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taste-in-music · 5 months

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My Top 30 Songs of 2023

Hello everyone! Welcome back to my annual countdown of my 30 favorite songs of the year. 2023 had a lot of great music releases, and I’m so excited to recount the songs I returned to this year. And now, let us commence with the list!

Here are 10 additional honorable mentions: "Wide Eyes" by Loviet, "I Cry When You Sleep" by Pearly Drops, "Dreamgirl" by Father Koi, "My Love Mine All Mine" by Mitski, "Batman Song" by Cat Missal, "The Neighborhood" by Grace Enger, "I Been Young" by George Clanton, "Bright Red" by Ryan Beatty, "Dumbest Girl Alive" by 100 Gecs, and "The Narcissist" by Blur.

30. Angora Hills by Doja Cat: “Angora Hills,” a hit off Doja Cat's latest album Scarlet, is airy yet effortlessly self-assured, trading between quick-spit rap verses and a chorus of kitteny coos. But don’t get too lost in the sparkling keys and cutesy voicemails. There’s a spark, an edge, a darkness lurking in the murky bass and ominous synths which lends the song a greater intensity. “'Cause love is pain but I need this shit,” Doja Cat raps on the second verse, playing out cleverly rhymes romantic fantasies with an exhibitionist spin. “I wanna show you off,” she suggests on the song’s chorus, the red-hot desire roiling just beneath the surface.

29. Slut! by Taylor Swift: I think everyone was a little surprised hearing “Slut!,” the first vault track on 1989 (Taylor’s Version). When I first saw that title, I thought I was in for a catchy package of sassy one-lines and circa-2014 pop feminism. Instead, we got a tenderhearted ballad of wispy synths and Swift’s insightful musings on love in the limelight. Commentary does creep in (“Everyone wants him, that was my crime,”) but Swift focuses more on choice imagery of a love worth risking it all for: aquamarine swimming pools, thorny roses, and lovedrunk confessions. Sometimes, the most defiant thing is knowing that no matter how people might try to strip you of dignity, they’ll never be able to take your love away from you.

28. Nothing Matters by The Last Dinner Party: All-female British rock outlet The Last Dinner Party made a splash in 2023 with their confrontational yet exuberant debut single “Nothing Matters.” For a song with such a nihilistic title, it packs a punch of gravitas and a wry sense of humor. Lead vocalist Abigail Morris knows just when to heighten the melodrama, stretching the word “sailor” into “say-lahr” and belting the final refrain to the high heavens: “You can hold me like you held her / And I will fuck you like nothing matters.” In the music video, the group stomps around a gothic mansion in frilly petticoats and leather boots, tearing up feather mattresses and lip synching down to a camera positioned six feet deep in a grave. It all exhibits a keen ability to balance out the toughness with a cheeky wink, making it clear the group is only just getting started.

27. Running Out Of Time by Paramore: Much of Paramore’s sixth album This Is Why tears into the absurdity and stress of modern life. On “Running Out Of Time,” Hayley Williams captures the breakneck speed of life accelerated by packed schedules and the 24 hour news cycle, describing a self-destructive ouroboros of trying to catch up with the clock, doing her best to do good and always coming up short. “Intentions only get you so far,” she sings, “What if I’m just a selfish prick…?” It captures the stress and self-doubt, but also the conviction to keep moving forward despite it all. Williams provides a spirited performance as always, her vocals cutting through a pop rock groove that provides just enough energy to keep you from falling down the doom spiral completely.

26. Designated Driver by Taylor Janzen: Taylor Janzen’s debut album I Live In Patterns offered up several tracks which balanced heartfelt lyrics with propulsive pop flourishes, but it was “Designated Driver” that maintained the most momentum for me throughout this year. Atop a steady thrum of shimmering synths, Janzen unpacks her mixed feelings on being the "dependable friend," cracking under the pressure like a windshield. As the song builds, Janzen unveils the self-doubt eating away at her, where the raw emotions draw the other person in to detrimental effect: “you put your trust in a daydream / ’cause you love this dying part of me.” Janzen has the acute ability to put language to even the most obscure shades of anguish and giving them a more anthemic spin. “Designated Driver” is the song you can blast to get you through the grief, even as the toxicity shrinks away in the rearview.

25. One Of Your Girls by Troye Sivan: “One Of Your Girls” is a song so smooth that it’s easy to miss the melancholy which saturates its sparkling chords and clever lyrics. Troye Sivan taps into unrequited desire atop a lush, bassy thrum, describing a love interest who “everybody wants,” but who needs to keep their queerness covert. Sivan ushers in the song’s sing-along chorus with a languid sigh, glazing his voice in vocoder to keep the ache at bay: “Give me a call if you ever get desperate," he relents, "I'll be like one of your girls.” Pair it with a gender-bending music video, and you’ve got a song that delves into just how far a person might go obscure the hurt and save face.

24. I Need A New Boyfriend by Charly Bliss: It’s been four years since Charly Bliss’s last album Young Enough, and in 2023 they blasted back onto my radar with the scuzzy, snarky single “I Need A New Boyfriend.” This time, Charly Bliss sprinkle their anthemic rock sound with a touch of hyperpopping, bleep-blorping synths and churning electric guitars. Frontwoman Eva Hendricks laments her loser lover who grouches through parties and gives backhanded compliments, her observations both witty and scathing: “It took me three years but I finally figured it out / I’m just too fun for him,” “’Cause even though we had a five year plan / I couldn’t stay with him another minute.” By the song’s riotous end, you’ll also have the conviction to kick such soul suckers to the curb.

23. Feather by Sabrina Carpenter: It’s rare that a bonus track from a deluxe edition from an album is the source of a pop artist’s ascent to stardom. Rare, but not impossible. Case and point: “Feather,” the floaty bonus track from the deluxe edition of Sabrina Carpenter’s fifth album emails I can’t send. A downy kiss-off about leaving an ex in the past, Carpenter dreamily narrates the steps to her ghosting process over a softly strut beat of key glissandos and memorable ad-libs. It’s the humorous side of “Feather” that makes it a notable hit in Carpenter’s catalogue, the touches of sarcasm cut through the sweetness and showcase her multifaceted charisma as a performer. That little chuckle she lets out as she says “I’m so sorry for your loss” is the stuff superstars are made of.

22. LEFT RIGHT by XG: There was a handful of weeks back in the spring where every iota of my brain space was taken up by XG. The global girl group broke through with videos of the group’s rappers adding their own verses onto iconic modern beats, (group leader Jurin’s verse over ROSALÍA’s “SAOKO” is a bop and a half.) In a departure from the bombastic samples and in-your-face performances of those videos, XG takes a subtler approach on “LEFT RIGHT,” an ebullient blend of R&B and pop that goes down easy but has the same insidious ability to get stuck in my head. The lyrics are goofy yet earnest enough to make up for it. This boy has the narrator’s heart “Spinnin’ round and round / Just like my Pirellis, burning on the ground.” When a love is so strong it can pull you any direction, you’ve got no choice but to kick into gear and let the vibes carry you away.

21. Hummingbird by Metro Boomin ft. James Blake: When I took my seat in the theater to watch Spiderman: Across the Spider-Verse, the second installment in Sony’s stunning animated superhero franchise, I knew the music was going to slap, (the needle drop for “What’s Up Danger” from the first movie is one of my all-time favorites.) While the soundtrack has many a banger, it was ultimately the tender hearted “Hummingbird” that I latched onto. James Blake lends his silky soft vocals to wistfully pine for a love that always remains just out of reach. Metro Boomin elevates the distance Blake describes with spacious and spacey production, dappled with piano and a chirpy sample of Patience & Prudence's "Tonight You Belong to Me." It’s a love song that spans time and space, across the Spider-Verse and well beyond.

20. Patty's Diner by Upstate: “Patty’s Diner” by Upstate came to me via a recommendation from a friend, (shoutout @bellamysgriffin) and I don’t know whether to thank or throttle her for it, because it’s one of the most potent tearjerkers I’ve heard in recent memory. Upon my first listen, I found the song to be starkly understated, nothing but a plucked guitar and traded verses from both lead vocalists. The central character is Patty, a diner owner who passed away from cancer. Now, her memory lives on in late-night radio commercials and fading recollections of her kindness, all recounted with a melancholy shrug. In its staggering simplicity, “Patty’s Diner” captures something potent about the grief we hold for loved ones: it can come with a smile as well as tears. Take a page from Patty’s book and keep pushing forward. What else are we supposed to do?

19. There It Goes by Maisie Peters: On her sophomore album The Good Witch, Maisie Peters writes a lot about the breakup experience. A whole number of spunky kiss-offs from that record could’ve landed on this list, but as the autumn chill locked in for the final months of the year, I found myself more and more drawn to the album’s penultimate moment of reprieve. “There It Goes” shows Peters letting go of the relationship by pivoting towards self-improvement. Atop a warm strummed guitar groove, she lists off the steps to reconnecting with her friends and herself: going to yoga class, reading novels, stumbling through the streets of Stockholm. Much of The Good Witch focuses on the thunder of emotions which come from heartbreak. “There It Goes” is the calm after the storm. It demonstrates the much harder to describe but no less essential development that happens after growing apart: growing up.

18. Only Love Can Save Us Now by Kesha: On her latest album Gag Order, Kesha pivoted from the party anthems that put her on the map in favor of a sparer, darker sound. Then halfway through the album, “Only Love Can Save Us Now” swings in to prove that Kesha can still serve up a barn-burning banger if she wants, and thank god she does. On “Only Love Can Save Us Now,” Kesha unloads a list of unapologetic declarations over a typewriter-clack beat, each line wry and searing: “Yeah, I'm possessive / Maybe I'm possessed, bitch / Fuck yeah, I'm selfish / Shut up, eat your breakfast.” The chorus kicks in with a rollicking guitar, gospel choir, stomping drums, and jangly pianos which all lend a folksy intensity. “I don’t got no shame left,” Kesha sings in the song’s final moments, “Baby, that’s my freedom.” It’s a moment of deft catharsis on an album so heavily defined by what it holds back, a defiant invitation to exorcise your regrets and then invite your demons to come and join the dance party.

17. Mother Nature by MGMT: It’s been five years since MGMT’s last album Little Dark Age, and it feels like I’ve lived a whole lifetime since then. “Mother Nature,” the lead single off their fifth album Loss of Life, shows that MGMT have seemingly grown as much as I have. The song is warm and welcoming, built from sunshiny strummed guitars I’d usually expect from Alex G or Big Thief. But the stargazing, larger-than-life scope of the group’s past work remains, merging the mundane with the magical. “I wrote the fairytale on the midnight drive,” Andrew VanWyngarden sings in the song’s opening moments, “Wanting to know if I'm more than alive.” The rest of the song walks this line between enchantment and ennui, alluding to a greater darkness looming just beyond the horizon. The bridge makes a swing for the anthemic, describing a castle siege over scuzzy wails of distorted synth, a last swipe for hope “before the fantasy is cast into the fire.” I can’t wait to hear how “Mother Nature” fits into Loss of Life, but it’s a song that is determined to live life to the fullest, even in the most barren of landscapes.

16. brrr by Kim Petras: Over the past few years, Kim Petras has become one of the pop landscape’s most audacious players, knowing when to wallop her listeners with unrestrained discussions of sexuality and when to play it coy. She finds a perfect balance between these realms on “brrr.” Built off a beat of squelchy synths and throbbing bass, “brrr” is equal parts daring and alluring. Petras addresses a love interest who puts up thick walls of ice around their heart and makes it clear that she sees right through the charade. “I’m not one to be afraid,” she lilts teasingly on the pre-chorus. Instead of being put off, she buys in, the implication clear as she delivers the title line with a wink and a smirk: “...you think you’re so cold, brrr.” Leave it up to Petras to make even the iciest of imagery steamy as hell.

15. labour by Paris Paloma: It starts with a low male voice, way back in the mix, counting her in on four. Then, the storm clouds roll in. On social media, “labour” by Paris Paloma has been deemed an anthem of female rage, but unlike the immediate, memetic quality of its viral peers, “labour” understands that rage needs time to simmer before it explodes. Paloma airs out every grievance of how this women’s work batters us in body, mind, and spirit, ruthlessly recounting bursting capillaries, cracked skin, every bullshit archetype and patriarchy-serving expectation thrown our way. Paloma knows that at the end of the day, no amount of spectacle could hit harder than the all-too-simple truth at the song’s core: “It’s not an act of love if you make her / you make me do too much labour.” Her vocals layer and layer until the final chorus slams into you like a tidal wave of anger, and by the song's final moments, Paloma has made the narratives made to hold us back into something wholly her own.

14. Nymphs Finding the Head of Orpheus by Nicole Dollanganger: Of all the tales Nicole Dollanganger spins on her album Married In Mount Airy, “Nymphs Finding the Head of Orpheus” is by far one of the most elusive. Dollanganger offers up a foreboding atmosphere of feather-light strings and dark ambient reverb. The imagery centers on rebirth, the baptismal potential of a tepid pool, bodies reclaimed by nature. It has little to do with the gory bacchanal of the mythical moment in the title, but the insinuation remains, seeping in at the seams to suggest violence and regeneration as potentially interconnected. On an album so concerned with all the evils of men, perhaps the most terrifying thing of all is what lies beyond our standard perception of human actions, of nature locked in shadow. On "Nymphs Finding the Head of Orpheus," Dollanganger offers a glimpse of this disembodied face in the darkness, one we’ll never be able to truly know.

13. Sandrail Silhouette by Avalon Emerson: "Sandrail Silhouette" opens DJ Avalon Emerson's album & The Charm, reintroducing a new side of her craft. A departure from the electronic spin of her past work, the song feels organic yet gleaming, constructed of a move-and-shaker groove of rich strings, shuffleboard keys, and gloaming skids of bass. Emerson’s vocals waft over the landscape with the calming timbre of someone telling a bedtime story, stringing lyrics together like beads on a friendship bracelet. It’s an environment that’s easy to get lost in, so much so that it hit November before I even bothered to ask, what even is a "sandrail silhouette?" I have no clue, but it’s not so much about the words themselves as it is about the feelings they evoke, a wistful nostalgia that is aching yet hopeful. This feeling comes across in obtuse details (“Go ask a sequoia”) and stunning clarity alike (“Tell me I got more time / When all my friends are having daughters.”) Like the yearning for the past Emerson describes, my love for this song is hard to put into words. It’s easier to just sit back and let myself feel it.

12. WHAT A MAN by DEBBY FRIDAY: “WHAT A MAN” by DEBBY FRIDAY simply slams so fucking hard. I don’t know what else to say. From the very first listen I came to immediate conclusion that it slammed into oblivion and was one of my favorite songs of 2023. "WHAT A MAN" unfurls like an erotic noir thriller, all churning bass and musings on a love that’s slipped the narrator’s fingers. DEBBY FRIDAY’s lyrics are obtuse yet evocative, contributing to the seductive atmosphere: “I held a heart / It wasn’t mine / When he came looking / I wasn��t kind.” Stacks of escalating synths ratchet up the tension until all hell breaks loose on the back of a scorching electric guitar solo that’d make Andrew Lloyd Weber’s Phantom of the Opera jealous he didn’t come up with it first. It’s the kind of song that rips loose and is over all too fast, asking for forgiveness in the aftermath of ruin, and never, ever permission.

11. Top Dog by Magdalena Bay: Hands down the best pop song of the year to reference Laura Dern, a race that should by all means be a lot more competitive than it is. From its opening references to the actress, synth pop duo Magdalena Bay make it clear that this isn't a song where they're going to be taking themselves too seriously. Everything about "Top Dog" oozes lackadaisical confidence, all with a cheeky wink to the listener. Against a backdrop of strummed guitars, they pepper in samples of cameras snapping and, fittingly, dogs woofing. Not only that, but they also add in a healthy dose of aughts nostalgia with a synth palette that feels directly pulled from dial-up bleeps, Motorola ringtones, and 8-bit power-ups. Mica Tenenbaum’s vocals are a pitch-perfect balance of airy nonchalance and self-satisfaction, traversing through the goofy canine metaphors without once sounding like she’s forcing a punchline to land. It makes for a song that’s loopy, loping, and effortlessly fun.

10. Honey by Samia: It’s hard to pin down what makes the title track of Samia’s sophomore album so special. “Honey” is subtle yet anthemic, an ever-growing conviction coming into fruition over the song’s duration. “I’m not scared of sharks / I’m not scared to be naked / I’m not scared of anything,” Samia sings in the song’s opening moments, going on to narrate a continual climb towards self-confidence and determination. My favorite detail is the gradually growing backing chorus which appears and reappears with more intensity with each new iteration of the song’s main refrain. “It’s all honey,” Samia repeats, over and over at the song’s close. All the times I’ve listened to this song, and I still haven’t pinned down an exact meaning for that line, but maybe that’s the point. The nonchalance, the uncertainty, the acceptance that no matter where life takes us, it's sure to be sweet.

9. Welcome To My Island by Caroline Polachek: In the opening moment of Desire, I Want To Turn Into You, Caroline Polachek shows off the titanic potential of her voice, letting out a dexterous, breathtaking belt that warps and careens into the stratosphere. Even if the song was just comprised of its first thirty seconds, it’d probably still be on this list. But then, of course, there’s the rest of “Welcome To My Island,” a facetious introduction to the sonic space Caroline Polachek will go on to explore over the rest of the album. Over a glimmering, twitchy beat, Polachek half-raps, half-belts a series of pitches for her personal paradise of waving palm trees and placid oceans. On the song’s bridge, she gets more vulnerable, revealing the pathos amongst the phthalo blues: “I am my father’s daughter in the end,” she sings like she’s on the brink of tears, “no nothing’s gonna be the same again.” But when the groove snaps back over an outro of brassily tuned guitars and defiantly chanted “hey hey hey”s, it’s clear that Polachek’s island is worth booking an extended stay, self-doubt be damned.

8. bad idea right? by Olivia Rodrigo: “bad idea right?,” the second single on Olivia Rodrigo’s sophomore album GUTS, followed on the heels of operatic ballad “vampire” by not following it at all. Like the preceding sophomore single “deja vu,” it’s snarkier, wonkier, and (in my opinion,) way more engaging. While Rodrigo undeniably knows how to pen and pull off a dramatic power ballad, her comedic chops deserve recognition too. On “bad idea, right?” she chattily recounts a night of terrible decision making, tossing out hilarious, memorable one-liners at a dizzying rate: “…you're callin' my phone, you're all alone / And I'm sensing some undertones,” “I only see him as a friend / (The biggest lie I ever said,)” “I just tripped and fell into his bed.” The production ups the ante with a strutting bassline, ad-libs which drive every line home like Rodrigo’s inner monologue coming to life, and a squealing guitar solo in the song’s back end. " All in all, "bad idea right?" captures the tumultuous clownery that having a crush conjures up, self-aware embarrassment colliding with lovesick horniness that makes you look a wealth of poor choices the eye and brush it off with a “fuck it, it’s fine.”

