll do the crime  If it's on your dime 'Cause you’re the prime  Crunch time  I'll make the climb If you feel inclined  It has to rhyme Crunch time  If you need to find it I'll dig through the grime It's so sublime  Crunch time </code></pre> <h3>Release Cover Image</h3> <p class="image"> <img src="https://quandyfactory.com/static/images/crunch_time.png" alt="Crunch Time" title="Crunch Time"><br> Crunch Time </p> Ryan McGreal 2 http://quandyfactory.com/blog/285/new_single:_bots_demo 2025-12-02T12:00:00Z New Single: Bots (Demo) <p>So I did a thing. I started making music during the pandemic and realized I’d better start releasing it at some point, so you can now find my first single, "Bots (Demo)", on all the major music streaming platforms, released under my name, Ryan McGreal. <code>¯\_(ツ)_/¯</code></p> <h3>Single</h3> <p>You can listen to the song embedded in a YouTube video here on this page:</p> <iframe style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto" width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kda5wHZn6iA?si=WNxyl_cxizFJU07m" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe> <h3>Streaming Links</h3> <ul> <li><p><a href="https://music.apple.com/us/album/bots-demo-single/1858034894">Apple Music</a></p></li> <li><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kda5wHZn6iA">YouTube</a></p></li> <li><p><a href="https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=kda5wHZn6iA&si=Gh2FPsaNWfndQiKm">YouTube Music</a></p></li> <li><p><a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/79TP0buDwtWColprv3OoRk?si=Ca0hUlDdQKiODDmnWMXVEg">Spotify</a></p></li> <li><p><a href="https://music.amazon.ca/albums/B0G4SHP1QQ?marketplaceId=ART4WZ8MWBX2Y&musicTerritory=CA&ref=dm_sh_bMow1tQg0zKYTl3UXyu3nqoU8&trackAsin=B0G4SF9Q2J">Amazon Music</a></p></li> </ul> <h3>Lyrics</h3> <pre><code>Verse 1: Reply guys in your daily feed Piling on with crazy speed Their messages are cut-and-paste And always in appalling taste They always push it to extremes With strawmen and insulting memes Obsessed with globalist elites But never can produce receipts Chorus 1: They're all bots They're all bots Never an original thought They're only doing what they are taught They're just bots They're all bots They're all bots Never an original thought Their farms keep on getting caught They're just bots Verse 2: A supernormal stimulus Pretending that it's one of us Enragement farm in Kazakhstan Assaulting our attention span The algorithm never sleeps Into your head it slowly creeps Now are you feeling triggered yet? They won't stop ‘til their quota's met Chorus 2: They're all bots They're all bots Never an original thought They're only doing what they are taught They're just bots They're all bots They're all bots Never an original thought Their farms keep on getting caught They're just bots Bridge: These free speech absolutists Are absolutely bunk Jealousies, conspiracies To fill your feed with junk They're astroturfing bot farms Engaging in bad faith Party hacks and fossil flacks They haunt us like a wraith Chorus 3: They're all bots They're all bots Never an original thought They're only doing what they are taught They're just bots They're all bots They're all bots Never an original thought Their farms keep on getting caught They're just bots They're all bots They're all bots Never an original thought Influence sold and bought They're just bots They're all bots They're all bots Never an original thought What hath these demons wrought They're just bots </code></pre> <h3>Release Cover Image</h3> <p class="image"><img alt="Bots cover" title="Bots cover" src="/static/images/bots.png"/><br>Bots cover</p> <h3>What's Next</h3> <p>I am calling this a demo because the vocals were recorded on a phone so they don't sound great. I've asked Santa for a microphone for Christmas and I hope to re-record the vocals in the new year.</p> Ryan McGreal 2