My music choice tends to reflect me—unintentionally—in respect to my often chaotic lifestyle. My most-listened-to songs are not restrained by one genre, one mood, or one artist. I theorize that these songs act as a mirror to my human experience, as their tones exist in a state of fluctuation. With that said, I do my best not to set myself up for failure (a good rule of thumb is to rarely start the day with Phoebe Bridgers, Jeff Buckley, or Sufjan Stevens—unless you need an early-morning emotional purge). I think of my “No Skips” playlist as being full of every song I will never get tired of, but I admittedly will curate my queue around what I need to hear at that moment the most. With that being said, I’d love to take you through a chronological musical of sorts as I move about my day, and I urge you to try living through these songs at some point if you wish to step into my lawless internal landscape.
Let’s begin with a cup of coffee in hand, slices of sunlight creeping in through the blinds, and a new day within reach: What will set the tone for a slow, cozy morning, unburdened by yesterday? “Just A Lover” by Hayley Williams, “Distractions” by Wild Painting, “Road Head” by Japanese Breakfast, and “Heroes and Villains” by The Beach Boys satisfy that morning itch for comfort and vehemence. Too soon, however, my morning is stolen from me—by work, by a lecture, by life—and I need a little more verve to ignite the spirit of being present in the world beyond my bedroom. “3rd Planet” by Modest Mouse, “Gnaw” by Alex G, “Delusional On Sunset Blvd” by Pearly Drops, and “Cause = Time” by Broken Social Scene get me on the train, in my car, or onto a hard polyethylene classroom seat. Soon enough, I can seek respite in a cafe. Unfinished tasks are scattered about the table before me, but I have a moment of freedom nonetheless. There are research statistics to be completed, magazine layouts to draft, and events to plan. At this moment, I’d tend to opt for music that I feel is stimulating but is unintrusive to my thought patterns. “Mitosis” by Eartheater, “Ugly Brunette” by Horse Jumper of Love, “Drive” by Deftones, “Police Scanner” by Chanel Beads, and “Nymphs Finding the Head of Orpheus” by Nicole Dollanganger will get me through answering my emails and updating my calendar, but in all honestly I’m distractable today and should opt for something more instrumental (“Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness” by The Smashing Pumpkins perhaps?).
Once I have made some academic and occupational strides, I’m left feeling worn and in need of movement to release all of the pent-up frustrations that my midday session of stress has burdened me with. It’s time to go to the gym. To tune out the typically horrendous, misogynistic music that some boy has streamed to the main gym speaker (sorry boys), I drown out the testosterone-fueled noise with Shygirls’ “Shlut,” Tove Lo’s “HEAT,” Rihanna’s “Cockiness (Love It),” Korn’s “Freak On a Leash,” Slayyyyter’s “Erotic Electronic,” and Ashnikko’s “Want It All” (I adore some hard-hitting female beats when I lift, but Korn creeps their way in every time). Now comes the most soul-nourishing, extraordinary time of the day: I have reached singing-in-the-shower time! This is my ultimate moment of daily life-romantisization. I have a little disco projection light, a speaker, and dissolving aroma therapy shower tabs that rapidly transform my bathroom into what I imagine euphoria feels like. “Give It To Me” by Miya Folick is a routine opener during my shower concert. If you listen to nothing else in this article, listen to that song. This masterpiece is lovingly followed by “Body Farm” by Zoe Bayani, “Uzumaki” by Softcult, “Brainrot” by Irvi, “Twisted” by Johanna Warren, and “The Background” by Third Eye Blind. After those renditions, I wholeheartedly promise you that my neighbors are sick of me, but I am happily fulfilled and rejuvenated to tackle the rest of the day.
If I find myself a moment to spare between late afternoon shifts, a meal with my beautiful friends, and tirelessly studying for tests on the horizon, a fall bike ride quells my thirst to escape campus. “Indygar” by Adrienne Lenker, “America” by Max Dirado, “Didn’t I” by Darondo, “yin to yang” by runo plum, “All I Want” by Joni Mitchell, and “Soft Universe” by AURORA bring me my musical poetry fix as crimson leaves fall from above. The sky will have darkened too quickly (a signal that winter is ready to sink its teeth in), and I will make my way back to the warmth of my dorm hall. While folding my laundry that night, I locate the songs from my playlist that I have neglected: “Liquid Love” by Billie Martin, “Elated” by Wyatt Smith, “lightbeamers” by FKA twigs, “Sick In The Head” by Indigo De Souza, “929” by Halsey, and “Fable” by Gigi Perez. As the day fades away, I am filled to the brim with the tunes I’ve listened to, grateful that I can feel what the music has to offer me. Every day holds a plethora of movements from melancholy to peace to joy to anxiety to longing to empowerment, and I hope you, dear reader, can find a fraction of yourselves articulated in one of these songs.