7. Echolalia by Yves Tumor: Echolalia is baby babble, the sounds humans make when they don’t have a grasp on language, but still need to communicate some innate need. On their latest album Praise A Lord Who Chews, But Which Does Not Consume (Or, Simply, Hot Between World,) Yves Tumor taps into these primal urges, transmogrifying them to a cosmic level through the medium of phychedelic rock. Such is the case on slow burning second single “Echolalia,” a hazy whirlwind of devotion and desperation. “Looked up to god,” they sing in the first verse, “You looked so good.” Tumor’s voice stays in their husky lower register, gritted out with hushed intensity over an alluring blend of gleaming synths, burning bass, and heaving breaths. “The way I’m thinking, is this unnatural?” they inquire in the song’s final moments, then lay their hesitations to waste in the heat of the moment, “you look so magical." At its most intense, “Echoloalia” strips away the set dressing of pretty words and veneers, unveiling the desire, hunger, and everything that simmers just below the surface, begging to break free.

6. Casual by Chappell Roan: I’ve long bemoaned how many a great pop album has been brought to a screeching halt by a ballad haphazardly thrown in to make things more “emotional.” A pop artist holds genuine promise to me when they’re able to clear this hurdle and make an album’s slower moments just as compelling as the bops. I'm glad to announce that Chappell Roan pasts this test with “Casual,” a mid-album on her debut album The Rise and Fall Of A Midwest Princess. On "Casual," slower pace of the song provides space to let Roan's simmering frustrations with a one-sided situationship reach a breathtaking boiling point. Roan pines for something more official with a girl who insist on having “no connections,” pointing to front seat cunnilingus sessions and dinner dates with her maybe-belle’s parents as proof that they're much more than a casual fling. Eventually, Roan just can’t take it anymore. “I hate that I let this drag on so long,” she confesses at the top of her lungs, “you can go to hell.” It’s testament to Roan’s promise as an emergent pop force that she can establish compelling stakes which make the emotions of her ballads tangible, never skippable.

5. A&W by Lana Del Rey: I already gushed about “A&W” back in March for how it showcases Lana Del Rey’s versatility as a performer, her veracity as a lyricist, and her astuteness in curating her personal history. As the year progressed, “A&W” kept pulling me back into its tumultuous depths, trying to parse its meaning and always falling just a bit short. Over the course of the song’s two-part structure, Lana Del Rey deftly maps a trajectory from childhood innocence to reckoning with how the world will wolf women down without mercy, their physical bodies exploited as their humanity goes unseen. “It's not about havin' someone to love me anymore,” Del Rey states, “No, this is the experience of bein' an American whore.” Lana Del Rey has grappled with these themes of for her whole career, walking the line between nostalgic recollection and ironic deconstruction, but on “A&W” they sharpen into focus and hit both the heart and gut like never before. That switch up into the second half of the song still sends a chill down my spine every time it’s ushered in on the back of those skittering trap drums and roiling bass. “A&W” is everything that makes Lana Del Rey Lana Del Rey, it's alluring, eerie, it’s Venice, bitch, and it’s one of her best songs, period.

4. Boy's a Liar Pt. 2 by Pinkpantheress ft. Ice Spice: When I listen to “Boy’s a Liar Pt. 2” by Pinkpantheress featuring Ice Spice, I feel the popular music landscape shifting beneath my feet. A strange thought to have about a song that’s so pointedly small in scope. Even with the Ice Spice verse extending the length of “Boy’s a Liar,” the song just barely exceeds two minutes. Given such restrictions, the amount of detail both artists manage to cram in is nothing short of impressive. Pinkpantheress jam-packs the beat with bouncy synths and a drum pad which races like a fluttering pulse. Ice Spice spends most of her verse telling off the useless titular liar, but adds in a one-two punch of vulnerability near the end with a heartened confession: “…I don't sleep enough without you / And I can't eat enough without you / If you don't speak, does that mean we're through?” “Boy’s a Liar Pt. 2” is more than just a rare remix that exceeds the quality of the first installment. It’s the bona-fide hit of the TikTok generation that feels fully born of the app’s tendencies, it’s mile-a-minute pacing, nostalgic skew, casual intimacy, and brutal honesty all rolled up into an inescapable earworm. I’d take part three in a heartbeat.

3. Psychedelic Switch by Carly Rae Jepsen: Throughout her career, Canadian pop connoisseur Carly Rae Jepsen has captured love from all angles, rendered its scope of e•mo•tion in a slew of shades. “Psychedelic Switch” off her latest album The Loveliest Time shows her setting the disco ball to spin, covering the entire spectrum of light and color in one go. Over a pulsing, dance-floor ready beat, she swirls together metaphors with the precision of a gourmet mixologist, taking odds and ends of all things dreamy to capture the onset of a whirlwind romance. This love is like a psychedelic trip. It’s like lucid dreaming. It’s like meditating. It’s sunsets and paradise and coming home. It's the all-encompassing rush of euphoria that only pop music can capture. Jepsen finishes off the concoction with a dash of sighing violins, a twist of bass throbbing like a heartbeat, and a couple drops of reverb-washed ad-libs. Every one of Jepsen’s album cycles has the fan-favorite standout to add to her growing canon, and from the very first listen I knew “Psychedelic Switch” had cemented itself within her ranks of cult classics.

2. Not Strong Enough by boygenius: When Lucy Dacus, Phoebe Bridgers, and Julien Baker announced their first full-length project as the singer-songwriter supergroup boygenius, the record, (the record,) had the aura of something larger than life, a culmination of three generational talents celebrating their chemistry as collaborators. If there is any song on the album that captures this magic, it’s “Not Strong Enough,” a song which burst out of the gate sounding like an instant classic. “Not Strong Enough” chronicles the search for identity amidst uncertainty, the line “I don’t know why I am / The way I am” may just be its driving force. And boy does it drive, as the singers search for clues listening to The Cure while drag racing down canyon highways, skipping old exits, roving out in search of a meaning that may never materialize. This freedom and frustration culminate on the bridge, where Dacus’s mastery of vocal dynamics takes center stage. “Always an angel / Never a god,” she sings, starting off with a whiff of timidity before escalating to belt it up to the heavens, backed up with stunning harmonies from her peers. An angel may only ever be second-best, only ever identified through its relation to a higher power, but that just makes the journey towards self-actualization more transcendent.

1. Sepsis by Blondshell: For the longest time, I was determined to put any other song but “Sepsis” at the number one spot on this list. Initially, my pick from Blondshell’s self-titled debut was “Kiss City,” an amazing song, but sadly not the one I played over and over, screaming along because the lyrics hit too damn close to home. Much of Blondshell grapples with addiction, and on “Sepsis,” Sabrina Teitelbaum explores how the validation one gets through situational flings is one hell of a drug. Atop the ebb and flow of electric guitar, she interrogates the tendency to keep returning to a man she should be avoiding, a dick with a front-facing cap who’s bad in bed. Still, she keeps coming back, pissed therapist be damned, because “if I’m in love, nothing hurts.” Teitelbaum hones these observations through the metaphor of curing ailments and fast-acting sickness, “he’s going to start infecting my life / it’ll hit all at once like sepsis.” It’s a metaphor which exposes how self-destructive these habits are. “What if I’m down to let this kills me?” she howls at the apex of the bridge before, the sentence slurring into a frustrated scream as the entire song tumbles back into a cavalcade of fiery chords. If there’s anything “Sepsis” and my relationship to it proves, it’s that confronting these unhealthy habits is difficult, but essential. Sometimes, you’ve got to recognize that these coping mechanisms aren’t a “cure” and are only “making it worse.” It’s only then that true healing can begin.

Thank you so much to anyone who has interacted with this blog over the past year. I hope you all are having a happy holiday season!. My top 10 albums list should be out soon. See you then!

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my-lady-macbeth · 6 months

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step in, the bells invite you!

Here’s a knocking indeed! If a man were porter of hell-gate, he should have old turning the key.

welcome to the murky depths of my blog

ABOUT ME

my name is thea

my pronouns are they/she (pronoun page here)

i'm an aries ♈︎ sun, taurus ♉︎ moon and cancer ♋︎ rising

i'm lesbian as fuck

i'm a minor (people who are 18+ can follow just don't be a creep)

infp, 4w5

xgirlidiotx as a tribute to xboygeniusx !!

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I love music (spotify here) and if you stick around you'll probably see a lot of me obsessing over boygenius. other artists I like include big thief, adrianne lenker, fiona apple, clairo, mitski, ethel cain, florence and the machine, muna, the cure, tori amos, hozier, the japanese house, girl in red, elliott smith, the last dinner party, weyes blood, better oblivion community center, the smiths, japanese breakfast and more !! (please please follow me on spotify I make the most scrumptious playlists)

I also love writing !! does that mean I'll ever post my own work on here... probably not... but I have to say it so my lovely writing mutuals know how very much I appreciate their work and their bravery to send it out like a paper aeroplane into the big scary internet

talking of writing... I have a metaphor obsession (tm). I love love love symbolism and religious imagery and motifs and the like to an unhealthy extent. for that reason you will frequently find me englishteacherposting

I also post a lot about (usually queer) media and art and my own all-consuming thoughts regarding this (whether it's literature, art, film, theatre... it doesn't matter, I'll let the obsession eat me alive)

other stuff I like: walking, stormy weather, killing eve, lavender, spicy food, shakespeare, candles, jeannette winterson, cheesecake, writing excessively long paragraphs, tarot, acting, autumn, cooking, journalling, ornate daggers, chai, women, evil women, listening to the same album until I feel sick, portrait of a lady on fire, ghosts in art

other stuff I love: you. thank you for being here

TAGS

#girlidioting <----- my textposts

#englishteacherposting <----- me acting like an english teacher

#whatever queue want <----- for queued posts

#beloved mutuals <----- for my mutuals

TALK TO ME

my ask box is always always open

as are my dms

as lucy dacus once said: talk to me until your words run dry

if we're close you can ask for my instagram

no DNI outside of the obvious (bigoted people and creeps will be blocked)

that is all, now safe travels!!

