What’s in Our Queue? The War on Drugs and More

I’m an editor who works on features for The Times’s print edition.

My debut novel, “Small Town Sins,” a thriller, is due out on Aug. 1. While writing it, I listened to hours of excellent music and savored many wonderful stories. Here are five of them →

Magdalena Wosinska for The New York Times

Music: The War on Drugs

Though they’ve won a Grammy (in 2018, for best rock album), this band seems like an insider secret, with its smart yet unpretentious synth-jam tunes. My favorites are “Under the Pressure,” which clocks in at nearly nine minutes, and “Burning,” at almost six. I’m still not sure I like the band’s name. But I’m certain I like its sound.

Film: ‘Living’

When I first learned of this 2022 remake of Akira Kurosawa’s 1952 masterpiece, “Ikiru,” I cringed. Then I saw it, and my heart broke. Bill Nighy’s subtle performance and Kazuo Ishiguro’s gentle script err on the side of understatement as they tell the tale of a dying British bureaucrat and his final wish. See it and weep.

Radio: WXPN

Traditional radio is in a sad state, particularly when it comes to indie music, but WXPN is a happy exception. This free, listener-supported station, which is available everywhere via app, web browser or smart speaker, has introduced me to artists like Neko Case, Lord Huron, Band of Horses and Best Coast. More discoveries await.

Listen live.

Book: ‘The Collected Stories’

William Trevor’s works have haunted me for years. In a few sentences, he can outline an entire life or evoke a well of emotion. Many of his stories center on the lonely, the damaged and the lost, yet these characters carry on, often using slight smiles to mask deep sadness.

Film: ‘The Rider’

The writer and director Chloé Zhao won praise and Oscars for “Nomadland.” Yet her previous film, “The Rider,” feels unjustly overlooked. It’s a quiet, poetic tale of a rodeo rider who must rethink his life after a terrible injury. I saw the film when it came out in 2018 and still find myself encouraging others to watch it.

Here are some more favorites: