Music is storming, driving, relentless, devotional, slinky, subtle, heartbreakingly-beautiful sounds that, lyrically, switch from the cynical to the sanguine, the defeated to the defiant, dealing in love, war, beauty, children, romance, rejection, Pethedine, poetry, panties, God, Auden, Johnny Cash, cold potatoes, too-much-money, not enough money, writer’s block, flowers, animals and more flowers. But maybe I’m projecting here.”

But of course, Nick Cave is not projecting, and he has, as usual, put our auditory experience into words that make so much sense to each of us we can’t believe we didn’t think to say it this way ourselves. 

Our sonic impressions soundtrack our lives. 

Sometimes solitary, listening to that one song over and over again to take us back to a time and all we felt in it, at others – congregational – hands in the air at a rave, or belting out the over-sung lyrics to a popular song with the windows down while driving with our friends. 

A universal, cross-generational, non-linear language. 

Both healing and an instigator of chaos.

This issue is a dedication to the place rhythm holds inside all of us. A reminder to write our song, find our tempo. 

As Cave says, “This is where all love and tears and joy exist. This is the place. This is where we live.” 

To learn about our cover star, Adit Priscilla, read more through our model profile. To experience the Tempo issue in its entirety, the May edition of RUSSH will be available on newsstands from May 18 and through our shop online. Find a stockist near you.

PHOTOGRAPHY Sam Wilson @ Today Management

FASHION Hannah Cooper

MODEL Adit Priscilla @ Storm Models wears Chanel Métiers D’art 2022/23 Collection

HAIR Batiseol Gomis @ Saint Luke Artists

MAKEUP Mattie White using Haeckels

NAILS Yuca Murakami

PHOTOGRAPHER’S ASSISTANT Sam Lort

STYLIST’S ASSISTANT India Stibilj

MAKEUP ASSISTANT Kye Howell

CASTING DIRECTOR Neill Seeto @ IMA Casting

PRODUCTION Sam Brennan

DRIVER Tom Williams