#intro post #girlidioting

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robin-writes-and-such · 4 months

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Thought I’d do a short blog intro!!

HELLO NEW PEOPLE!!

This is a long post

Hello! I go by Robin online ^^

Im a minor so don’t be weird

E/INFP-T (ambivert)

I’m bilingual! (English and French)

I don’t label my gender, but I am trans, my pronouns are they/them and I’m a demiromantic lesbian

Things I commonly use when typing:

Emoticons, tone indicators, italicized text, cutting myself off with a dash, ‘lmao’, keyboard smash, ‘real’, ‘fam’, the terms dude, bro, and man, these specific emojis- 💀🫠😭👏✨🤷‍♂️😔😟😎👍👀💪🙏😡🤯😈

I post a bunch of stuff on this blog; mainly poetry, art, my thoughts on stuff and reblogs

I’m in a bunch of fandoms but the ones that are currently most prominent are the Rockabye Musical, EPIC the musical, Les Mis, Adventure Time, Dunmeshi, MLP, TOH and Pokémon

You’re free to make fanart of my ocs as long as it’s SFW, not gorey, and not traced or stolen!

Here are some favourites!

Musical artists/bands: James Marriott, Lovejoy, Phoebe Bridgers, boygenius, Frankie Cosmos, Hozier, Mitski, Leith Ross, Tame Impala

Albums/eps: Bitter Tongues, Pebble Brain, Punisher, Are We There Yet?, the record, folklore, Fine Line, Copycat Killer, Trick, Be the Cowboy, Laurel Hell, The Land Is Inhospitable and So are We, Currents

Colours: bright orange, yellowy green, magenta, pink

Drinks: Orange pekoe tea with sugar and milk, mango smoothies

Foods: grilled cheese, burnt popcorn, dill pickles

Movies: Les Misérables, Mean Girls, Puss In Boots: The Last Wish, Spider-Man: into the Spider-verse, Sing Street, Whip It, Nimona

Shows: The Owl House, Wednesday, Percy Jackson, Blue Eye Samurai, Dungeon Meshi, Fionna and Cake (and yes, Adventure Time), Bluey, Handmaid’s tale, My Little Pony

Misc: bright colours, lights, writing, fun clothing, drawing, playing guitar and piano, singing, figurines, stuffed animals, the smell of freshly washed blankets, decorating, painting, makeup, musical theatre, english class, roller skating, archaeology, science

Top 10 favourite songs of all time

Nothing Matters- The Last Dinner Party

Model Buses- Lovejoy

Where has everyone gone?- James Marriott

One day more- Les Misérables

Not Strong Enough- boygenius

Kyoto- Phoebe bridgers

Touch Tone Telephone- Lemon Demon

It’s All Futile! It’s All Pointless!- Lovejoy

Chicago- Sufjan Stevens

Love Song- Beach Bunny

Dislikes:

Any sort of discrimination really, strong smells, passive aggressiveness, unwarranted hate towards fandoms, miscommunication trope, sweet potato, country music, hockey

I’m just here to have some fun and be silly!! This post will probably get updated quite a bit lmao-

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bigbumder96 · 19 days

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account introduction thing!!!??

ngl i feel a bit goofy doing this🙁forgive me if this is weird, im used to getting attacked on tiktok for literally nothing (i rarely use tumblr)

general:

name: darcie

age: im a minor😭

gender: girl (she/her :3 )

sexuality: lesbian

from/live in: england

interests:

tv shows:

- the inbetweeners

- white gold

- station 19 (still have to catch up on the latest episode lmao

- 9-1-1 (also still have to catch up one episode😭)

- fresh meat

- ted lasso

- heartbreak high (not that anyone asked but ant is my fav im praying they explore his character a bit more in season three)

- friday night dinner

- this country

- call the midwife

- ackley bridge

- baby reindeer (i wouldnt exactly call it an interest, but i watched this show last week😭)

- phoenix rise

- moment of eighteen (a k-drama btw!!)

- move to heaven (also a k-drama!!)

- there she goes

- benidorm

- skins (only gen 2 tho im afraid😞)

- the inBESTigators (dont judge lmfao😭😭😭)

- little lunch (i cant theyre js both such good shows)

- dodo (a cartoon)

- taskmaster (only season eight tho for the icon joe thomas‼️)

im currently watching derry girls atm !!

films:

- the shawshank redemption

- the green mile

- goodbye charlie bright (my absolute fav omg)

- the business

- the football factory (theyre making the sequel to this at my school im so happy i love nick love films😍i didnt see nick love himself tho💔)

- good will hunting

- bohemian rhapsody

- dead mans shoes

- ferris buellers day off

- harry brown

- little miss sunshine

- the inbetweeners movie

- the inbetweeners 2

- white chicks

- the basketball diaries

- mid90s

- spiderman: into the spider-verse

- spiderman: across the spider-verse

music:

- alex g (fav song: too many to put here, but if i had to pick then prolly the whole race, trick, and rules album😭)

- tv girl (fav song: better in the dark, louise, and daughter of a cop)

- the fratellis (fav song: i honestly dk, i havent gotten that much into them yet😣i js listened to one of their albums and played fifa)

- the killers (fav song: read my mind and andy youre a star)

- the smiths (fav song: girl afraid, bigmouth strikes again, and this night has opened my eyes. guys i swr i liked them songs before they got popular im acc rly annoyed at the tiktofication of bigmouth strikes again and this night has opened my eyes😣)

- queen (fav song: spread your wings and long away)

- the stone roses (fav song: i wanna be adored and made of stone. basic i know😣😣)

- the jam (fav song: down in the tube station at midnight and man in the corner shop)

- oasis (live forever. icba to type ‘fav song’ anymore😭)

- mac the knife (here to stay)

- mitski (why didnt you stop me, goodbye my danish sweetheart, me and my husband, your best american girl, once more to see you, etcetera…)

extras:

- im into football and i am a big arsenal fan !!!! my fav player is def martin ødegaard, and i may or may not be one of those deluded emile smith-rowe fans who think that hes gonna have a huge comeback and be like he was two seasons ago🤫🤫🤫

- i like webtoons! my fav is jacksons diary, closely followed by crystal city killers😱

- in year seven my drama teacher made us watch a play (on the screen, not irl) called slowtime but we didnt get to finish it💔my teacher spoiled the ending but i didnt care and tracked down the rest of that video bcs slowtime is such a good play i love everything abt it😍

- last year i was obsessed with this book series called football academy (written by tom palmer) and it was genuinely so good but there was nobody myp age cuz it was for kids💔i dont rly read them anymore, but the interest is still there if someone by chance has read them please contact me and have a conversation with me about it🙏🙏🙏

i apologise as this was very long, and i probably wont even post that much😭 sorry for the yapping tho🙏🙏🙏

#introduction!#what else do i put here #erm anyways #brighton imagine how funny ut would be if u played like REALLY good and beat man city lmao #like just inagine how funny that would be

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coolmusiccentral · 4 months

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Top 40 Albums of 2023

We say goodbye to 2023 with 40 of the best albums we've listened to in the last year, a list topped by Fever Ray's amazing third album "Radical Romantics", another close encounter with Karin Dreijer's extraterrestrial electropop project. Our top 5 albums of the year also include Yo La Tengo's "This Stupid World", one of their best efforts in an amazing career that's nearing its 40th anniversary, Protomartyr's sixth album "Formal Growth in the Desert", another post punk masterclass, and the two excellent albums that newcomers Bar Italia offered us in the year ("Tracey Denim" and "The Twits"), combining a hard work ethic with great talent.

Here are our Top 40 Albums of 2023 based on what we've listened to so far, plus a few others that stood out. This list will be updated in the near future as there are certainly more good albums out there that we are yet to discover and will be posted in its final form in Cool Music Database as usual.

