May Playlist
- Nikki Javadi
- Jun 4
- 6 min read
Guys guys helloooooo!!!!!
I’ve set aside my over-sweetened earl grey tea to get to WORK on putting hand to keyboard and writing out May’s playlist for you all. My blue light glasses are on, and my under-eye patches from the Grocery Outlet are dried out after ten minutes… just as God intended. (Keke Palmer voice) Let’s get into it.
I love this month’s playlist. I listened to soooo many good songs. As always, there’s old and new, there’s so many genres, it was such a lovely month of music. I had to get chatty!
Without further ado:
Walkin’ After Midnight by Patsy Cline ~ This is one of my favorite songs of all time. The melancholic yearning, the maladaptive daydreaming, the steel guitar, Patsy’s perfect voice. This is the peak of country pop music.
Game On (Ft. JT) by Little Simz ~ I’ve long enjoyed Little Simz, and am fairly new to JT! I love the dark / sexy / night drive production, and love JT’s verse.
Crush On You (ft. Lil’ Cease) by Lil Kim ~ Love the cheekiness of this Lil Kim classssic. Also love that it led to Mariah Carey’s 2018 track “A No No”. Addicted to the “truuuue”. This song makes me wanna hitch a ride in a lowrider through Highland Park.
I Believe in Ghosts by Kacey Musgraves ~ Y’all can’t get me started on this. One of my new favorite ever Kacey songs. Melody? Perfect. Delivery? Perfect!! “That’s how it is, yeah” YEAH!!! Kacey country kinda swag. (If a voice that sweet can be considered swaggy)
Uncertain, TX (ft. Willie Neslon) by Kacey Musgraves ~ I know I was raving about the melody on the previous Kacey track, but the truth is this whole album is chock full of them. This song is also amazing. Cow bellin’, accordion playin’, and Mexican music influenced banger. Plus Uncertain, TX is a real place, sorry to you folk (or you’re welcome for becoming famous?)
It Gets So Hot by MUNA ~ Love the way Katie’s voices blends into the sweaty, staccato production in the opening third of the song, and then how it briefly breaks out of the sonic crowd into clarity in the second third, only to melt back into it as the beat breaks down towards the end. Much like a hot night at a club, rave, party, dancing, locking eyes with a lover, giving into the music again. Could this also be MUNA’s subtle political reference to the rising global temperatures?
Big Stick by MUNA ~ ‘Cause they’re getting political on this record. I appreciate this song, it’s like if We Didn’t Start the Fire actually said something? I like the way it goes from influencers selling bullshit to government selling bullshit. A little on the nose but honestly I think a lot of people need stuff spelled out for them… Readers, feel free to send more angry gay music my way!
A Thousand Steps by Elori Saxl & Henry Solomon ~ I am a sucker for horns with dissonance. My plan is to put this song in a movie, like, asap.
DBM by Lara Sarkissian ~ Haunting & headbangy at the same time, plus makes use of organic instrumentation in a cool way. Need I say more?
You’re My by Arima Ederra ~ Ummmm? Does everyone know about Arima Ederra? From Atlanta, signed to RCA, I think she needs to be really famous. This gorgeous, bright, emotive voice? “You’re My” is bedroom pop meets doo wop meets indie fuzz. A real treasure to stumble upon last month. I’ll be tuned in to whatever she makes from here on out.
Terrapin by Clairo ~ Speaking of a bedroom pop girlie… I obviously had to pay a visit to my girl Clairo and her perfect album Charm as the weather warms.
Geeksqaw!!!! by Kaicrewsade (ft. Amindi) ~ Lush track, super pleasant on the ears, feels very true to its Chicago roots. Interested to see how these artists develop!
