Ok so you’ve probably read the title and thought – really, a Spring playlist? In June? Well, technically, June is the the official start of the summer season, so it kinda makes sense to write retrospectively about everything I’ve enjoyed listening to these past few months! March through to May was an incredibly hectic time for me with finishing uni and trying to get my life sorted, so I’ve definitely relied on music recently to keep me sane.

Without further ado, here are my favourite songs from the past couple of months and why I think they’re worth checking out 🙂

Spring Playlist:

• Cranes in the Sky, Solange

Not to be totally melodramatic, but this song almost single-handedly kept me sane during my last term at uni. I hadn’t really listened to Solange since 2015/6 when she released A Seat at the Table (an amazing album) but her most recent release When I Get Home prompted me to re-visit her music. Like many people, if I’m really trying to focus and concentrate on studying, I can’t listen to normal music because I find it just distracts me. However, Cranes in the Sky is literally the most mellow song ever and I would literally just put it on loop and type for hours on end. It’s also now my third most played song of all time according to my Apple Music, so I think that says it all!

• MONOPOLY, Ariana Grande & Victoria Monét

MONOPOLY is a collab with Ariana’s long-time lyricist and BFF Victoria Monét, which dropped in April to celebrate them achieving seven (cumulative) weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with 7 Rings. This song is super light-hearted and has this girls-night-in kind of vibe (as illustrated below, by them dancing around in 7 Rings jumpsuits). Is this song super nuanced or a compelling listen? Absolutely not, but it’s just a fun, upbeat song about living your best life and chasing your dreams; I tend to play it a lot when I’m getting ready to go out or writing stuff like my blog!

• Supercut, Lorde

MELODRAMA WAS ROBBED AT THE 2018 GRAMMYS. And apparently, I’m still not ok with that😅. In terms of its lyrics, production and themes, Melodrama is virtually flawless thanks to Lorde and Jack Antonoff’s collaborative creative vision and I could probably write an entire post about how much I love it. Supercut is track 9 on the album and always makes me feel super nostalgic whenever I hear it, which is probably mostly due to the retrospective lyrical motifs. I just love how raw Lorde’s vocals and how they’re chopped and layered to create this blurred, sort-of disorientating effect.

• There’s a Reason Why (I Never Returned Your Calls), Blossoms

Blossoms have been a favourite band of mine since their debut album, they’re just an easy listen and I saw them last year in Budapest at Sziget Festival with my best friend Molly and even in the pouring rain, they didn’t disappoint! Plus, they were wearing their keys to Stockport (on necklaces) which was kinda cute. There’s a Reason Why (I Never Returned Your Calls) is a bittersweet song about missing someone but staying away for your own good, with the jangly riffs and smooth electric production offsetting Tom Ogden’s mournful vocals. It’s just one of those songs that makes a good accompaniment to a drive or train ride in the rain.

• Doin’ Time, Lana Del Rey

Hands down the song of my summer so far, Doin’ Time is a cover of the band Sublime’s 1997 single and is featured in the credits of an upcoming documentary about the band. For anyone who likes Lana’s retro side, I guarantee you’ll love this. The production is super dreamy and surreal and really showcases Lana’s vocal versatility and I’m just obsessed. I’d previously never listened to Sublime but after skimming through their discography, I can definitely see why Lana feels such an affinity with them. Their sound and lyrics are about as SoCal as you can get and this mirrors perfectly with Lana’s own vibe (think West Coast, Summer Bummer and Venice Bitch). I have enjoyed Lana’s more recent stripped down sound, such as Mariner’s Apartment Complex, but Doin’ Time encapsulates everything I love about her general aesthetic & sound.

• Everywhere, Fleetwod Mac

This is my all time favourite Fleetwood Mac song and it’s one of the first I put on if I’m ever in a bad mood. Because of all the stress at Uni last term, it was definitely on repeat a lot! The shimmering intro is literally iconic, whenever I hear it on a night out, I will definitely run to the dance floor! Everywhere is just a feel-good song and showcases how effortlessly fab Stevie Nicks is.

• my strange addiction, Billie Eilish

Although I initially kind of felt Billie’s album was underwhelming, it’s grown on me hugely in the last few weeks! Likewise, I started watching The (US) Office for the first time last month (yes, I know I’m like ten years too late) and it had a similar impact on me. Season 1 was SO boring that I almost stopped watching but I persevered and after Season 2, I was hooked. It definitely helped keep me pushing through deadlines, just so I could collapse into bed and switch off watching it! A self-confessed Office super fan, Billie splices audio clips from the show in between verses on my strange addiction  to create this weird, disorientating production that contrasts with Billie’s trademark whisper-singing in all the right ways. Basically, the song is as weird and mismatched as both her album and the show and I love them both!

• Longshot, Catfish and the Bottlemen

Longshot definitely sounds like it belongs on the latest Fifa soundtrack [ok so I literally just googled it & it’s not on it but if you listen I think you’ll understand what I mean!!], but in a good way! Listening to Catfish always takes me back to Reading Festival 2015, when I first saw them. I definitely didn’t appreciate seeing them at the time, but I’m hoping I’ll be able to see them live in the near future! Longshot is about pulling off a risky but rewarding chance on something, which parallels quite nicely with my general haphazard approach to life!!

• One Summer’s Day, Joe Hisaishi (from the Spirited Away soundtrack)

If anything happens to me, someone please make sure this song is played at my funeral!!! One Summer’s Day is an instrumental piece from the Studio Ghibli anime film, Spirited Away, aka one of my favourite films of all time. This song makes me feel really happy and sad simultaneously, it’s just such a beautiful piece of music. The live performance I’ve linked is honestly so moving (Joe Hisaishi is an amazing musician) – definitely check it out! I listen to this when I’m reading or working mostly but fun fact, it’s also what I listened to the first time I ever flew on a plane cause it’s so chill.

And so that brings me to the end of another playlist! As I’ve said before, I’m not a music critic with super edgy taste, I’m just sharing songs that I like and the reasons why I do (so try not to judge me too much!). Whilst I do like the seasonal format I’m using for these playlists, my next one might be a ‘travel’ playlist as opposed to a summer-themed one as over the next few months, I’m gonna be pretty busy! Thanks for reading (if you made it this far) 🙂

Hol xo