THE DRAFT: 5 PERFECT THINGS FROM BETTA LEMME
THE DRAFT is RUN-A-MUCK’s Friday list of everything we think is perfect — the shows we binged, the songs on repeat, the objects we’d never redesign, the ideas and experiences that don’t need improving. This is culture without revision — no edits, no notes.
Betta Lemme is an Italian-Canadian pop artist, who most recently dropped her EP, Good Mourning, and the playful BigMama-assisted single, “GELOSIA.” If you don’t recognize the name, you’ll definitely recognize “Bambola.” She knows perfect music — here’s everything else she thinks is perfect.
[01] SOUR CREAM & ONION MARTINI AT THE CORNER STORE
I was concerned this place might be all hype, but the first sip of this suspicious cocktail proved every doubt wrong. The Sour Cream & Onion Martini somehow tastes exactly like biting into a crisp chip — except ice cold and served in gorgeous frosted glassware. It genuinely made me pause. I sat there staring at the glass thinking, This is the type of drink that could send me into fully self-induced liver failure. T’was delicious.
[02] RAINSTORM SMELL
While lying in bed with the window open just enough for the mist to get to you. The air smells like wet pavement and sounds like the rain is saying, Rest, baby. It kinda feels like mother nature issuing a direct order: cancel your plans, stay horizontal and romanticize your existence for the next two hours. You know?
[03] CALIFORNIA’S ESALEN INSTITUTE
Have I ever been camping? No. Did I ever want to go camping? Also no, never. I was hesitant to go because I had read a few things online that made it sound slightly cult-adjacent, but here I am to tell the tale. Being able to fall asleep without ringing in your ears or the sensation of your nervous system doing parkour through your body is actually an underrated luxury. And the bonus? 24-hour miso soup that you can bring directly into the 24-hour silent hot springs. Sitting in steaming water, warming from the inside out and the outside in, overlooking the ocean while the only light source illuminating your path is the moon. Are you kidding me?
[04] AGLIO E OLIO WITH LINGUINE FINI PASTA
My great uncle lovingly refers to this as Italian peasant food, which only confirms to me that Italian peasants were the OG tastemakers. Picture it: olive oil, garlic, hot peppers, fresh parsley — and if you really want to upset traditionalists, maybe a chicken stock cube in there. The pasta water emulsifies everything into this glossy, silky sauce that tastes like someone’s Italian grandmother would both slap you and secretly ask for the recipe. And the pasta matters: not just any linguine — the thinner, slippery, elegant one with just enough bite to remind you life still has purpose. It’s comforting, cheap, ready in under eight minutes and somehow always hits harder than the bougie pastas that take three business days to prepare. But I don’t really like garlic. Well, then go make some overnight oats.
[05] “GETAWAY” BY BETTA LEMME
There’s this artist that has this song, called “Getaway.” She filmed it on a camcorder while on a road trip in the south of Italy. It feels like wanting to get over an ex, so you escape to Europe with your besties to feel like yourself again. Super underrated video, but also super underrated artist. (I don’t really know much about her, but the song is cool.)
Justin Moran is a creative director and the editor of DRAFTING W/ RUN-A-MUCK. He knows perfect culture — here’s everything else he thinks is perfect:
[01] AARIANA ROSE PHILIP AT THE MET GALA
This feels like a long time coming — and overwhelmingly deserved. Aariana Rose Philip is transformed into a mannequin for the Met Costume Institute 2026 Exhibition: Costume Art and wore Collina Strada for her Met Gala 2026 debut in celebration of the moment. History was made, and I hope this marks another stride in fashion’s ongoing journey toward inclusivity — especially within some of its most gatekept spaces. Baby, she made it, indeed.
[02] MAKING FACES BY CARLIJN JACOBS
Carlijn Jacobs, one of my favorite fashion photographers, made a book celebrating the joyful innocence and spontaneity of childhood face painting — and it features real child models throughout. “I remember how cool I felt to be transformed, almost like I could become someone else,” Jacobs told System Magazine. “This project is my way of returning to that feeling.” It’s such a perfect feeling — one I’d love to return to myself.
[03] “LINKNB” BY KELELA
I love a lo-fi commuting concept in New York City — very relatable, although Kelela makes it look much cooler than I ever could. The single “linknb” is lifted from her forthcoming album new avatar, out this summer, and it’s already one of my most anticipated releases of the year.
[04] MICHAELA STARK’S BODY MORPHING
I’ve been a fan of Michaela Stark’s body-morphing work for years and even tapped her to style Tove Lo for a cover shoot I oversaw in 2022. For the Met Costume Institute 2026 Exhibition: Costume Art, Stark’s work is featured prominently, with life-sized mannequins based on her own body wearing couture she designed. Corpulent Body, specifically, is mind-melting and beautiful, with ribbons wrapped tightly around the mannequin’s arms and legs.
[05] SHRIMP A LA PLANCHA WITH MINT PESTO RADIATORE
I recently had dinner in Hermosa Beach at AttaGirl, which came highly recommended by close friends who live in the area. What I didn’t expect was to eat one of the best pasta dishes I’ve had in a long time. Their Shrimp a La Plancha With Mint Pesto Radiatore is part of the Mediterranean restaurant’s new spring menu — and, as Chef Alice Mai can attest, the pasta shape holds the sauce immaculately. They’re like little warm pillows.
