“Fresh, Spooky, & Queer” is Totally Knuts’ first wizard rock album. As the recipient of a Yes All Witches Grant (video of the announcement here!), TK was able to put out this album using new recording software and microphones. TK wanted to give the wizard rock community more diverse representation through this album, and I’d argue that that goal has been well met.

“They Won’t Let My Wand Through Airport Security” is a perfect song about wizards not understanding Muggle transportation systems. How was this wizard supposed to know about TSA’s policies?! They’re just a peaceful wizard whose broomstick snapped and can’t hang with Floo Powder travel. “I swear I’m not gonna hex you, that’s not what I’m about.” Ultimately, TK leaves the airport defeated: “I left the airport with my wand, but they took my dignity. I just wanted to see my friends. I guess it wasn’t meant to be.”

Next is “Expecto Patronum,” a more upbeat song about chasing away bad feelings, and the spell that can help wizards do just that. This song is a cheery reminder of how you can banish your dementors by looking inside yourself, and remembering how far you’ve come: “Just concentrate, I know you can, and think of all the happiness you’ve earned.”

“Kiss That Witch” is a New Year’s Eve anthem about seeing someone from across the room, not knowing anything about them, but feeling that adrenaline-pumping nervousness that sets your heart ablaze. Who is this witch? Does she want to dance with me? Why can’t I say any words to her? TK captures it all perfectly in this song.

TK takes us to the library for “Accio Books”. Adventuring to other worlds without leaving your couch? Accio Books. Exploring outer space without training at NASA? Accio Books. Learn about gardening or history or pets or magic? Accio Books. All these books are here for you, they are all your new friends, just don’t judge them by their covers.

“Autumn and the War” takes us down a melancholy road, about students at Hogwarts after the war. TK is joined by Kenan Baker on guitar for this song, giving it a depth that we haven’t seen on this album yet. This song is so somber, and our narrator for this song is so heartbroken about what happened at their school during the war. Every line of this song is a heart-wrenching reminder of the lives lost, the friendships and trusts broken, and how it feels to be in a place that once held joy and knowledge and family, but that has been forever changed in your eyes.

We’re back to upbeat ukulele for “Lumos,” in stark contrast to the previous song. Lumos is positive, lumos is light, lumos is the spell you use when the darkness closes in around you. “Just say Lumos and we’ll fill the darkness with our strongest light.” But this song isn’t just about hope for the future, it emphasizes the need to sit down and make a plan. To reinforce this, TK borrows a phrase from Leslie Knope, “Find your team and get to work.”

“Gryffinclaw Girlfriends” imagines Luna and Ginny as a Hogwarts Power Couple. Their relationship helps them stand together as one, both in and out of school: Luna cheers Ginny on the Quidditch pitch, and they work together in the DA, and “They make Hogwarts a better place with courage, love, and pride.”

The need for more diverse representation is brought out in the next track, “Trans Wizard”. TK emphasizes the fact that there are no canonically openly trans characters for us to embrace, “It seems as if we’re harder to see than a polar bear in a blizzard” and offers a unique solution: “I wish that Hogwarts offered/A course on gender studies/So everyone would be just fine/With me and my trans buddies.” This song also stresses the fact that people are people, regardless of their gender or sexuality or gender expression: “We are not explicit content/And we are not not safe for work/We’re human just like all of you/So don’t you be a jerk.”

“Fandom Forward” takes the listener for a walk down Fandom Lane, with an emphasis on activism and making a difference in your community by being a fan of something. Pokemon, Night Vale, or Avatar? Cool, let’s talk about representation in those franchises. Stephen Universe, John Green books, or the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Great, how can we fight inequality just like our favorite superheroes? I feel that this song touches a very special place in the Harry Potter community’s heart: we love a thing, and we want to use the lessons we learned from that thing to make the world a better place. TK says it best: “fandom isn’t just a spectator sport, for us it’s equality or bust.”

TK closes out the album with “Extras,” a song for the somewhat-canonically-forgotten Houses: Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. Firstly, TK clears up the misconceptions about their House, from getting the mascot correct to choosing the right colors for a Ravenclaw scarf. TK also mentions all the money saved by not buying WB merch that doesn’t match their House Pride. Next, we get a verse about Hufflepuff’s saving grace, the golden boy who got the short end of the stick, Cedric Diggory. He was supposed to be our big star, and he, like the title implies, was just an extra in Harry’s story. But TK knows that there is more to these Houses than Gryffindors or Slytherins would allow: “We didn’t choose to be/Extras in your story/There’s so much that we could do if you’d just let us.”

This full-length album, much like the later release from Totally Knuts, “Pan Magic” is a fantastically diverse journey through familiar territory. This reviewer can’t wait to see what TK comes up with next.