Hi, friends. As I write this, I'm four days away from graduating college, which is...wild. My apartment is half packed away. My roommate and I have split up the belongings we've been sharing for the last four years. The desk I'm sitting at is almost completely bare. I'm...it's weird, I'm telling you.
But it's been a long time coming. I'm mostly happy it's over and that I'll have more time to get back to doing what I love. Until then, though, I'm back with another mixtape since I haven't done one in a year-ish or so. Just figured you might want some recommendations or who knows, maybe you just want to see what I'm listening to. Maybe you literally don't care. Regardless, you're here and I'm here, so let's do this.
Enjoy.
01: WANT YOU BACK by 5 Seconds of Summer
I would be surprised if you haven't heard this by now, but yeah. Here it is. I have this weird thing where I listen to every new 5SOS on principle even though after there last album I haven't been much of a fan. I think I enjoyed all of two songs from that one, which sucks because I blindly purchased the album assuming I'd love all of it because I loved their first one. So anyway, listened to this just to see what they were up to, and wow. Was blown away. The "you know even when I say I moved on, you know even though I know that you're gone" bit is seriously so good and I'm still trying to figure out who was the mastermind behind it.
02: I WANNA KNOW by NOTD and Bea Miller
Guys, I finally realized that when I watched Emblem3 and Fifth Harmony on that one season of the X Factor USA, Bea Miller was there TOO. I remember now. She covered "Chasing Cars"! My mind was blown when I found out. Anyway, this song is a bop. I think there are going to be a lot of bops on this mixtape because that's what I've been in the mood for mostly, but truly, this is so fun. The tune of the chorus sounds familiar for some bizarre reason, but I'm starting to think it's just because it has the kind of tune that's meant to get stuck in your head, like perfectly formulated. You'll like this one, I promise.
03: NEVER FALL IN LOVE by Jack Antonoff and MO
Hi, have you seen Love, Simon yet? Because if not, jump to it. You'll find this song make an appearance at the Halloween party in the movie, but you'll also find it making an appearance in literally all of my playlists because Jack Antonoff is a god among mortals, folks. It's a bop, because of course it is. Catch me driving home after graduating with my two windows that work rolled all the way down and this song blaring. You should try it sometime.
04: HAIR TOO LONG by The Vamps
This song feels like summer, and I love it. Like, I don't love summer but I love when songs sound like summer. I love when they sound like any season, for that matter. This is a fun, bitter breakup song (I think) with a chorus you'll nod your head to before you even realize you're doing it. It's super fun. I liked it immediately after first listen. I've never been a crazy huge fan of The Vamps, even though I have no idea why, but lately I'm starting to see the appeal. They're growing on me, slowly but surely.
05: BELONG by Cash Cash and Dashboard Confessional
Speaking of songs that feel like summer, I think this one does even more than "Hair Too Long." Also, Dashboard and Cash Cash? That is a collaboration I never expected to happen but realize now I could have never lived without. I love everything about this song. Like "I Wanna Know," it has the sort of tune that seems perfectly formulated to get stuck in your head upon first listen. It's such a fun roadtrip song for that – another to roll your windows down for.
06: UH HUH by Julia Michaels
I'll apologize in advance, but you're about to see a lot of Julia Michaels in this list. I considered reviewing her entire album but truthfully I didn't love enough of it the way I loved a few specific tracks, so I'm just putting them here. This song, y'all. I hated it the first time I heard it. I thought it was so strange and that her voice squeaking wasn't pleasant enough to be effective. But then my friend became obsessed and played it all the time, and now I'm hooked. Listen. If you give it a chance, it's seriously such a tune. The "uh huh"'s become less obnoxious, I promise, and once the music picks up? The piano layered over the synths? Iconic. Truly. It's so good. I'm trying to force this one onto everyone I know and so far no luck, but I just need everyone to recognize the genius of this production. Please listen to it. Please love it.
