September is over? It feels like it just started. Yet here I am, cataloging my most listened-to tracks for the month. Some of these are new, and some are a few years old. Still, they captured my heart and stayed in my brain nearly every day this month.
“Dummy” – Zack Fox
The comedian (slash actor, rapper, writer, illustrator, and Instagram troll) released an understated single in August that I did not initially believe was him. Not that the track lacked qualities that made his 2019 “Jesus Is The One (I Got Depression)” single a fan favorite; the beat is easily danceable, and his humor shines. Instead, his more relaxed and laid-back flow caught me off guard. It’s an excellent sound for Zack, and I cannot wait to hear more.
“Chances” – ¿Téo?
After dropping three well-received singles over the past year, Mateo Arias, best known by his stage name ¿Téo?, released Luna this August. I saw him perform live on his last tour, Sol, and he explained that Luna is almost like a sister to his previous one. Sun and Moon, day and night, two halves of one whole. It’s hard to pick a favorite from this record, but one song that I’ve found myself listening to over and over again is the fifth song on the album, “Chances.” My favorite part of this song is that it continues to build right up until the very end. Strings, pads, ad-libs, and percussion, and yet there’s never a real “beat drop.” It just keeps going up and up and up, making it incredibly easy to just listen to it one more time.
“I Don’t Know You Like I Used To” – Mercury.
I am late to the Mercury. train. And since they only have sixty-five thousand listeners on Spotify, I’ve got a feeling you might be late to the train too. I heard this song for the first time earlier this month, and then I heard it for the second time immediately after that. Actually, I listened to this song ten times in a row because it gave me a contagious feeling inside. I love to talk about songs you can listen to while driving too fast on the highway with your windows down, and let me tell you, this is at the top of my list right now. The guitar, the drum beat, the lead singers’ voice, all of the cool mixing tricks that go on during this song–you can’t not listen to it twice.
“IdgaF” – AUDREY NUNA
Since discovering AUDREY NUNA after her 2019 release of “Comic Sans,” I have continued to be impressed with her music. “IdgaF” was no different. This song lasts a whopping minute and forty-three seconds, and Nuna says the phrase “I don’t give a fuck” sixteen times. This is the pinnacle of unbothered, unworried, and carefree. I’ve found myself listening to it to hype myself up before what might be a stressful meeting. Something about her delivery really justs makes you also not want to give a–
“Backburner” – NIKI
When NIKI dropped her album Nicole last year, my heart all but broke in half. It was amazing how someone could put exactly what I was feeling into words. It honestly felt a little intrusive. I thought to myself, “How the hell does she know that happened?” But of course, it was less about my personal experiences and more about how we as humans are more often less alone than we think. I could ramble on about every track on this album, but one that I find myself listening to over and over again is “Backburner.” What appeals to me so much about this song is just how honest she is. In the first pre-chorus she says, “The Goo Goo Dolls are dead to me / The way you should be too.” The second line of the chorus is even better, singing “Maybe life’s less romantic when I don’t want to die.” The lyrics are so good that even if the music absolutely sucked (it doesn’t), it would still be a hit. Produced by NIKI with help from Ethan Gruska, this upbeat track leaves your body in a slight state of confusion. Your heart hurts, but you desperately want to bob your head along with it.
As a creature of habit, I find myself returning to the same songs repeatedly, similarly to how someone puts on New Girl for the 9th time (it’s me, I’m someone). But even still, I am glad to have discovered some fantastic new songs this fall to mix in with my comfort-guilty-favorites, and I hope you enjoy them too.
daybreak 