Top 40 Albums

Radical romantics - FEVER RAY

This stupid world - YO LA TENGO

Formal growth in the desert - PROTOMARTYR

Tracey denim / The twits - BAR ITALIA

Rat saw God - WEDNESDAY

The record - BOYGENIUS

First two pages of Frankenstein / Laugh track - THE NATIONAL

I've seen a way - MANDY, INDIANA

Everyone's crushed - WATER FROM YOUR EYES

I inside the old year dying - PJ HARVEY

Everything is alive - SLOWDIVE

The beggar - SWANS

Sit down for dinner - BLONDE REDHEAD

Stereo mind game - DAUGHTER

O monolith - SQUID

Shook - ALGIERS

The ballad of Darren - BLUR

Javelin - SUFJAN STEVENS

Cacti - BILLY NOMATES

UK grim - SLEAFORD MODS

Medicine - GOAT

The death of Randy Fitzsimmons - THE HIVES

Plastic eternity - MUDHONEY

In times new roman - QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE

I don't want you anymore - CHERRY GLAZERR

Bobbie - PIP BLOM

Food for worms - SHAME

Gigi's recovery - THE MURDER CAPITAL

Breaking the balls of history - QUASI

Careful of your keepers - THIS IS THE KIT

Clear pond road - KRISTIN HERSH

Islands in the sky - DEATH VALLEY GIRLS

The land is inhospitable and so are we - MITSKI

Chaos for the fly - GRIAN CHATTEN

Weathervanes - JASON ISBELL AND THE 400 UNIT

Mommy - BE YOUR OWN PET

God games - THE KILLS

Bless this mess - U.S. GIRLS

Time's arrow - LADYTRON

Mid air - ROMY

Also recommended: Isn't it now? - ANIMAL COLLECTIVE, All her plans - CABLE TIES, The price of progress - THE HOLD STEADY, On grace & dignity - THE GOLDEN DREGS, Bird machine - SPARKLEHORSE, Cat Power Sings Dylan: The 1966 Royal Albert Hall concert - CAT POWER, Brain worms - RVG, House Of All - HOUSE OF ALL, Sea of mirrors - THE CORAL, I thought I was better than you - BAXTER DURY, Rabbit rabbit - SPEEDY ORTIZ, Formentera II - METRIC, The candle and the flame - ROBERT FORSTER, Strange disciple - NATION OF LANGUAGE, Dead meat - THE TUBS, New York City - THE MEN, Continue as a guest - THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS, Blondshell - BLONDSHELL, Several songs about fire - A SAVAGE, Cousin - WILCO, The future is your past - THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE, Land of sleeper - PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS, Expired candy - BODY TYPE, The last rotation of earth - BC CAMPLIGHT, Nowhere to go but up / Welshpool frillies / La La Land - GUIDED BY VOICES

#best of 2023 #best albums #2023 #top albums 2023 #fever ray #yo la tengo #protomartyr #bar italia #Spotify

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zoocoup · 4 months

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2023 Favorites with Notes

2023 Favorite LPs & EPs https://www.zoocoup.org/2023/music/lps.html

2023 Favorite Singles https://www.zoocoup.org/2023/music/singles.html

A few notes:

The A Giant Dog record was simply the one record I not only listened to a lot but also the one that would constantly earworm itself into my brain randomly, so I didn't see how I couldn't place it at the top of the list. I've loved the past few A Giant Dog records, but I still don't know how I like something that has so much theater kid energy.

Esther Rose, Yazmin Lacey, Glyders, This is the Kit, The Tubs, Andrew Gabbard, Stress Positions, Lael Neal, Miss Grit, CHERISE, Chief Adjuah, Bruxa Maria, Cel Ray, Cerbère, Dead Sea Apes, Dream Version, Gueersh, Hairband, La Culpa and Uni Boys were entirely new to me

I've liked several Mitski songs in the past, but this was the first full record I felt compelled to buy

The last three songs of the Bully record are undefeated

PACKS was a band I found on accident a few years ago — their first record was included in a shipping mixup — and I continue to be impressed with them

In my head I argue The Armed is basically Steely Dan for the 21st century

Girl Ray's first record was one of my favorite records of 2017, but I skipped the follow up. Pleasantly surprised to see how much I enjoyed this latest release

I played the three EPs I called out more than some records this year

I wish julie would release a proper record

Happy to see Bosque Brown and Las Nubes return with something new after a few years away

2023 Numbers:

Albums & EPs purchased: 194

Singles purchased: 96

Releases that came close to making one of the lists:

Bees Made Honey in the Vein Tree / Aion

“Bicho Solto“ / Lê Almeida

Blonde Redhead / Sit Down for Dinner

“Bullet” / split system

Cat Power / Cat Power Sings Dylan: The 1966 Royal Albert Hall Concert

Catalogue / MODERN DELUSION

Class Traitor / Broken Energy Highway

“Defect“ / Snooper

El Michels Affair & Black Thought / Glorius Game

“Evil Eye” Shana Cleveland

Gaadge / Somewhere Down Below

“glow worms” / Jonah Yano

Goo / Squid Ink Sky

PJ Harvey / I Inside the Old Year Dying

Kyle Kinane / Shocks and Struts

La Sécurité / Stay Safe!

Leggy / Dramatica

Jenny Lewis / Joy'All

Liela Moss / Internal Working Model

“My Lovely Cat! / Deerhoof

“Nothing in the Middle” / Things That Fly

“Read the Room” / Pearl & The Oysters

“Ruth's Mouth“ / RITUAL / HABIT / CEREMONY

Sky Furrows / Reflect and Oppose

Skyzoo / The Mind of a Saint

Trevor Sloan / Dusk Among the Plum Trees

“So U Kno“ / Overmono

“Springtime” / Vintage Crop

Swans / The Beggar

Sweeping Promises / Good Living Is Coming For You

Tanukichan / GIZMO

Tele Novella / Poet's Tooth

Mo Troper / Troper Sings Brion

WALLOWING / EARTH REAPER

“The Way“ / Nighttime

#music #2023

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dislocatedskeleton · 5 months

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MY TOP 100 ALBUMS OF 2023

100. André 3000 - New Blue Sun

99. PinkPanthress - Heaven Knows

98. Blonde Redhead - Sit Down For Dinner

97. Louise Post - Sleepwalker

96. Slowdive - everything is alive

95. Mitski - The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We

94. Juan Wauters - Wandering Rebel

93. Jenny Lewis - Joy’All

92. Devendra Banhart - Flying Wig

91. Vagabon - Sorry I Haven’t Called

90. Claud - Supermodels

89. BETWEEN FRIENDS - I Love My Girl, She’s My Boy

88. Rêve - Saturn Return

87. Barry Can’t Swim - When Will We Land?

86. Laufey - Bewitched

85. Poolside - Blame It All On Love

84. Melanie Martinez - PORTALS

83. KAYTRAMINÉ - KAYTRAMINÉ

82. Kim Petras - Feed The Beast

81. Slayyyter - STARFUCKER

80. Sufjan Stevens - Javelin

79. Sid Sriram - Sidharth

78. RAYE - My 21st Century Blues

77. Maxo - Debbie’s Son

76. Navy Blue - Ways Of Knowing

75. Bad Bunny - nadie sabe lo que va a pasar mañana

74. Cleo Sol - Heaven

73. Kiana Ledé - Grudges

72. deem spencer - adultSW!M

71. Mick Jenkins - The Patience

70. Earl Sweatshirt/The Alchemist - VOIR DIRE

69. Amaarae - Fountain Baby

68. Beach Fossils - Bunny

67. Blue Mena - Multi Adolescence

66. The Drums - Jonny

65. Indigo De Souza - All Of This Will End

64. The National - First Two Pages Of Frankenstein

63. The Kills - God Games

62. James Blake - Playing Robots Into Heaven

61. Little Dragon - Slugs Of Love

60. Yves Tumor - Praise A Lord Who Chews…

59. Lapsley - Cautionary Tales Of Youth

58. Unknown Mortal Orchestra - V

57. Adi Oasis - Lotus Glow

56. Pale Jay - Bewilderment

55. Olivia Dean - Messy

54. October London - The Rebirth Of Marvin

53. Jamila Woods - Water Made Us

52. Leon Thomas - Electric Dusk

51. NEIL FRANCES - It’s All A Bit Fuzzy

50. Fever Ray - Radical Romantics

49. Disclosure - Alchemy

48. Arlo Parks - My Soft Machine

47. Cautious Clay - KARPEH

46. Jorja Smith - falling or flying

45. BLK ODYSSY - DIAMONDS & FREAKS

44. Janelle Monáe - The Age Of Pleasure

43. El Michels Affair/Black Thought - Glorious Game

42. Miley Cyrus - Endless Summer Vacation

41. Joesef - Permanent Damage

40. Eartheater - Powders

39. SG Lewis - AudioLust & HigherLove

38. Lucinda Chua - YIAN

37. Lil Yachty - Let’s Start Here.

36. Chappell Roan - The Rise and Fall Of A Midwest Princess

35. Sampha - Lahai

34. Jessie Ware - That! Feels Good!

33. SBTRKT - THE RAT ROAD

32. Kylie Minogue - Tension

31. Masego - Masego

30. Reneé Rapp - Snow Angel

29. CARRTOONS - Saturday Night

28. The Japanese House - In The End It Always Does

27. Jungle - Volcano

26. Christine & The Queens - PARANOÏA, ANGELS, TRUE LOVE

25. Oneohtrix Point Never - Again

24. Yaeji - With A Hammer

23. Yeek - Future Reference

22. yeule - softscars

21. Wakai - Some People Scream, Some People Talk

20. Blondshell - Blondshell

19. Yazmin Lacey - Voice Notes

18. Youth Lagoon - Heaven Is A Junkyard

17. Victoria Monet - JAGUAR II

16. Doja Cat - Scarlet

15. billy woods/Kenny Segal - Maps

14. B. Cool-Aid/Pink Siifu/Ahwlee - Leather Blvd.

13. Romy - Mid Air

12. Daniel Caeser - NEVER ENOUGH

11. Chiiild - Better Luck In The Next Life

10. Kelela - Raven

9. Kali Uchis - Red Moon In Venus

8. Beirut - Hadsel

7. Liv.e - Girl In The Half Pearl

6. Troye Sivan - Something To Give Each Other

5. boygenius - the record

4. King Krule - Space Heavy

3. Noname - Sundial

2. Speakers Corner Quartet - Further Out Than The Edge

1. Gotts Street Park - On The Inside

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beaniebaby · 8 months

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a half finished Red Bull, an empty pink lemonade disposable vape, Cinnabon, a 3 cheers CD and the new mitski album

this is so… girl dinner. add a bag of nacho cheese doritos and it’ll be the perfect offering

#anon #ask #ask game

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nontrivialproof · 2 years

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Tomorrow has the potential to be the best day ever and if it’s bad I’m going to kill myself. Just so everyone knows I’m keeping my expectations in check

#going to listen to the new mitski album buy lucy dacus tickets go to dinner/game with the girl and I am MANIFESTING that we're finally going #to kiss. this is what has to happen #raina.txt #suicide ment //

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dunedjarin · 3 years

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2020 in Review

I was tagged by @luzdelmundo, thank you so much for thinking of me and sharing your thoughts! :)

I’m tagging @macabrecowboy, @saucy-cake and @hollywoodn-t. Do it if you want, don’t if you don’t haha :) Either way, have a great 2021!

