A preamble: I have a sneaking suspicion that one of my love languages is sharing music. You’ll almost always find me listening to music, and certain songs and artists conjure such strong memories of different periods in my life.
So, while this has nothing to do with art necessarily, I thought it would be fun to find a handful of songs that color my current month—a mix of a forward-looking mood board and a backward-looking reflection. Consider it less of a flowing playlist and more of a free association. It’ll be weird and wonderful. You might see some songs or artists on here and be surprised, confused, or weirded out, and that’s okay. Like what you like.
Welcome to the first installment of This Month in 5 Songs.
To me, June is: really nostalgic. I still mostly think of “East Coast summer”—sunny, beachy, hot. A turning point in the calendar, and a month where I feel like the year starts to pick up momentum. Sunsets at 8 or 9PM. My birthday. A sigh of relief; for whatever reason the winter and spring always seem like my hardest seasons. Weird permission from society to move a little slower, work a little less. A bit of lightness and openness after hibernation.
(Sharing YouTube links below. I don’t really watch music videos, but I figured this might be the most universal for a quick listen.)
01. ♫ Get Away by Surfclub
A wide open door to summer. An “Indie Pop Cali Bop” as I like to call it. The weather around here gets more dreary and cold as summer goes on, but I love songs like this where you can imagine the sun and surf in your mind’s eye. It instantly transports you to another place.
02. ♫ Ur Gonna Wish U Believed Me by Cavetown
I’ve really been digging this song right now. Most of the song unfolds gently, unassumingly, and then it suddenly swells into something bigger—a little messy, a little cacophonous. There are days of the week I spend at home, working on my computer all day, and the silence and lack of human interaction is sometimes welcomed, but then the isolation hits me out of nowhere and I can’t stand it; it makes me want to burst. This song kinda parallels that feeling for me.
03. ♫ Birthday Girl by Lizzo
I have a treasure trove of high-energy power songs in an emergency reserve for when I’m feeling low and this one has been a go-to for nearly a year. And especially since, it is my birthday, girl—you bet I’m blasting this one this month.
04. ♫ Death Chasm by Generationals
One of my favorite bands dropped a new album at the beginning of the month and this one was an instant favorite. I feel a lot of existential dread at night and swirl on big questions for no good reason in the dark; this song felt true to that.
05. ♫ Feel A Change Coming by Honeywhip
The chorus keeps repeating over and over like a mantra. I don’t know if it’ll be good or bad or neutral or everything, but I feel a change coming, too.
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Let me know what you’ve been listening to this month, too. I’d love to know :)