As cities across the United States continue to be locked down amidst the novel coronavirus, with all of us self-quarantined at home and getting more and more stir-crazy by the hour, the idea of a house party might be the last thing on our minds. But here at The Slowdown, we’re finding some much-needed enjoyment in a digital version of that kind of bash: Houseparty, a new video-chat app that our friend the fashion stylist Kate Young tipped us off to. Unlike Zoom or Google Hangouts, it’s designed for more serendipitous and casual mingling among friends, and friends of friends—kind of like the good ol’ days of going to events, outings, and actual parties, which suddenly feel further away than ever. The app, which has gone viral in these past few weeks of social distancing, allows you to see which of your friends are online, and jump in and out of their chat rooms, which can host up to eight people at a time (limited to a safe two degrees of separation). You can also “lock” a room at any time, if you want to keep it private, and screenshare or play in-app games as a group. Best of all, you can do it all without risking the health and safety of others (or having to get out of your pajamas).