I told my brother today that I'm going to lose my 4 readers if I don't stop posting dismal music playlists. I didn't intend to start this blog to just share a bunch of depressing, cry to this at 4am playlists... I swear! I love sad music for heartaches, for slow mornings, for focusing during work & for long car rides. I also love upbeat rock, indie pop, edm (sometimes), pop punk, dance pop, r&b, bedroom pop and so much more; I would love to share more of that in this space.
It's no secret to my readers that I have big gemini energy; I flip back and forth between cheerful and low-spirited moods about 1000 times a day and I'm quite similar with music. This playlist is a mix of new music and old, but more of a showcase of artists I think you should know about. I'll keep the playlist relatively short and give you a brief background on the artists featured.
I'd love some feedback on this style of post, so please reach out direct or drop a comment here or on my socials with your thoughts! Thanks for sticking with me.
Claud: I've written a bit about Claud in the past, but I'm so enamored with them and their bedroom/indie pop vibes. Claud is represented by Saddest Factory Records owned by the one and only Phoebe Bridgers and I have a feeling they are going to really be big. They are one of my favorite artists representing the queer community and already making waves ahead of their debut album set to release later this year.
Frank Ocean: I feel like a fraud trying to sum up the legendary Frank Ocean in 2-3 sentences. Frank Ocean is most well known for his overall mystery, vision, and introspective, existential writing style. Falling somewhere between indie and R&B, Frank Ocean is already an icon at age 33 with only two full length albums (and one visual album) released to the public. Personally, my connection to Frank Ocean's music runs very deep; I spent almost 2 years listening to Channel Orange every single night before bed and I wouldn't have had it any other way.
Novo Amor: I didn't know anything about Novo Amor until the song Cold was recommended to me on Spotify. He is a relatively new artist with a soft, romantic sound and I'm excited to dive in deeper along with all of you. His music has been described as chill and atmospheric - 2 things I believe most people would enjoy.
Riah: Riah has mentioned that the inspiration for her music was her incessant, harrowing nightmares. If that doesn't explain why I love her, I don't know what will. Her sound can be described as atmospheric pop, and she has been praised by the New York Times for her "crisp songwriting." I love the song Wildlife featured on this playlist, because of it's timeless sound and positive funky energy.
Lana Del Rey: I could write you a novel on Lana Del Rey but it would never do her justice. Here are some quick facts to get you started: Lana Del Rey (Elizabeth Grant) is the poster child for a dark, melancholy, california dream fantasy. She hails from New York City, but was raised in Lake Placid where she began her career in 2005. She has steadily climbed the musical ladder, gaining more respect with every album she has released. Her most recent, Norman F*cking Rockwell, was nominated for album of the year at the 62nd Grammys and the title track nominated for Song of the Year. It's currently ranked on Rolling Stones 500 greatest albums of all time, and I'd personally put it in Sonika's 100 greatest albums of all time. Okay I'll stop now, you all know how much I worship her already.
Lennon Stella I was supposed to see Lennon Stella live for my 27th birthday, which came and went in Covid. Sad. But that should explain how excited I am about her music. She has been on the scene less than 3 years, signing with Columbia Records in 2018 and releasing her debut project in 2020.
Young the Giant: I've always had a deep connection to Young the Giant, discovering them as their earlier name, the Jakes, as a high schooler and playing their debut album on repeat to get myself through some weird times. Some of the band members are children of immigrants, and a lot of their lyrics resonate a lot with me for that reason. Home of the Strange is one of my favorite albums of theirs, mixing social commentary with personal stories.
Pinegrove: Pinegrove is a rock band that has been on the scene for a little over a decade. They fit the mold of indie rock, existential crisis waiting to happen, teen angst that never really went away in your adult years and they do it so well. Their most recent project is actually a feature length film with an accompanying soundtrack. Watch it here.
dvsn: dvsn is a duo hailing from Toronto and is signed to Drake's record label OVO Sound. Their sound really is similar to Drakes, but the good parts of Drakes music if that makes sense. Basically what I'm saying is if you've cancelled Drake for being a creep like I have done my best to, dvsn is a great alternative.
Summer Walker: Soul, R&B, bad bitch music extraordinaire. I love Summer's debut album Over It and I think you will too. Summer Walker has already been awarded Best New Artist at the Soul Train Music Awards, and likely has many more awards in her future.
JJ: JJ's bio on Spotify is 'i love music', and girl, same. She has less than 1200 followers on Instagram, 116 on Twitter and about 34K monthly listeners on Spotify and that's all I know about her. That and she has a really wonderful and addicting tone in her voice. I'm really hoping to learn more about her in 2021.
Local Natives: I've been listening to Local Natives for what feels like my whole life, even though their debut album Gorilla Manor was released only in 2009. Starting out in Orange County, Local Natives has a unique, indie sound focused heavily on drums and teetering on the edge of rock.
Ben Harper: Ah, if you've made it this far you've been rewarded with the great Ben Harper. This song is one of my all time favorite songs of all time, Burn One Down. Ben Harper has a sound somewhere between stoner reggae, soul, rock, and blues. I'd call him a feel-good musician, and someone to keep in the back of your mind when you just want to relax, and maybe burn one down.
Seriously, if you made it here thank you, I appreciate you, and I do this for you.
What's your opinion?