“If they substituted the word 'Lust' for 'Love' in the popular songs it would come nearer the truth”  – Sylvia Plath.

 

Sylvia may have been disappointed by the honesty she found in popular songs, but we hope to give you here some honest, unashamedly lustful songs that celebrate that feeling. Far from masquerading as love songs, let dirty guitars and dirtier synths speak just as loudly as the lyrical desire.

No lustful moment would be complete without the charmingly perverse pleas of Leonard Cohen, the confessional sleaze of Rowland S. Howard or the presence of Bryan Ferry at his seediest. However, as with many things, the female take can be even more exciting, Anita Lane personifies a version of lust in her Marvin Gaye cover and Jenny Hval gives us something inverted and unexpected.

The lust issue is about strength and physicality, listening to our bodies rather than living inside our heads. Speaking to women who understand the brutalities of our world, it discusses virility, power, physicality in all its form. Lust can be sexy, but that’s not where its breadth concludes.

An apt choice for cover star of an issue built on empowerment, Zinnia Kumar is swathed in Louis Vuitton – styled by Charlotte Agnew and shot by Jesse Lizotte – across the pages of RUSSH, her determination to leave the world in a better place than when she arrived discussed inside. She is lusting for change in the world and in the fashion industry. She has something to say, and we better listen.

This collection of songs wants you to find out what your lust sounds like; a dilated pupil with delayed guitar or a pulse rate like sharp 16’s on hats. Music is essential for any mood, and this mood is one of late nights, closed curtains and high volume.