Q1 2024 ended up being one of those playlists that can change any mood for the better. The first track is “This Time Around” by Beauty Queen, a vibing pulser that starts any drive or walk with cares and worries falling away. “Hush” by The Marías is that droning, feel-good club music that you reach for your best and bassiest headphones to listen to.
Thematically, some gems pad the middle of the playlist, including “She’s Too Good For You” by Audio Book Club and “Hater’s Anthem” by Infinity Song, reflective and critical pieces about pedestal-placed love interests and the rampaging hating ways of haters. Since the end of the playlist coincided with a busy finale to a college semester, a classic angst-ridden guitar ballad “Now I’m Ready to Win” by Tokyo Police Club became a foundational repeat track; all the better to amp up for exams and final projects with.
Rounding out Q1 were a few surprises. Justin Timberlake’s latest album, Everything I Thought It Would Be, is a fantastic listen, but the hard-hitting “Sanctified” ultimately made the cut in terms of replay-ability. The final surprise featured one of my favorite bands from the early 2000s, Shout Out Louds. Filled with nostalgia, “The Comeback – Revisited” is a softer iteration of their original hit song but with the echoing thoughtfulness that comes from experience and reflection. If nothing else, the last track asks what comes next after considering where it all started from.
What better way to think about the first 3 months of 2024 than with a new, shiny playlist to tote around?
Click on the Spotify banner below to give it a listen!
- “This Time Around” by Beauty Queen
- “Fumari” by Peach Tree Rascals
- “Hush” by The Marías
- “idwtgtbt” by the booyah! kids
- “I Gotta I Gotta” by flowerovlove
- “Open Up Wide” by Dizzy
- “Best Interests” by Carmanah
- “She’s Too Cool for You” by Audio Book Club
- “Tightrope” by bennytheghost
- “Switch” by Biig Piig
- “Karma Tattoo” by Jenny Mayhem
- “Paint Your Nails Blue” by Dirty Nice
- “Ready to Win” by Tokyo Police Club
- “Sanctified (feat. Tobe Nwigwe)” by Justin Timberlake, Tobe Nwigwe
- “The Comeback – Revisited” by Shout Out Louds
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