07: WAKE ME by Bleachers
You all have no idea how hard it was not to just put Bleachers' entire discography on this list. I said it a year ago and I'll say it again: if you're not listening and loving Bleachers yet, what are you doing with your unfulfilled life? And for anyone who doesn't know (because apparently this isn't common knowledge?) Jack Antonoff IS Bleachers. They are one and the same. If I say one, I mean the other as well. Anyway, this is from their first album and it's a love song and I heart it so much, so here it is.
08: IDGAF by Dua Lipa
Dang, seriously I blinked and this song was on top 40 radio. So you've probably heard it before, but I'm a little slower to the party. "New Rules" was so iconic that I just never went looking for more because I was completely satisfied. But here we are, and we are happy. "So I cut you off!" replays in my head daily. I just really admire how Over Boys she seems to be in these singles and hope that's a trend that continues because it's fun to listen to.
09: 2002 by Anne-Marie
Hi, have you HEARD THIS SONG?? I love this so much, I barely have real words or thoughts to share with you. I love the combination of songs in the chorus, I love her voice, I just. Thank you, Ed Sheeran, for another gift of a bop. Thank you, Anne-Marie, for Delivering. Sorry, you'll have to just listen and come up with thoughts yourself because I have none that are coherent.
10: FERRARI by Bebe Rexha
This is the first time I've ever heard something and been like, "Wow, this sounds like Lana del Rey and I like it" (sorry Lana fans). But that's only the first verse. The chorus? It's emo and I love it. You all know I practically worship Bebe, so I'm sure you can understand how excited I am for her full length album, especially after this. Also I know Panic! at the Disco doesn't have Mulholland Drive trademarked or anything but the second she said it in this song I thought it was a nod to "LA Devotee" which is...not true lol. Oh well. Anyway, this emo showstopper is great and you should have listened to it already yesterday.
11: 1950 by King Princess
Do I even know who King Princess is? No. Would I have found this song had Harry not tweeted the lyrics? Absolutely not. But here we are. If you were curious, he tweeted "I love it when we play 1950," which are actually really nice lyrics? Naturally I was going to find the song, and it's great. Her voice is a combination of Bea Miller's and St. Vincent's, so if you dig either of those, here you go.
12: PINK by Julia Michaels
Whoop, here we are again. Lol, have you all heard this song yet? If you haven't, maybe don't listen to it in front of your parents, just in case. First time I heard this song was when I watched a YouTuber react to Julia's album, and I don't want to spoil the surprise in the chorus, but just...the YouTuber and I had the exact same reaction upon hearing it and understanding what she was saying. It's great. I don't even know if it's a good song, I just love it because the lyrics are hilarious.
13: MOTHERLOVE by Bea Miller
This song. Also heard it for the first time watching a YouTuber react to her new album (same YouTuber as above), and we also shared the same reaction to the end of the chorus. It's so good? This is a jam, not a bop. My favorite thing is like, shouting the lyrics on long car rides. Get yourself in the middle of an interstate, windows all the way down (can you tell I like listening to music with the windows down), dusk. Nobody's around, and you're screaming this at the top of your lungs. I bet you'll feel great after that. Try it sometime.
14: BLOOM by Troye Sivan
I...was not expecting this at all. I love the tune in the verses so much, and I love it paired with Troye's super calming voice. Also the chorus is super cute. I'm waiting for it to be used in a movie – I don't know why or what kind of scene it would fit, but I just see it doing well on a movie soundtrack. I'm excited about the direction Troye might be taking for his next album, so sign me up for more.
15: HEART TO BREAK by Kim Petras
Hello, another bop here. Okay, so this was a random encounter on Spotify, and I'm so glad it happened. The first thing that pulled me was the pre-chorus, the "one look at you I'm powerless, I feel my body saying yes" part, because her voice sounds so pleasant going lower like that? Also I just like that lyric "I feel my body saying yes." And then boom, chorus, and she's like twenty octaves higher (not really but you know what I mean). It's such a fun song and I didn't expect to like it as much as I do now.