Rules: answer the questions about 2020 and tag some people to pass it on!

5 favourite films you watched in 2020:

Parasite

Full Metal Jacket

Jojo Rabbit

Wonder Woman 84

Ladybird

5 favourite tv shows you watched in 2020:

This year tv shows were the main coping mechanism and I’m not even sorry about it.

The Mandalorian – I love star wars so much and this is my favourite star wars thing ever

The Good Wife – it’s my favourite tv show ever and I watched it through for the third time this year :)

The Crown

Unorthodox

Derry Girls

5 favourite songs you listened to in 2020:

Motion Sickness – Phoebe Bridgers

Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings – Father John Misty

I Wish – Hayley Kiyoko

A Burning Hill – Mitski

Dancing in the Moonlight – Jubel

Top 5 albums of 2020:

Who Really Cares – TV Girl

Candid – Whitney

The Minds of 99 – The Minds of 99

i,i – Bon Iver

A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships – The 1975

Top 5 4 books you read in 2020:

I haven’t finished a single book this year lmao, but I did start reading a few. I’m a mess

The Secret History – Donna Tarte

100 Years of Solitude – Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Free Food for Millionaires – Min Jin Lee

(All the many, many books I read on queer theory for my thesis)

How did you spend your birthday this year?

Well, I went to an art museum with my boyfriend at the time, and then got pizza. It was fun but kinda sad to look back on now. Oh well, I saw some nice art and now I have a poster of one of the exhibits in my room lol

What was your most memorable day this year?

Annoyingly, it was the day I got dumped by my ex lmao. I remember every single thing that happened that day. It sucked, but in a way it’s nice to be able to look back on it and not feel hurt anymore. Chalk it down to experience!

What was your most memorable meal you had this year?

I’m not sure, but it was definitely nice and memorable to be able to keep having big dinners and lunches with my housemates this year. All 15 of us made dinner for everyone twice a week during lockdown and had easter and christmas parties together when we might otherwise gone elsewhere.

Did you find any new hobbies or interests in quarantine?

I got a lot more plants! And started embroidery again, though not that much. I did get a lot better at cooking too.

What was the last big event/thing you remember doing BC (before covid)?

Two of my friends decided to move to Portugal, and rented out our favourite club for a big goodbye party. It was amazing, we all got super drunk and had a really wonderful time. I miss them a lot and it’s nice to be able to look back on that night with all of my friends together.

5 good/positive things that happened to you in 2020:

I submitted my master’s thesis and finished school!!

I was in my first relationship, which was fun while it lasted and taught me a lot

I went to the west coast of denmark again, which is beautiful

I actually had a job (for a while at least) and money!

I came back to the UK twice this year, which I don’t usually do. I don’t admit it often but I really miss my mum when I’m in denmark, and coming back is always nice.

Biggest messages or lessons learnt from this year?

Things will be okay. Everything takes time and you can allow yourself to feel all the emotions that you need to, but one day you will wake up and feel ready to try again.

And what are you most looking forward to in 2021?

Less anxiety. Seeing friends and going places and not worrying about it all quite so much.

#it was so nice to be tagged ahhhhh #thank u #tagged #2020 in review

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beaververse2 · 2 years

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Black Hammer Mens Safety Boots Steel Toe Cap Shoes 66% Off £11 96 @ Amazon

Inspired by the children's classic story by Eric Carle, this green caterpillar costume with padded sections and brown felt legs is perfect for one- to eight-year-old kids. This week marks World Book Day, which has been designed to encourage children to read and develop a love for literature. But wouldn’t that be a lovely gift that somebody could maybe send me? And before I know it, I’m the face of Corby Trouser Press! They are useful because I find there is nothing nicer than a crisp crease on a trouser leg. Yes, it mainly involved a newsletter and a catalogue of some vintage CD recordings. black hammer shoes

Further that they are anti-static, no really skid, a grip is quite good and still although I have been taking them attacked to do multiple time the day, there has no the scratch on him.

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From cult classic to geek chic, we've taken on the best in the business to pair iconic design with stylish, comfortable, statement shoes. There’s an impact and compression resistant toe cap and high mid-sole anti-penetration that keeps your feet safe at all times. There’s a composite safety toe cap but the mid-sole is steel and you get plenty of protection where you most need it. The Goodyear GYSHU1503 are colourful safety trainers that come with anti-slip outsoles.

I Love High Heels But When Docs Revealed What They Really Did To My Feet I Was Horrified

You’ll also get excellent grip thanks to the moulded sole. The mesh and microfibre mean your feet get every chance to breathe, and they’re one of the most comfortable and cheap safety trainers on offer. At just 1.33 kg, the DeWalt Cutter safety shoes are about as lightweight and comfortable as it gets. With an antibacterial footbed, they’re a great solution if you want lightweight footwear that also has the extreme protection you need. These trainers stand up well to long-term use and are incredibly comfortable. The measure was the pocola main of my normal measure and some shoes were much more has weighed that has expected, as I have had to that send them behind. But a quality is there, see reason is better vendors . Has the habit to found any suitable for my work (metal and earth of registered with some acute bones. 5 stars for Qualities and when being a lot has done. Not softening calm so that it pulls them by means of some loops but ossia the subject smaller for me.

The Walking Dead, What If? And Modern Love

The picture has added with which 8 fray of month 'daily' in and out of a workshop. Like this well that a sale to go is still there and a stitching in touch - still some tips are hard! The thought that buys the pair for our edges those who has done the plot to build work for us recently. If you’re worried that it won’t be able to take the pressure like a steel toe cap, most reviews suggest that you don’t find much difference. L enjoyed the muted, Afro-tinged authenticity of “Level Up” and the conscious, pasty-girl reggae of “Business Dinners” and I loved the Robyn-esque rush of “Basic” (which sees her yearning to shed love’s complications). Sigrid has a raw energy and emotional briskness that can make you feel like you’re doing aerobics in neon leg warmers atop a pristine mountain. Melodies pour from Yanya, but also a restless energy, a quest for discovery in her experimental concoctions. While her guitar-driven songs at times suggest the sparse indie of The xx and King Krule or, elsewhere, Noughties-style grungey indie rock, there is also sultry soul, complete with saxophones and her undulating vocals. There were support slots on tour with The xx, Interpol and Mitski, plus other accolades, such as being longlisted for BBC Sound of 2018, and a signing to the independent New York label ATO. Now, her debut album Miss Universe confirms her as a strikingly versatile talent. The third is called the cement method which is very comfortable and light. Additional support from work boots is yet another factor to consider especially if you are a rigger. You need boots with metatarsal guards which are similar to safety toes but these protect a larger part of your feet. For loggers and railroad workers, boots with ankle and calf support are the best companions. However, this light pink floral print is perfect for spring. The design features bustier-like stitching on the bodice and a wrap-style skirt with a high slit for a sexier look. While florals aren’t exactly “groundbreaking” for spring, they’re romantic and popular for a reason. If you get a floral-patterned wedding guest dress, you can probably wear it again the following year to another event, and it will still be in style. Throw yourself into your stage outfit and open the doors to the EMP Backstage Club. In the Backstage Club you can get every order free of shipping costs - with no minimum order value. We also provide you with cool free items and exclusive competitions. Would have the 5 but for a lack of the tab in a backside to pull them on slips on and spend them free. Has bought these for work, until 11 turns of now in my feet. One a negative thing is, is not like this light as announced, 490 grams each, where has found the working shoes concealed has been in a @@@300s and any marketed as 'ultra-will read. Further that they are anti-static, no really skid, a grip is quite good and still although I have been taking them attacked to do multiple time the day, there has no the scratch on him. Lovely access , comfortable with anti the laces to slip so that it does not undo .

#black hammer shoes

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howveryheather · 3 years

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pandemic songs + self discovery

My Spotify Unwrapped for 2020 looked remarkably similar to every other year of my life recorded on the platform. The number one song, for what has to be at least four years running, is an ambient track from a video game that I listen to while I’m working. Most of my top musicians are a mix of film and television composers and Enya. This is true even in a pandemic. So many of my existing musical influences are still here to weather the many storms of life that are ahead — whether I am ready for them or not.

In every moment where I was not working, I was listening to a lot of music. Pouring over my Spotify, I’m able to see so many different moods and feelings. I have always kept one enormous playlist that lets me go back and know exactly what music I was listening at various moments in my life. Moments in time where the world felt like it had lost its balance, but music kept me grounded. Kept me thinking about the past, present, and future. The way I see it, the best is still yet to come for everyone. Better times are on their way. People I don’t yet know are coming into my life. Places I haven’t lived in yet will be here soon. And there will be even more songs that will define those moments in time for me.

I didn’t know the songs I’d be listening to during the pandemic and yet, here we are... with the music that defined this uncertain time in my corner of the world.

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“Say So” — Doja Cat

In the aftermath of getting knocked out with one of the worst flus of my life for a week this year, I spent the remainder of February desperately trying to regain my strength and sense of self. Little did I know that in March the entire world would change because of the coronavirus. This song feels like the last music video of our “normal” time. Nostalgic for roller skating rinks and hanging out with friends.

