February flew by — as it always does. The shortest month of the year brought many new album and single releases from some of my favorite artists. However — as it always happens — my monthly listening consisted of some new classics and old favorites. My goal for February was to listen as much as possible, and I believe I did just that. My listening stretched from walks around Florence to studying, resulting in a month of diverse songs and artists. From welcoming the year of the horse to rowing the same boat, here’s what my February sounded like.
“Ghost in the Machine” – SZA, Phoebe Bridgers
The scene in Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction where Mia spins around while listening to “Girl, You’ll be a Woman Soon” is the vibe I’m on when I listen to this song. SZA has countless bangers, and adding Phoebe Bridgers into this song was genius. Their sonic energies coming together here are so fabulous. The religious illusions paralleling her personal life experience are so clever.
“You reflect all the godlike, you forget how to love somebody/ I hate everybody/ I hate everybody/ Let’s talk about A.I., robot got more heart than I/ Robot got future I don’t/ Robot gets sleep but I don’t power down.”
She pairs this wonderful rhythm with thoughtful lyrics. Bridgers’s interlude feels entirely individual, but works completely. Closed out with talking — a characteristic I love of SZA songs — 10/10, no notes.
“Dandelion” – Ella Langley
He’s probably “Choosing Texas”, but I’ll be in a field listening to “Dandelion”. Ella Langley is one of my favorite things to happen to country music. The themes are the same: dirt roads, humble beginnings, ties to home, and the warmth of summer, but her lyrics are fresh and individual. I love the sound of bugs at the end and, ahead of her album release, Langley released this great title track. After hearing it, I’m looking forward to hearing the rest of the album.
“Girl Talk” – The Howard Roberts Quartet
I love instrumental moments. When deciding what instrumental songs to put on a playlist, I think about what would be a good break no matter what two songs it appears between. “Girl Talk” is jazzy and fun. The strumming and soft drumming is so nice to listen to. The song has a range of soft and loud moments that command the listener to hear it in its entirety.
“Wild Horses” – The Rolling Stones
It’s the year of the horse! I love new beginnings, and if the January 1st New Year isn’t enough, the Chinese New Year marks the end of winter and beginning of spring. While I think people love to have a symbol to associate a new beginning with, the Chinese New Year is much more than just an animal.
If your animal is the same as the new year’s, you may be subject to bad luck! Their new year is associated with many myths and customs and this is their chance to gain good luck. This is why it is so important for them to complete certain traditions and have festivals each year.
Now having cleared up some important notes about the Chinese New Year, I saw one TikTok edit to “Wild Horses” and it immediately landed a spot on my February playlist. It’s everything you want out of a classic rock song. The guitars, the builds and drops, the raspy but full voices. Whether you’re trying to get back on the horse or celebrating the Yang Fire Horse, Happy New Year.
“The Boat I Row” – Tame Impala
It’s no secret that I’m a Tame Impala fan. Am I so upset that I didn’t get tickets to his show after waiting in two different queues on Ticketmaster? Absolutely. However, this does not detract from the love I have for his music. “The Boat I Row” is one of my favorite songs of his. The Slow Rush is my second favorite album of his, after Deadbeat. This is another song you could catch me twirling around my room too. Another 10/10 song.
“White Feather Hawk Tail Dear Hunter” – Lana del Rey
FINALLY! It’s been years. Is there an album? Is there no album? Oh, it has a new title now? Don’t do what with Morgan Wallen? Lana del Rey is like me when I’m not sure how I’m going to package a project. Despite coming online with new album titles and release dates, this February we finally got “White Feather Hawk Tail Dear Hunter”.
I’m into this song. She mentions all of the notable Lana del Rey attributes and combines them with a haunting song. I love the layering vocals towards the end and the miscellaneous sounds. With a new release date being teased for later this year, I hope to see more of her music.
“Soak Up The Sun” – Sheryl Crow
With how much rain there is in Florence, I needed some sun. Listening to early 2000s songs to get myself out of bed, I felt like I was a main character in a Disney Channel Original movie. “Soak Up The Sun” is the perfect song to listen to if you want to pick up your mood, especially if there is no sun to soak up outside.
“Bells & Whistles” – Megan Moroney, Kacey Musgraves
A large album release this February was Megan Moroney’s album, Cloud 9. “Bells & Whistles” is my favorite song off the album, largely because of the feature from Kacey Musgraves. Musgraves’s voice is one of my favorite voices of any singer. This song feels so close and so far from “You Belong With Me” if only because of how it lists all of the things that she is, and all the things this other girl is.
“Maria” – Justin Bieber
It was the 2000s equivalent of “Billie Jean”. Both Michael Jackson and Bieber are known for their massive fan bases, as well as the numerous rumors that surround their personal lives. Listening to them separately, I mix up the lyrics sometimes, because, well just see for yourself:
“Maria, why you wanna do me like that?/ That ain’t my baby, no, that ain’t my girl/ ‘Cause she’s talking in, and she needs to quit/ ‘Cause I never hit it, all I know she’s not mine.”
vs.
“‘Cause the lie becomes the truth/ Billie Jean is not my lover/ She’s just a girl who claims that I am the one/ But the kid is not my son.”
“WITH ME” – John Summit, Julia Wolf
I recently became a huge fan of Julia Wolf‘s and releasing this song ahead of Summit’s second album, CTRL ESCAPE, is fabulous. Wolf enhances Summit’s song in the same way his previous female features have. John Summit is so smart with the way he markets and creates his music.
With his single release and his album covers, he nods to his previous career as a certified public accountant (CPA) and puts it in the context of an electronic music setting. I love this because isn’t that what remixes and EDM do? These artists shift the previous forms of songs — in this case he shifts from his previous career — to create something elevated.
“In My Room” – Julia Wolf
There are so many songs that are relatable, and this song is relatable to a different generation. Beyond being vocally skilled, the lyrics on Wolf’s song are haunting and real. “I stalk myself on the internet just to see what you’ll find” might be one of my favorite lyrics of all time. As someone who grew up with the internet and knows how intertwined it is with many people’s lives, this was a genius choice.
Another month of songs has come and gone. With March coming up and my year of music challenges continuing on, I hope to repeat the same songs over and over. I want to find songs that I don’t get sick of, and in fact, listen to so many times, that it becomes amazing how I can’t get sick of them. Until we speak again, happy listening!