16: EVERYBODY LOST SOMEBODY by Bleachers
I have a lot to say about this song but I've written so many final papers in the last few days that I don't know if I'll be able to share them all. So let me just say this: this song is so important and I hope you all give it a chance and let it sit with you for a while. The lyrics, the intro music, the pre-chorus. All of it. Briefly, it's a song about healing. Jack Antonoff lost his sister when he was eighteen and he's struggled with it for a long while, and in this song he's coming to terms with some of it. I don't know, like it doesn't sound like a sad song at first, but at its heart it can definitely be that. That being said, I also think it's meant to be uplifting. He's healing, you know? That's why the jazzy instrumental sounds like a familiar summer morning from your childhood. Okay I'll stop now, but just know this is probably one of my all time favorite songs ever, from any artist, and I hope it does for you what it has for me.
17: NO TEARS LEFT TO CRY by Ariana Grande
When this was released, my roommate and I sat on her bed and were very excited to listen. She had gone from mostly disliking Ariana to tolerating her to sort of anticipating new music, because Dangerous Woman was such a great album. So when I played this song and both of us had no idea what we thought about it, we were kind of disappointed. But it was a weird situation, because it stuck with me for a couple days. I didn't know the words and I barely remembered the tune, but I couldn't get it out of my head. So I listened again, and that time I was sold. That initial transition from incredible vocals to "I'm picking it up" though really threw me for a loop the first time I heard it, man. I did a double take at my laptop. Love it now. Also it has one of the coolest music videos ever, so there's that.
18: BAD GIRLFRIEND by Anne-Marie
The sweet, twinkly music at the beginning is hilarious to me because this song is scandalous. I still love Anne-Marie's voice a lot, so almost anything she does sounds appealing to me, but I was surprised by how much I liked this. There's something about the tune and the contrast between the intro music and the verses that is super pleasing. Don't listen to the lyrics closely if you don't like couples cheating on each other – think "Unfaithful" by Rihanna but far less apologetic. It's great, though. It's a smooth bop, if that makes sense.
19: JUMP by Julia Michaels and Trippie Redd
Okay, last of Julia, I promise. I don't think this is on her album, because it was released very recently (side note: the cover art is literally my favorite color scheme, which is why I listened in the first place). It's so hard to explain what I like about this song, but I'm going to try. Once again, there's a very specific formula working in the chorus. She'll say a word on its own, follows it with a line of like, five syllables, and then there's a longer line with a lot of words. Repeat. The way that tune works is so interesting. Because it feels like a minimalist song otherwise? There are no crazy instruments, no layering of backup vocals. Nothing like that. But what's there works really well and I don't know, I'm just into it right now. Apart from Bleachers, this is probably my favorite song on this entire mixtape.
20: BETTER WITH YOU by Jesse McCartney
Lol, you guys. I slept on this one, I really did. I thought JMac was pulling an Aaron Carter or something and trying to make a comeback that nobody wanted, and whatever he released would be a failed attempt at fitting in with whatever is popular in pop music right now. Either that, or he'd just release something that sounded exactly like his old stuff as if a decade hasn't passed since his last album. But here we are. I finally listened to this after purposely ignoring it for weeks, and when he went falsetto on "I was a wreck," I think my jaw actually dropped open. Somehow he has managed to maintain the magic from his prime, back when he was still JMac, but with a successful modern twist. He's still got it, folks. Don't sleep on him. Don't be like me.
Well, there you have it. That's what I've been listening to for the last few months. That, and Bleachers' two albums. Especially this finals week, Bleachers is about all I've been listening to, but when I'm not listening to them here are the stars of my main playlist.
Let me know what you've been listening to. I'm always into finding new stuff, as you know.
Also, I'm well aware that the love of my life Brendon Urie has released two new songs. You KNOW I'd put them in here usually, but I'm going to save my reactions until the entire album is out. I love Panic! enough for that. Until then, just know...I died over both of them and they would both be in this list if not for the impending album.
Alright, well. I'm going to leave and sleep with no alarm since I don't need one anymore. (:
Be nice. x