“Geyser” — Mitski

Have you ever heard a song that emotionally rocked you to the core so badly that you had to get into the fetal position and think afterwards? This one did it. Screaming while crawling and rolling around in the dirt is a real 2020 mood.

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“Too Late” — The Weeknd

The entire After Hours album, and the red suit character, is a real quarantine/lockdown mood if there ever was one. Abel can’t miss.

“The Chain” — Fleetwood Mac

Everyone else might have been on a Dreams kick, courtesy of the Ocean Spray skateboarder but I was all about The Chain.

“Me And You” — NERO

In the movie montage of your life, this is the song that plays to emphasize you’re a boss who can do anything. I stopped drinking for the better part of this year, which is pretty cool. Then I attempted the keto diet. That lasted for... less than 48 hours. The message is simple: I will just exercise instead of giving up carbs!

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“Ocean of Mine” — Kennedy One

Before I started paying for Spotify Premium, I was trapped in a world of endless commercials. Once in a great while, the streaming service would recommend music that I might like. Kennedy One’s Ocean of Mine was one of those recommendations. I listened to this while I had my first crown put on at the dentist. You know I love anything that sounds like the wind, the water, and the promise of the shore.

“Joan of Arc on the Dance Floor” — Aly & AJ

These sisters came through so many times in 2020! The Up All Night event on YouTube and the Viper Room streaming show made it feel like concerts had, in a slow but sure way, been able to make a return. Just in time to kiss 2020 goodbye we have an explicit version of Potential Breakup Song... MVPs!

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“Moscow Invitational 1968″ — Carlos Rafael Rivera

Many hours spent writing require a specific kind of soundtrack for staying in the zone. The moment I heard this score play during The Queen’s Gambit, I knew it was going to be part of my background noise whenever I’m working from this moment moving forward. It’s inspiring to listen to and helps me stay even more concentrated on the task at hand. Whatever challenges are ahead, I know I can reach them and keep leaping onward to the next hurdle and beyond.

“forget me too” — Machine Gun Kelly feat. Halsey

This is why we need concerts again: recreating a mosh pit feeling alone in your bedroom is simply not possible.

“Shine Ibiza Anthem 2019” — Paul van Dyk, Alex M.O.R.P.H.

In a pre-COVID world, I had plans to see Ultra 2020 in Miami. In a post-COVID, vaccinated world, I still have these plans for the future! I so look forward to the return of music festivals again, particularly those of the eat, sleep, rave, repeat variety.

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“Violence” — Grimes & i_o

This is my December song that will carry into January and beyond. I love, love, love it! (RIP Garrett Lockhart.)

As 2020 comes to a close, I have discovered some things about myself.

There were three times I cried, and I mean sobbed my eyes out, during this pandemic. The first was during the news of the initial lockdown. That was pure fear and confusion and chaos. The second was when I started to see news footage of miles-long lines of people waiting for food to feed their families. That was an aching sadness that I felt deep in my bones because a lot of people lost their jobs and had nowhere else to turn for food. And the third was when I heard Governor Newsom ordered 5,000 body bags for California. Hearing news like that makes it impossible to never un-hear it again. It’s the reality of how badly this virus has rampaged our country.

It really bothers me when I see people saying that they want normal again. I get the root of the desire which is that you’d like to enjoy a drink at the bar or have a dinner out or spend time with friends, etc. But there were a lot of problems with our normal world. Too many. To me, it feels like signaling that you’re okay with continuing to live in a society where so many people have to work multiple jobs to survive, the healthcare infrastructure is buckling, and the education system is completely fractured (among many other issues!).

What it seems, at least to me, is that people only want the aspects of normal that they were fortunate enough to receive but come at the expense of others. I suppose the best analogy is to consider the super rich. Once they exit their bunkers, they will want someone, likely paid on barely liveable wages, to make and serve them brunch. One can only hope this time has changed enough people to do and be better, but human nature is a fairly predictable beast. A number of people failed what I consider to be a basic human experiment and revealed seriously selfish true colors. I could rant about this topic for awhile — and believe me, I have THOUGHTS — but it’s too easy to dwell on bad news and opinions.

There was a lot of good, just news in the mix. Some of it made the news, some went under the radar, but it was still there and it’s still happening. Here’s a few links:

There has been an animal discovered by scientists (a jellyfish-like parasite) that does not need oxygen to survive.

CRISPR was injected into a live patient’s eyeball this year, to treat genetically-caused blindness.

PG&E plead guilty to 85 counts in the 2018 Camp Fire, the same fire that wiped out Paradise, California.

A Michigan jeweler named Johnny Perri buried $1 million of gold, silver, and diamonds for a real-life treasure hunt this summer.

Princess Beatrice and Edo Mapelli Mozzi had one of the prettiest, socially distanced weddings I’ve ever seen.

American Girl launched a new doll, Courtney, born in 1986. (They’re catching up to my age now!)

And the 2021 Super Bowl is inviting healthcare workers to attend the big game.

In the post-coronavirus “new normal” when I have been vaccinated, I know some aspects of my life will go back to their bubble. A lot will change though.

What I really want is to do is get involved, hands on, in the community again. I want to volunteer at local food banks, soup kitchens, and/or churches for a few hours each week, when possible. (I also have a thought surrounding the idea of making a whole bunch of travel-size feminine product care kits for women in need if this isn’t already happening...) And if I can’t physically be there, then I want to donate and offer support in other ways. I am not helpless. I am a helper, as Mr. Rogers would say, and I would like to be able to help out more and contribute to the well-being of others once it is safe to do so.

I hope people will find it inside of them to want to work together again and come together as a community. It means a lot of hard work and energy and time, but it’s gonna make our world a lot better — far beyond the normal one we left behind.

#personal #2020 #2021

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mixtake · 5 years

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2018 according to mixtake

A 11ª edição da coletânea do ano tem 120 faixas em 8 horas e 7 minutos de música! Espero que tu te divirta tanto com ela quanto eu me diverti fazendo. lml No fim do post tem os links para download, stream no Spotify e pras edições dos anos passados.

Artist : Song : Album  Albert Hammond Jr. : Set to Attack : Francis Trouble Alvvays : Echolalia : Pecking Order (Single) Arctic Monkeys : One Point Perspective : Tranquility Base Hotel +Casino Art Brut : Veronica Falls : Wham! Bang! Pow! Let's Rock Out! Ash : All That I Have Left : Islands Baxter Dury, Delilah Holliday, Etienne de Crécy : Only My Honesty Matters : B.E.D Beach House : Girl of the Year : 7 Beach Skulls : Come Undone : Las Dunas Belle & Sebastian : Everything Is Now (Part Two) : How To Solve Our Human Problems Belly : Girl : Dove Bixiga 70 : Quebra Cabeça : Quebra Cabeça Black Rebel Motorcycle Club : Echo : Wrong Creatures The Breeders : All Nerve : All Nerve The Brian Jonestown Massacre : Animal Wisdom : Something Else Brownout : I Don't Wanna Be Called Yo Ni**A : Fear of a Brown Planet Car Seat Headrest : Sober To Death : Twin Fantasy Cat Power : Stay : Wanderer Ceremony : Closer : East Coast The Charlatans : Totally Eclipsing : Totally Eclipsing EP Connan Mockasin : Charlotte's Thong : Jassbusters The Coral : Reaching Out for a Friend : Move Through the Dawn Courtney Barnett : Need A Little Time : Tell Me How You Really Feel The Cure : Shake Dog Shake (New Blood Mix 2018) : Mixed Up (Deluxe Edition) David Duchovny : Half Life : Every Third Thought Dean Wareham & Cheval Sombre : Greensboro Woman : Dean Wareham vs. Cheval Sombre Death Valley Girls : Disaster (Is What We're After) : Darkness Rains The Decemberists : Sucker’s Prayer : I'll Be Your Girl The Decemberists : Traveling On : Traveling On Devon Church : Curses : We Are Inextricable Dorias Baracca : Dean & Dane : Dorias Baracca E A Terra Nunca Me Pareceu Tão Distante : Daiane : Fundação Echo And The Bunnymen : How Far? : The Stars, The Oceans & The Moon Echo Ladies : Apart : Pink Noise Eels : Be Hurt : The Deconstruction Eleanor Friedberger : In Between Stars : Rebound Elli de Mon : Grinnin' In Your Face : Songs Of Mercy Elvis Costello & The Imposters : Dishonor the Stars : Look Now The Essex Green : January Says : Hardly Electronic Firefriend : Afterhours : Sulfur Gaz Coombes : Wounded Egos : World's Strongest Man The Good, The Bad & The Queen : Ribbons : Merrie Land Gorillaz : Magic City : The Now Now Gruff Rhys : Negative Vibes : Babelsberg Guided By Voices : Space Gun : Space Gun Interpol : Flight of Fancy : Marauder J Mascis : See You At The Movies : Elastic Days Jack White : Corporation : Boarding House Reach James : Coming Home (Pt.2) : Living In Extraordinary Times Jeff Tweedy : I Know What It's Like : Warm Jim James : Throwback : Uniform Distortion Jimi Hendrix : Mannish Boy : Both Sides of the Sky Johnny Marr : Rise : Call the Comet King Tuff : The Other : The Other Kristin Hersh : Breathe In : Possible Dust Clouds Kurt Vile : Rollin with the Flow : Bottle It In The KVB : Violet Noon : Only Now Forever L.A. Witch : Sleep : Octubre EP Laura Marling & Mike Lindsay : Rolling Thunder : LUMP The Love-Birds : Gerrit : In the Lover's Corner Luna & Cheval Sombre : Lonesome Cowboy Bill : Lonesome Cowboy Bill M. Ward : Shark : What a Wonderful Industry Malcolm Middleton : Love Is a Momentary Lapse in Self-Loathing : Bananas Manic Street Preachers : People Give In : Resistance Is Futile Marianne Faithfull : No Moon in Paris : Negative Capability Mark Kozelek : Sublime : Mark Kozelek Mark Lanegan And Duke Garwood : Cold Molly : Mescalito Mazzy Star : Quiet, The Winter Harbor : Still EP Melody's Echo Chamber : Breathe in, Breathe Out : Bon Voyage MGMT : Me and Michael : Little Dark Age Miles Kane/Jamie T : Killing The Joke : Coup De Grace Mitski : A Pearl : Be The Cowboy Morcheeba : Sweet L.A. : Blaze Away The National : Guest Room : Boxer: Live in Brussels The National Reserve : Big Bright Light : Motel La Grange Neil Young : The Losing End : Songs for Judy Neil Young + Promise of the Real : Peace Trail : Paradox (Original Music from the Film) Okkervil River : Famous Tracheotomies : In the Rainbow Rain Ovlov : Baby Alligator : Tru Papercuts : Sing to Me Candy : Parallel Universe Blues Parquet Courts : Freebird II : Wide Awaaaaake! Paul McCartney : People Want Peace : Egypt Station Paul Weller : Gravity : True Meanings Peter Bjorn and John : One for the Team : Darker Days Phosphorescent : C'est La Vie No.2 : C'est La Vie A Place to Bury Strangers : Was It Electric : Pinned (Brainwashing Machine Edition) The Prodigy : Light Up The Sky : No Tourists Richard Ashcroft : That's How Strong : Natural Rebel Rogerio Skylab : O Eco da Queda : O Rei do Cu Say Sue Me : Dreaming : It's Just a Short Walk! EP Say Sue Me : Let It Begin : Where We Were Together The Sea and Cake : Any Day : Any Day The Shins : So Now What (Flipped) : The Worms Heart The Sidekicks : Serpent in a Sun Drought : Happiness Hours Simon Love : I Fucking Love You : Sincerely, S. Love X The Smashing Pumpkins : Silvery Sometimes (Ghosts) : Shiny and Oh So Bright, vol. 1 LP: No Past. No Future. No Sun. Spiritualized : Damaged : And Nothing Hurt Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks : Middle America : Sparkle Hard Suede : Life Is Golden : The Blue Hour Sun Kil Moon : David Cassidy : This Is My Dinner Superchunk : Black Thread : What a Time to Be Alive Suuns : Watch You, Watch Me : Felt Tatá Aeroplano : Mil Almas De Gato : Alma de Gato Television Personalities : Have A Nice Day : Beautiful Despair Thalia Zedek Band : Of The Unknown : Fighting Season Thee Oh Sees : Enrique El Cobrador : Smote Reverser They Might Be Giants : I Left My Body : I Like Fun Tim Burgess : Inspired Again : As I Was Now Twin Shadow : Saturdays (feat. HAIM) : Caer Ty Segall : Every 1's a Winner : Freedom's Goblin Ty Segall : Isolation : Fudge Sandwich Unknown Mortal Orchestra : Ministry of Alienation : Sex & Food The Vaccines : Maybe (Luck of the Draw) : Combat Sports The Voidz : Leave It In My Dreams : Virtue Waxahatchee : You're Welcome : Great Thunder Will Oldham : Party with Marty (Abstract Blues) : Songs of Love and Horror William Fitzsimmons : Wait for Me : Mission Bell Wooden Shjips : Staring at the Sun : V. Wye Oak : Lifer : The Louder I Call, the Faster It Runs Wylderness : Broadcast : Wylderness Yo La Tengo : For You Too : There's A Riot Going On

DL ou ouça no spotify. Links para as edições passadas 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016

dez.2018

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youhatedspain · 7 years

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FEBRUARY

and so in a different branch in the same chain of english hard wood floor peeled wallpaper fake distressed decor pubs, I eat another vegan breakfast and write into another grease stained notebook. Twin and I flick between airline websites and Tripadvisor pages and stab at the calculators on our phones and decide on Marrakech. I watch a documentary, read a book and listen to a podcast about Minimalism then proceed to throw away half my things. It feels satisfying like i’m purging some undesirable part of myself contained in two-year-old suitcases and sagging khaki green sports bags, all lined up rejected in the corridor before we take them to the charity shop.

I develop a kind of cold / eye ache / migraine combination which erupts behind the skin of my face like something trying to get out into the other side of the world, but I have skin as a barrier so it stays underneath and gets hot behind my eyes and forehead.

Twelve days into February I go greasy haired and tired for a Sunday morning breakfast with my friends, then we walk along the beach and stop in the cafe for cups of black coffee. We drink hot chocolate in Fitz’s kitchen and talk about moving to Dublin one day.

The following weekend we take Jon’s new dog on a walk. The weather is February as you would write it in a film, grey and cold with fits and starts of rain. we walk through sand the colour and texture of toffee and past the blue wooden cafe selling fish and chips and over the bridge again. we drive to the carvery and each buy the meatless roast dinner for four pounds, sitting over an eruption of gravy flavoured steam and drinking from our half pints.

Afterwards, Jon and I decide to see Trainspotting 2. She washes the sand and mud out of her new dog’s hair then drives us to the new cinema that everyone is so excited about. It’s white and tall like a plastic church with effigies of actor’s smouldering faces on the walls in worship. three different American style restaurants, two Italians, and if you want chicken, there’s a restaurant specifically for that. the popcorn is pre-scooped into sad cardboard boxes, priced and slotted into a display case like jewellery. Jon says most of the reason she wants to go to the cinema anyway is so she can get Cinnamon Bun flavoured ice cream, and she asks the vendor for two scoops. The vendor I haven’t seen before, wonder if she’s someone they hired to fill up this massive space they’ve carved out in what used to be a car park. She’s smilier than the ones in the old cinema with a royal blue cap and matching shirt, like an upgraded model, Human 2.0. She smiles as I ask her for the tickets then grimaces as she tells us the screening is full. In the time it takes her to look up the screening and tell us that it is full Jon has finished her Cinnamon Bun flavour ice cream. I have a packet of Oreos and a packet of Ginger hob nobs in my bag, both of which I will end up giving to Louis later. It is twenty to eight. Jon drives me home. On the 22nd of the month I shove my laptop and a change of clothes into my handbag and get the train to Bristol for Madonna’s birthday. I spend the day at her new flat, then I borrow her girlfriend Sagg’s black velvet dress and the three of us go out. We drink cocktails and eat Mexican food and walk through the cold of Bristol to a cocktail bar which is very gently Magic themed. They make cocktails with steam coming out of them but I have never actually seen one of these because I always just get a margarita. We sit on a tall table and talk about the times we’ve laughed the hardest and the places we were. Tops of hills and pavements in Newcastle and family dinner tables. It’s so dark that it’s hard to actually see one another and I’ve only been in this bar when it’s been nearly empty. I’m sure on Saturday nights it fills up and the bartender who told me he can make a Mojito in thirty seconds will be exercising that skill next to the upside down rose gold cocktail shakers and decorative black skulls, but without the people and the noise, the hollow Tuesday of it shows up the diamond shaped buttons on the purple cushioned chairs like a kind of bright light. Out into the cold of Bristol again. Cash machines. Tesco. Laughing next to a display of R&B compilation albums.

We sit up in the living room with a bottle of prosecco and a packet of crisps and I write five different notices for them to stick in their new neighbour’s pigeon holes about the party they are having on Saturday. The next morning we go out for breakfast, scrambled tofu and a pile of mushrooms and something called Golden Milk. A homeless man sits behind us, six different plastic bags around his feet like pets. I’m hungover for the first time in a while. Madonna and Sagg walk me to the train station and on the train I nearly fall asleep to the lull of passing countryside.

Louis and I phone ahead to a pub who we think has a vegan option but we’re not sure, and the slow voiced bartender on the other end of the phone tells me he can make one up for us especially. Louis gets one of his pieces of art printed professionally on glossy paper and we admire it before we drive out to the pub. I tell the slow voiced bartender we’re the annoying vegans who called ahead and he smiles and shows us to a table. There are ornamental bird cages hanging from the ceiling with different decorative objects in each of them. One of them has an iron, another a boot, another a dog. I ask Louis if he thinks they are trying to recreate the Monopoly pieces. I can only eat half of my vegan pie because it is double the size of my face; i feel bad and leave a big tip.

Later that day we walk Louis’ dogs in the rain and have a conversation about La La Land, like everyone is. Clearly I thought it was worth mentioning it here because next to a bullet point in my notebook I’ve written ‘La La Land’, but I can’t remember what we said, except that it was not traditional, not untraditional, but Hyper-Traditional, it’s traditionality a costume like Emma Stone’s yellow dress and tap shoes.

Bat and I were going to read along with The Banging Book Club but decide to make our own instead, picking six books each so we can read one every month for a year. Bat picks Carol as our first book, which I’ve been wanting to read ever since I saw the film, and I shove the words from the book into my brain on buses, in bed and on couches until I know the difference between those two things, the film and the book, page and screen, Rooney Mara and Therese Belivet.

This month I’ve enjoyed

READING

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows

Carol (or ‘The Price of Salt’) by Patricia Highsmith - (BOOK CLUB)

Autumn by Ali Smith

LISTENING TO

Music

Gorillaz (Plastic Beach)

Santigold

Mitski

Cherry Glazerr