With a new year comes a lot of new things.
Every year, we gain new experiences, new relationships and new resolutions (which we usually give up on). Despite all this new, it is still important to remember the old things that brought us joy once upon a time, which is why I’m compiling this playlist of some of my favorite songs from years past.
If I’m making a playlist, it has to include one of my current favorites: Alec Benjamin. My friend played some of his music on a long car trip, and since then, I’ve been obsessed. He makes a lot of soft, calm pop music, which makes for a really easy listen. I think my favorite thing about his music is his ability to tell a story through his lyrics.
A really good example of his storytelling is his song “1994.” By adding little details about his childhood and the time he grew up in, Benjamin builds a replica of his childhood and adolescence. Even though I’m not a 90s kid, but because of the way he wrote the song, I tend to feel really nostalgic when listening to it.
Another song I really like from him is “If We Have Each Other.” The song is dedicated to his sister and tells stories of loved ones supporting each other through hard times. The chorus is delivered as a message of hope, saying “The world’s not perfect, but it’s not that bad… You should know I’ll be there for you.” Even on my worst days, this song manages to cheer me up.
If I could add Kacey Musgraves’ entire Golden Hour album to this playlist, I would. However, I’d be here writing all day, so I’ll just stick with my favorite from the album: “Slow Burn.”
The song is led by a folksy acoustic guitar and serves as an introduction to the album. It’s an absolutely gorgeous song about being “alright with a slow burn.” The tempo of the song reflects this ideology, as it takes its time working through the verses and the chorus all the way up to the climax in the bridge. “Slow Burn” is an incredibly calming song to listen to, especially on a long drive and in the mountains early in the morning.
Please listen to this song while driving through the mountains early in the morning. It is an experience.
Snail Mail is a band that I found over my summer break. Their music trends more towards indie rock, with strong guitar and drums. However, it manages to still stay pretty chill, as is the theme for a lot of music I listen to.
The song that I particularly fell in love with over the summer was “Heat Wave.” The song’s intro reminds me of a hot, lethargic summer day, as the lead singer’s voice is supported only by a slow guitar riff. However, the song picks up as the drums and more guitar come in.
The lyrics of the song tell the story of moving on from someone who wants different things in a relationship. As the composition picks up, the lyrics feel more confident and assertive. It’s a really lovely song that I recommend checking out.
Another favorite of mine from Snail Mail is “Pristine.”
Lindsey Jordan, the frontwoman for Snail Mail, describes the song as “very sarcastic and melodramatic in nature.”
The song tells the story of an unrequited love, and with lines like “and I know myself and I’ll never love anyone else / I won’t love anyone else” and “I’ll never get real and you’ll never change to me ’cause I’m not looking / Anyways,” it’s easy to sense the frustration in the lyrics. Add the punchy guitar riffs, and you’ve got a love song dripping with deadpan sarcasm.
Rina Sawayama is another artist whose music has really been hitting differently for me lately. Her music, despite being only a few years old, feels like a massive throwback to 90s pop and R&B. It’s a sound that I really enjoy from her.
My favorite song from Sawayama right now is probably “Cyber Stockholm Syndrome.” The best way that I can really describe this song is that it SLAPS. Severely. The song portrays the Internet as a refuge for people who seek freedom from their waking lives. The synths driving the song build over the course of the piece into a triumphant bridge that makes the song incredibly satisfying to listen to.
I tend to also enjoy a bit of Ariana Grande’s music. Some of her music can be a bit hit or miss for me, but I would definitely like to add one of these hits to this hypothetical playlist.
That would be “Honeymoon Avenue” from her first album Yours Truly. I think my favorite part of this song would be the intro. It starts with a gentle strings ensemble and then goes into a short a capella portion which Grande adlibs over.
Speaking of Grande’s vocals, I also enjoy her vocal style in this song. She articulates her consonants a lot better in her older songs than in her newer ones, which tends to fit my personal preferences a bit better.
Tessa Violet’s “Bad Ideas” also really deserves a place on this playlist. I’ve absolutely loved this song since it came out at the end of 2018 and it has followed every playlist from then on.
The lyrics express a crush in a bit of an awkward and at times impulsive way. Violet’s soft voice also gives the song a hint of shyness. Overall, “Bad Ideas” makes for a pretty endearing listen.
Finally, I would add “prom dress” by mxmtoon to the playlist. The song started off from a tweet about the singer having a panic attack in her prom dress, which is an image she uses throughout the chorus of the song.
Overall, the song is a reflection of her high school experience as an introvert and how it affected her. As someone who was incredibly introverted in high school, and still is to a lesser degree, I really relate to the feeling of missing out and second-guessing whether I made the best of my time. “Prom dress” means a lot to me because I find it so relatable even now.
Going through my Spotify playlist to make this playlist has been a lot of fun for me. I really hope that if you check any of these songs out, you enjoy them just as much as I do.
Photo Credit / Alec Benjamin
