It's surely no coincidence that the cover art for their debut album sees Cults conceal their facial features behind their shaggy rock star locks. This Brooklyn-based duo - vocalist Madeline Follin and brilliantly named guitarist/vocalist Brian Oblivion - seem to possess a preternatural grasp of the power of mystique. As the latter noted in a recent interview: "A lot of our success in the past year or whatever has been based on us being extremely lazy and very rarely talking to anybody."
The pair first came to the attention of pop bloggers at the start of last year when they uploaded three tracks - Most Wanted, The Curse and Go Outside - to a just-created microsite on online music store Bandcamp. Indeed, one influential US music blog, Gorilla Vs. Bear, was so smitten with the latter that it made Go Outside the debut release on its fledgling record label.
A fourth Bandcamp track, Oh My God, followed that summer, before Cults performed a series of well-received live dates in and around New York City. These proved sufficient to convince Lily Allen to sign the duo to her imprint on Columbia Records, In The Name Of, which released Cults' debut album at the end of last month.
A few drips of information have since leaked out about the pair: that Follin and Oblivion are partners both romantically and musically; they met in San Diego while Oblivion was grafting as tour manager for Follin's brother's band and bonded almost instantly over the contents of one another's iPods; both are currently studying film at New York University. Even so, Cults remain a wilfully distant proposition.
Of course, this enigma only serves to make their eponymous debut album - entirely self-written and produced, albeit with engineering assistance from Sleigh Bells collaborator Shane Stoneback - all the more intriguing. Cults are purveyors of swoon-inducing retro- pop with a distinctive 1960s girl-group influence. It's a style of music that's finished with a thick layer of reverberation, applied like lacquer to their candied melodies and Follin's treacle-sweet vocals.
Indeed, so preeminent is Cults' beloved production treatment, that listening to the record in its entirety almost approximates to the sensation of drifting off to sleep on a warm weekend afternoon to the strains of a golden oldies radio station. Specifically, the sort of station that might spin an early 1960s hit like Lesley Gore's You Don't Own Me, which Follin and Oblivion have revealed is "their song" in the first-dance-at-the-wedding sense. Those details keep on dripping out.
However, if Cults make music to daydream to, you might find that the daydreams you experience while listening to them teeter towards the nightmarish.
The duo's choice of band name is no mere frippery, a point they underscore by prefacing Go Outside with a quote from Jim Jones, the quasi-religious Svengali figure who instigated a mass suicide in Jonestown, Guyana, in November 1978: "To me, death is not a fearful thing. It's living that's treacherous," Jones asserts at the start of the track, imbuing what follows - a warm and sticky slice of pop caramel with lyrics about a couple who possess differing degrees of joie de vivre - with the musical equivalent of a dark chocolate topping.
Knowing the provenance of that quote, makes one wonder how precisely one should take the song's closing line: "I think I want to live my life and you're just in my way ..."
Other songs feature samples of recorded speech from Patty Hearst, the so-called "urban guerrilla", and Charles Manson, the serial killer. "I wanted quotes of ugly people saying beautiful things," Oblivion explains in the band's official biography. "That's the pinnacle of beauty to me, when someone who is so obviously disagreeable ... can say something perfect."
However, Cults don't really need to reach for the newsreel archives to make their music sound creepy. The album begins with Abducted, a peppy indie-pop nugget in which Follin likens falling in love with having all self-control wrestled from her grasp. Nothing unusual there, you might think, until she asserts: "He took my heart away and left me to bleed out, bleed out." And it's not long before Oblivion glides in with his own contribution: "I knew right then that I would be taking her heart. I knew right then that I'd never love her."
Elsewhere, Most Wanted paints an almost too vivid picture of a drug addict struggling with - and ultimately succumbing to - her cravings.
"Can't you see that I'm trying?" Follin pleads, before submitting to the inevitable "shaking hands in the street" transaction, artificial high and feelings of crippling guilt the morning after.
"All alone I'm crying, crying for all of the people who love me so," she laments, before leaving us with a crushing truism as her parting shot: "What we want most is bad for us we know."
Cults also trade in those staples of teenage melodrama - unrequited love (Never Heal Myself) and running away (Bad Things) - but their LP's most prevalent themes are ennui, frustration and relationship dysfunction. In the case of album centrepiece Oh My God, they're all wrapped up in the same song. "I'm so tired of sitting around here with my boring life," Follin complains, before informing her paramour that she "can run away and leave you anytime". The production, as beguiling and blurry as ever, only heightens the idea of a life being quietly choked.
Across the album as a whole, Cults' choice of subject matter raises an interesting question - albeit one whose answer can only be determined with any modicum of certainty by Follin and Oblivion themselves. Given that the couple's bond is obviously strong enough to sustain both a working and romantic partnership, do they use their songs as outlets for frustrations that might otherwise remain unsaid - frustrations that could, in the fullness of time, become corrosive?
