Folks, we have officially entered the month of September, or as I like to call it, the start of the Pumpkin Spice Latte season (PSL season for short).
Although I try my best to support locally-owned cafes, the convenience of Starbucks and Dunkin’ is too good to pass up on the morning commute. Starbucks in particular is renowned for its Pumpkin Spice Lattes, viewed by many as the industry standard amongst fast food chains. I happen to agree; tasting a Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte is what I would imagine drinking a melted White Barn candle would feel like. The beverage is comfortingly pumpkin-flavored with all the necessary spices included, and the actual coffee surprisingly holds its own, provided I don’t spill some of it in my car while waiting impatiently at a railroad crossing stop.
This year however, I will attempt to branch out from my comfort zone to try some of the pumpkin spice offerings available in Richmond Hill, so stay tuned to this column for my thoughts on what Three Lemons Cafe, Tosa Coffee Company, and Way Station Coffee Co. bring to the table. I’m sure all of their pumpkin-flavored drinks will taste great, but I’ll give them bonus points if they double-mark my customer punch cards while they’re at it.
**** Song of the Week: what’s wrong with me by Olivia Rodrigo & Robert Smith ( 2026)
In my view, Olivia Rodrigo’s third album “you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love” is not a “summer” album in the traditional top-40 sense. Sure, it was released in mid-June, but her songs don’t give off that carefree, party- hard electro-pop energy commonly heard from other solo artists this summer like Zara Larsson, Karol G, and the legend herself Madonna, who most recently performed in this year’s infamous FIFA World Cup Final “half-time” show cooked up by corporations for advertising dollars.
Instead, Olivia Rodrigo’s whole M.O. as an artist is pure bittersweet lyricism sung with heart and catchy hooks, as evidenced by her past hit singles “driver’s license” and “good 4 u”. But, as Rodrigo herself has mentioned in various interviews, she humbly follows in the footsteps of many cool singer-songwriters before her, such as--you guessed it!--Robert Smith, lead singer of the Cure. The two teamed up for a tune on this album that I liken to the vibe switch from summer to fall; going from bright, sunny joy to a rainier, colder reality. The lyrics in this song describe the pain of someone failing out of love within a relationship. It’s one of my (many) favorites from this album, because I find it hard to pick just one song. However, I’d definitely choose “what’s wrong with me” for a calamitous carpool sing-along in the Ford Avenue Starbucks drive-thru line, hoping no one rams their car into the curb again. (Don’t look at me, I only jumped the curb *once* like, two years ago).
“Went to the doctor and she said I was fine But every movie that I see makes me cry It’s like somebody put a weight on my chest I should talk to a friend But I can’t get out of bed My head is spinning and my stomach is sick Say I’m in love, so it’s hard to admit I can’t eat, I can’t sleep I think you’re what’s wrong with me” Lyrics from “what’s wrong with me” by Olivia Rodrigo & Robert Smith
Andrea Gutierrez is the editor of the Bryan County News. She should probably switch to decaf coffee sooner or later.