Little Time by Emily Bjorke ~ Ugh, this song is SO endearing, just summertime crush dreamy. Makes me feel like I’m in middle school, fingers twirled in hair, bounce in my damn step! Love how the instruments sound in the mix, and all the lovely vocal layers + adlibs. Excited to hear Emily’s debut record later this year.
the cure by Olivia Rodrigo ~ Olivia Rodrigo is so special. I kinda feel like an older cousin watching her grow up and evolve her sound and come into herself more fully as an artist. I love how she sings on this song… the light, airy, restrained vocals devolving to full belt, release. The composition is expertly built. Can’t wait to listen to this song in context of the full album.
Don’t Think Twice by Waylon Jennings ~ This has always been one of my favorite Bob Dylan songs, and Waylon’s cover absolutely delights me. Alright, outlaw country!!!
Knew Better Part Two by Ariana Grande ~ If you know you know… getting an official release of this a decade later turned into a brief, nostalgic hyperfixation for me. By the way — Ari putting out stuff like this on her Soundcloud (in addition to years of album cuts that never hit the radio) is how a lot of us knew she’d slide right on in to that Thank U, Next era years before it happened. ;-)
hate that i made you love me by Ariana Grande ~ Just barely made it into the May list by a couple days, but I have to say the number of times I’ve listened to it… she earned her spot in the month real quick. What more shall I say? I already wrote about it here in case you missed it. I already feel differently about some of the things I wrote (do full time music critics, like, constantly go insane because of this)? Bottom line, great song, can’t get enough.
California by Angel Olsen ~ Angel is celebrating 10 years of My Woman this year, one of my favorite albums. This song is off Phases, which is just shy of a decade at 9 years old. It’s a perfect song and immediately contends with the greats in the great American canon of songs about California. Addicted to her voice/ performance on this track. She even got some “doo-doo-doo”s at the end!
back2thestart by cudos ~ Ahhhh yeah, indie pop goodness. Could lowkey be on old school Disney Channel Original Movie credits. In the BEST way.
Brutalist by Kim Petras ~ UGH I LOVE THIS SONG!!! I’ve loved Kim’s music for a long time, and this new album is something special. This song specifically has a… meditative quality in a high energy way? It has a rhythmic / lyrical quality that remins me of Solange’s When I Get Home record but through a pop/punk sonic framework. I love the song for what Kim has expressed it means to her as a trans woman, and yet it also means something different (and very meaningful) to me — I think it’s so cool when a song does that. God I just love it!! Might have to write about it in greater length…
Jeep by Kim Petras ~ Another one from the new record. Okay, indie pop darling??? It’s so cool to hear her like this. I think this song would be reblogged a million times on Tumblr when I was in high school. Again… in the BEST way!!!
Suga Mama by Beyonce ~ Embarrassing to admit but I just got into B’Day. (Bracing for the BeyHive to swarm) Guys!! I was in elementary school when this album came out and aside from singles on the radio, the full record never crossed my desk… and then I found my own way to Queen Bey later on, and never went back into the archives. BIG ! MISTAKE ! I love this album!!! What the hell!!! This song, Suga Mama… if you’re like me and missed this one, you better be clicking that hyperlink right now. UNREAL (surprising) production, UNREAL swagger (and comedy), UNREAL vocals. A new Bey fave.
SS26 by Charli XCX ~ Actually not sure how I feel about this song in a thoughtful way, but I love how Charli sounds on it and I love the melody & bass. I’ve been really thinking about the lyrics “And my heritage could give me quite thе USP / Can't hide the fact I'd rather takе the easy road”. I’ve been wondering about her relationship to brownness for a while, and this is certainly a clue.
F**k the DJ by Eli ~ Seriously, not enough people are waking the fuck up to Eli for me. Guys, she is a STAR. She’s unbelievable. A composer, lyricist, producer, vocalist. Her favorite artist is Ariana Grande and it shows. This song sounds like early 2000s, grown up Cheetah Girls (someone said this in an IG comment and I screamed, so true), party pop the way you imagined parties would be as a kid, daughter of Britney. GET INTO IT ALREADY!
-
Okay, all done! I hope you discovered something new or rediscovered something special. As always, thank you for being here <3
Xo,
Nik
Comments