Yet, as soon as one thinks one might be getting to grips with Cults, they conjure up something really quite unexpected. It wouldn't be entirely misleading to describe Rave On as a "singalong pop song", its chorus vocals are overdubbed to an effect that's anthemic and terribly catchy, but also slightly unsettling. "So rave on, rave on," a choir of Follin and Oblivion intone intensely, "So rave on, rave on ..."
As a result, Cults leave the listener in possession of conclusions both specific and sweeping. We grasp that the melodies of the glockenspiel have rarely sounded this chilling and that absolutely, this is a gem of a pop record, so much more sustaining than its 34-minute running time would suggest. But we are left with no answer to the most tantalising question of all: "What are Cults really about?" Trying to find out will doubtless continue to prove irresistible, thanks in no small part to the power of mystique that surrounds the duo.
Nick Levine is a freelance music journalist based in London.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
DMZ facts
- The DMZ was created as a buffer after the 1950-53 Korean War.
- It runs 248 kilometers across the Korean Peninsula and is 4km wide.
- The zone is jointly overseen by the US-led United Nations Command and North Korea.
- It is littered with an estimated 2 million mines, tank traps, razor wire fences and guard posts.
- Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un met at a building in Panmunjom, where an armistice was signed to stop the Korean War.
- Panmunjom is 52km north of the Korean capital Seoul and 147km south of Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital.
- Former US president Bill Clinton visited Panmunjom in 1993, while Ronald Reagan visited the DMZ in 1983, George W. Bush in 2002 and Barack Obama visited a nearby military camp in 2012.
- Mr Trump planned to visit in November 2017, but heavy fog that prevented his helicopter from landing.
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Dubai World Cup prize money
Group 1 (Purebred Arabian) 2000m Dubai Kahayla Classic - $750,000
Group 2 1,600m(Dirt) Godolphin Mile - $750,000
Group 2 3,200m (Turf) Dubai Gold Cup – $750,000
Group 1 1,200m (Turf) Al Quoz Sprint – $1,000,000
Group 2 1,900m(Dirt) UAE Derby – $750,000
Group 1 1,200m (Dirt) Dubai Golden Shaheen – $1,500,000
Group 1 1,800m (Turf) Dubai Turf – $4,000,000
Group 1 2,410m (Turf) Dubai Sheema Classic – $5,000,000
Group 1 2,000m (Dirt) Dubai World Cup– $12,000,000
Gender pay parity on track in the UAE
The UAE has a good record on gender pay parity, according to Mercer's Total Remuneration Study.
"In some of the lower levels of jobs women tend to be paid more than men, primarily because men are employed in blue collar jobs and women tend to be employed in white collar jobs which pay better," said Ted Raffoul, career products leader, Mena at Mercer. "I am yet to see a company in the UAE – particularly when you are looking at a blue chip multinationals or some of the bigger local companies – that actively discriminates when it comes to gender on pay."
Mr Raffoul said most gender issues are actually due to the cultural class, as the population is dominated by Asian and Arab cultures where men are generally expected to work and earn whereas women are meant to start a family.
"For that reason, we see a different gender gap. There are less women in senior roles because women tend to focus less on this but that’s not due to any companies having a policy penalising women for any reasons – it’s a cultural thing," he said.
As a result, Mr Raffoul said many companies in the UAE are coming up with benefit package programmes to help working mothers and the career development of women in general.
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
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Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
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One in nine do not have enough to eat
Created in 1961, the World Food Programme is pledged to fight hunger worldwide as well as providing emergency food assistance in a crisis.
One of the organisation’s goals is the Zero Hunger Pledge, adopted by the international community in 2015 as one of the 17 Sustainable Goals for Sustainable Development, to end world hunger by 2030.
The WFP, a branch of the United Nations, is funded by voluntary donations from governments, businesses and private donations.
Almost two thirds of its operations currently take place in conflict zones, where it is calculated that people are more than three times likely to suffer from malnutrition than in peaceful countries.
It is currently estimated that one in nine people globally do not have enough to eat.
On any one day, the WFP estimates that it has 5,000 lorries, 20 ships and 70 aircraft on the move.
Outside emergencies, the WFP provides school meals to up to 25 million children in 63 countries, while working with communities to improve nutrition. Where possible, it buys supplies from developing countries to cut down transport cost and boost local economies.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Brief scoreline:
Crystal Palace 2
Milivojevic 76' (pen), Van Aanholt 88'
Huddersfield Town 0
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
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If you go
The flights
Etihad (etihad.com) flies from Abu Dhabi to Luang Prabang via Bangkok, with a return flight from Chiang Rai via Bangkok for about Dh3,000, including taxes. Emirates and Thai Airways cover the same route, also via Bangkok in both directions, from about Dh2,700.
The cruise
The Gypsy by Mekong Kingdoms has two cruising options: a three-night, four-day trip upstream cruise or a two-night, three-day downstream journey, from US$5,940 (Dh21,814), including meals, selected drinks, excursions and transfers.
The hotels
Accommodation is available in Luang Prabang at the Avani, from $290 (Dh1,065) per night, and at Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp and Resort from $1,080 (Dh3,967) per night, including meals, an activity and transfers.