March has honestly been quite an exciting month in terms of music this year. For months on end, I struggled to stay up-to-date with new releases and invest my time in finding new artists to listen to. It was hard for me to find excitement in listening to new music when I found far more comfort in listening to older playlists and staying content with the music I already knew I liked. However, after countless months working together with the team to launch Daybreak, I’ve experienced a newfound love of seeking out new music.

Whether they were fresh off of Spotify’s New Music Friday or simply just new to me, I began compiling a playlist of all the new music I have come across this month that I really loved. There were tons of new albums, EPs, and singles I stumbled upon, and I am very excited to share some of my favorite discoveries from this month. Continue reading along to check out a handful of my favorites for the month of March, and be sure to check out our Spotify playlist for my full list.

I Killed Captain Cook – Unknown Mortal Orchestra

Unknown Mortal Orchestra released their highly anticipated album V just a few weeks ago, and this song in particular stuck out to me for personal reasons. “I Killed Captain Hook” is told from the perspective of the great Hawaiian chief, Kalaimanokahoʻowaha, gracefully describing how he killed Captain James Cook, the English explorer responsible for the colonization of Polynesia. UMO’s frontman Ruben Nielson wrote this song for his mother, who used to tell him this story with great pride. Nielson’s mother is also a renowned hula dancer, so he decided to film his mother’s interpretation of the song for the music video. As someone with a Pacific Islander background, this song and the music video was incredibly touching and will stick with me for a long time.

oceans Niagara – m83

M83 is honestly the only band that can make a song with the only lyrics being “Beyond adventure” and manage to make you feel like the main character of a story. I’ve been a fan of this band for several years now, and they never cease to amaze me with how much emotion they can pack into a single song. “Oceans Niagara” is just one of several majestic songs off of their latest album, Fantasy.

dogtooth – Tyler, the creator

“DOGTOOTH” is the latest single from Tyler, the Creator and a teaser for his upcoming album, CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST: The Estate Sale at the end of the month. This album will consist of unreleased music that did not make it onto his previous album, so I guarantee you will not want to miss out. “DOGTOOTH” comes at a perfect time now that the weather is getting warmer and are slowly approaching summertime.

cyanide – jae luna

Please do not sleep on this song. “cyanide” is by far one of the most beautiful songs I stumbled across this month, and I am so glad I did. Jae Luna’s vocals on this track are reminiscent of artists like boyhood, Ryan Beatty, and BROCKHAMPTON’s bearface. His soft, wispy voice carries so much rawness in this song, and the way he integrates synths and harsh electric guitar strums into the soft acoustic track is beyond impressive.

good news – bakar

I first came across Bakar when he released “Hell N Back” in 2019 and immediately fell in love with his unique voice. “Good News” is one of his latest releases, and I think is a perfect springtime bop. This tender love song feels like the sun rising in the morning or standing on your tip-toes to hug someone you love. It’s just an all-around feel good song, and I can’t wait to hear more music from Bakar in the future.

flowers & chocolate – eyedress

eyedress quickly became one of my favorite artists to listen to after he blew up on TikTok with his song “Something About You” featuring another one of my favorite artists, Dent May. “flowers & chocolate” is his latest release, and this song further demonstrates how lovely his songwriting continues to be. Out of all the songs I came across this month, “flowers & chocolate” has some of my favorite lyrics. I particularly love is “I’m sorry if I made your morning sour / Don’t cry, know there’s always next time / You see me in the best light / I’ll do it right next time.”

princes of melancholia – mehro

“princes of melancholia” by mehro is yet another perfect song for the season. It’s such a soft and delicate song, with metro’s silky vocals and exquisite acoustics. “princes of melancholia” oozes with romance, and the chorus will make you weak in the knees as mehro whispers, “Tell me you love me / Tell me your secrets / I won’t ever say / Tell me you love me / Tell me your secrets / Eat me like a cake.”

down bad – yot club

yot club is such a fun band to listen to, and their latest album, off the grid, has been one of my favorites to listen to so far this year. I would probably say that “down bad” is my favorite off of the album, but even deciding on this song was a tough decision. I’m generally a huge sucker for anything that remotely sounds like surf rock, so if that’s your jam, you will definitely enjoy this band. “down bad” is just a fun song, and I’d kill to be able to hear this live.

listen to the rest of my March favorites here: