Going into February with a snow storm was not the ideal way to kick off this month, but coming up with a new playlist is! This month, I put together a playlist so cozy that you only need one layer of clothes to stay warm. My criteria while I put this together included…
- No sad songs– because who wants to be sad and cold this month.
- Cozy. Warm instrumentals, lots of acoustic guitar, and layers!
- Love themes for February :)
Using this as a guideline, I was able to put together the perfect blend of mushy lyrics and instrumentals that you could just melt in. So get cozy, listen along, and read about my thought process behind each song that made the cut!
Playlist linked here! vv
Track 1:
“Love”– The Sundays
I’m extremely biased by adding this song to the February playlist (The Sundays are my favorite), but I completely stand by my decision. This song is all about self love– not letting people and the things around you dull your confidence, and self love being enough. To me, this song is buying yourself chocolates on valentines day and eating the entire box with your friends.
Track 2:
“Something about Her”– Arlie, Nicholas Creus
Coming up next with a top notch yearning song. I know my criteria said no sad songs, but I really couldn’t leave this one out– the lyrics in the chorus are too perfect. “There’s something about her, when she’s around, I could never doubt her… don’t matter how bad she hurts, I’ll never be convinced that she’s the bad guy.” From what the artist is telling us, I truly believe he deserves better. But how cute is this song anyways?
Track 3:
“Stay”– Leith Ross
Another biased, but fitting, addition to the playlist is “Stay” by Leith Ross. This song is actually a recent release from Leith Ross as a part of their new album titled I Can See the Future. The beginning of the song is an ode to the person Ross is writing about, and the gentle instrumental perfectly encapsulates the feeling behind these lyrics. But when you get about two minutes into the song, Leith Ross transitions into this kind of funky installment of electric guitars, a shaker, and some raw, really natural vocal layering. This song just has so many neat parts to listen to, all backed by really sweet lyrics. I’m always an advocate for Leith Ross– I highly recommend checking out the rest of their discography.
Track 4:
“Cross Your Mind”– Shelly
This song stuck out to me when I was researching– the band Shelly is made up of artists Clairo and Claud, both larger artists in the indie-pop music scene, alongside Josh Mehling and Noa Getzug. The band has two EP’s released– a total of four songs on their discography. As a longtime Clairo fan, discovering Shelly was like striking gold– all four of their songs are complete earworms (in a great way). This song, called “Cross Your Mind,” comes from their most recent EP, and is the direct translation of a situationship in a song. I’ll admit, it’s not the positive love theme I was going for, but if you look at the face value of the song, it’s relatable, catchy, and perfect for anyone out there who loves to beat a dead horse (again, in a great way)!
Track 5:
Sally, When the Wine Runs Out
I’m sure that everybody knows this song from TikTok, or from seeing your favorite celebrities being pulled up on stage by ROLE MODEL, the singer of “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out.” This song really fit the february theme and pulled me right back into the feeling of falling in love, and the excitement about it. I usually stray away from upbeat music but I found myself playing this one over and over again– and practicing the Sally dance in my room in the rare chance I ever find myself on stage needing to remember it.
Track 6:
Rollercoaster: Dear Nora
This song, while the lyrics don’t totally fit the theme (maybe I should have left this for another month), is one of my favorite songs. It’s so cozy, so how could I not include it. I have actually used this song on my Instagram for a photo dump in the Spring of last year– it encapsulates the hopes that it’ll be a few degrees warmer outside tomorrow.
Track 7:
Still Beating– Mac DeMarco
Mac DeMarco was probably the blueprint for all cozy love songs, so this song is the blueprint for this month’s playlist. This album as a whole, called “This Old Dog,” is another one of my favorite songs for the warmer weather. The instrumentals sit right below his voice, combining to make a really mellow, warm tone throughout. This is another great song that is the perfect balance between a song you listen to on its own, and a song you can play while studying or reading (or for this month, curling up in a blanket with some chocolate).
Track 8:
Rilkean Heart– Cocteau Twins
This next song reminds me of that one photo of the figure ascending with bright colors behind him, or the other one of spongebob floating with earbuds in (which may be a niche reference but you’d completely understand if you saw it). Cocteau Twins is who to listen to if you want to go to outer space in the comfort of your own home. To be honest, I added this song for two reasons, one, because it says “heart” in the title, and two, because it is just so beautiful. I would ask this song to be my valentine one hundred times over.
Track 9:
Cupid De Locke – Remastered– The Smashing Pumpkins
What better instrument to encapsulate valentines day than a gorgeous, singing harp? And what better title to encapsulate valentines day than the word “Cupid” in the title? The instrumentals in this song are the equivalent of being shot in the ears with arrows (in a good way). The way the song comes in with the harp arpeggios makes me sob every time, and then gets me again when the vocals come in so gently, accompanied by a little glissando from the harp (using big music words today). The Smashing Pumpkins did their big one with one of the most beautiful songs on this playlist by far.
Track 10:
Cannock Chase– Labi Siffre
If you are listening to this song for the first time because of this playlist, you’re welcome! My only wish is to listen to this song for the first time again– but it never fails to give me chills no matter how many times I’ve had it on loop. Recently I watched a video where the singer, Labi Siffre, describes that he wrote this long very literally. He sat in the back seat of his car, with his arm around his guitar, and rain was falling from the sky, or in his beautiful words, “from the roof of the world.” This song makes me feel lucky to be alive, and lucky to enjoy the life around me.
Track 11:
Be Your Girl– Freak Slug
When I found this song while putting together this playlist, I immediately added it. The magnetic feeling this song gives off caught my attention, and the lyrics made me stay. I also found out that Freak Slug, the artist of this song, has been on many other playlists I have made. Her music brings me back to high school, and captures the excited feeling about a new crush.
Track 12:
Delete Ya– Djo
If you don’t know Djo, let this be your invitation to start listening to his entire discography. This song reminds me a lot of the 80s, with the style of synth and guitar you can hear in the back. A lot of the vocals from Djo, specifically in the verses of this song, sound almost grainy and ‘vintage,’ and completely adhere to the style of instrumentals being used. This song is for the people who can say goodbye confidently, and move on better than before!
Track 13:
Glory of the Snow– Clairo
If you are a Rowan student reading this, I feel for you with the piles of snow becoming boulders rather than melting away. This song is all about finding warmth after a freezing cold period of time– not literally, but maybe you’ll want to listen to it that way to overcome having to step over the ice blocks around campus. Clairo seems to be a common theme in cozy music on this playlist.
Track 14:
Dream of Mind– Ellur
This final song was actually featured on “Fresh Finds Indie,” a playlist curated by Spotify. If you’re looking for more music and an artist to gatekeep, you can absolutely find them here, and I highly recommend you do. This song gives the listener such a hopeful feeling about the future, and is a great feel-good song to close off the playlist!