We’ve all hit slumps before when it comes to finding new music. Not every month can be your month, and even the most dedicated Spotify playlist curators can have a hard time finding something that they want to listen to.
This is where I find myself right now. There are one or two songs by artists I watch that have been released lately (shout out to “Till Forever Falls Apart” by Ashe and FINNEAS) but other than that, I just really do not know what I want to listen to. I’ve been rotating old playlists and shuffling the discographies of artists I enjoy, but it’s not enough.
To try to get myself out of this rut and to help people who might be in a similar situation, I’ve compiled this list of five ways to find new music when it’s just not coming to you.
- Listen to Spotify’s pre-made playlists.
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It’s easy to find your music and stick to it, and I know that some people even take pride in making their own playlists instead of listening to the ones that Spotify uploads to their streaming service. However, if you’re at a loss for what to listen to, Spotify actually has a lot of really good pre-made playlists, and there’s a wide variety so you can find whatever genre or mood you’re looking for. Some of my personal favorites are the “young & free” playlist and the “park hangs” playlist.
- Stalk your friends’ Spotify feeds to see what they’re listening to.
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The Friend Activity feed on Spotify’s desktop app is one of my favorite features of this streaming service. This allows you to see what friends who have their listening activity set to ‘public’ are listening to in real-time. While this feature has gotten me some “you ok?” texts when I’m listening to some really sad tunes, it is also a great way to see what playlists your friends are making and what music they are listening to at the moment.
- Listen to your “Discover Weekly” and “Release Radar” playlists.
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If you scroll through the generic playlists from Spotify and nothing grabs your interest, have no fear. In addition to that wide library of playlists, Spotify also makes personalized playlists with music that they know you don’t have saved yet. The “Discover Weekly” playlist changes, as the name suggests, on a weekly basis. This means that every Monday you have new music delivered right to your Spotify home page. If you’re looking for music that is new-new, instead of just new to you, then you can also check out the “Release Radar” playlists, which compiles recently released songs by artists that you have listened to.
- Scroll through TikTok.
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As this year’s Grammys proved, TikTok has gained a major influence on the music industry. Trends on the app determined what songs skyrocket to viral fame, and the nature of the algorithm gives small artists a way to grow their following and share their music with people who wouldn’t otherwise come across it. Next time you’re scrolling through your For You Page, make note of the songs that make you bop along. Even if they’re a little outside your typical music taste (because TikTok songs can be… out there), they’re still definitely worth a try if you’re looking for new music.
- Sign up for a Playlist Pal.
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Algorithms are great, but they can’t quite fill the role of getting recommendations from a real-life person. And if your music taste is the same as your friends’, you’ll have to look to other people to recommend new music. That’s where PlaylistPals comes in. If you fill out their short survey about your music taste, they will pair you with a “pen pal” with the intention of swapping playlists, so you can make a new friend while also adding some new tunes to your music library.
If you’re in a music-finding rut, give these suggestions a try, and you may find some new songs to put on repeat that you would have never listened to otherwise.
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