Monthly Mix: January 2021 Picks

New year, new Monthly Mix entry!

The less-than-merry holiday season coupled with the gloomy rainy season resulted in an interesting mix of mostly R&B and different subgenres of alternative (rap, rock, and the like). I guess it should also be noted that I’ve spent a large majority (and when I mean large majority, I mean extremely large) of January listening to Phoebe Bridgers’ discography on repeat. This leaves this month’s monthly mix at a sparse 18 songs compared to my previous entries.

Either way, here are some of my top picks for January 2021 — a rainy-weather playlist for a gloomy and pandemic-filled year ahead).

Rapp Snitch Knishes feat Mr. Fantastik by MF DOOM

Starting off the playlist is The GOAT himself, MF DOOM, who left us right at the cusp of 2021. MM…FOOD is an album celebrated my critics and music lovers alike, and this bomb suave track is loved by all. Thank you for the tunes, MF DOOM.

Brother by Ryan Beatty

This track comes off Beatty’s most recent album, Dreaming of David. It features his signature vocal stylings and an ambient guitar for accompaniment. What kept this track on replay for me were the lyrics — Beatty tells us a story of trying to reach out to someone who doesn’t want your help. It’s simple but moving.

Drunk by Dijon

I can’t remember what sent me on a Dijon trip but I spent a good chunk of January just listening to his discography. The stripped-down production in the track, Drunk made it a favorite to play at full blast during those rainy nights. A recurring theme between the Ryan Beatty and this track is the use of layered vocals and harmonies to push the song forward despite the simpler production.

She’s My Religion by Pale Waves

This is quite the genre change from the other tracks featured on this list, but I fell in love with the very 90s-early 2000s banger from the United Kingdom-based rock band, Pale Waves. It’s here, it’s queer, and it’s nostalgia at its finest. The production is wonderful with front woman Heather Baron-Gracie’s killer vocals being complemented by the instruments.

There it is! These are my top 5 tracks of January (not counting the Phoebe Bridgers discography). Just like with other Monthly Mixes, you can find the full playlist on my Spotify here:

Monthly Mix is Kara Angan’s attempt of writing at least one piece on this blog per month. It features her favorite songs from the month with mini-reviews on stand-out tracks. All monthly mixes can be found on her (very messy) Spotify account.

Monthly Mix: December 2020 Picks

Monthly Mix v12.20 marks the end of the terrible year that is 2020. This playlist reflects the state of mind I’ve had for the whole month — lethargy, confusion, and the search for an escape. These emotions more or less affected my music choices for the past few weeks, especially given the somber holiday season that was a crazy mix of COVID-19 related sadness and the finals week that waits for me in January 2021.

Just like I did with last month’s Monthly Mix, here are some of the standout tracks that I had on repeat.

Just A Little Bit of Rain by She’s Only Sixteen

One of the new tracks off of She’s Only Sixteen‘s newest EP, The Other Side, just fit in perfectly with the rain and lethargy of December. Just A Little Bit of Rain is a track perfect for staring outside windows during a regularly-scheduled existential crisis session in bed. It’s the perfect year-ender song: everything that could possibly go wrong went wrong, but it will all pass sooner or later.

Bad Friend by Rina Sawayama (Dream Wife Remix)

This. Song. Hurts. Like. A. Motherfucker. There are quite a few versions of this song off of British-Japanese artist Rina Sawayama’s debut album, XS. The End of the World Remix is more upbeat and fast-paced, while the acoustic version is a good, stripped-down version. I personally prefer the Dream Wife remix because it adds new layers and instrumentals without taking away too much from the original feeling of the song. Rina’s lyrics hit home hard; I’ve definitely had this track on repeat during a few Bad Mental Health(TM) sessions.

Kill Your Local Indie Softboy by Izzy Camina

British-American singer-songwriter Izzy Camina’s tongue-in-cheek track is an ode to our favorite cuffed jean, Converse-wearing, pretentious men. As a self-proclaimed victim of indie softboys, the catchy hook and hilarious lyrics (And he swears that he’s not a fuckboy / But he’s worse, he’s an arty indie softboy) drew me in. Some of the lyrics are are borderline crass rather than witty but that didn’t stop me from humming along the chorus every other day.

Jason by BONNIE PARKER

Gender-bender musician BONNIE PARKER pens a cute, queer, indie-pop track with Jason. Parker’s storytelling is short and sweet with a killer hook. I fell in love with this song for just how high school it is. Not much to say here other than it’s fun and perky.

randy’s track by Kennedy

Alternative hip-hop boyband Kennedy is back on the Monthly Mix with randy’s track. It’s only a minute long — an interlude, almost. Rapper Randy Begtang’s ode to growing up perfectly encapsulates the feeling of confusion and being directionless while the rest of your peers seem leagues ahead. Kennedy vocalist Moimoi Bulut’s dream-like vocals wrapping up the song coupled with the full synths and music box-like backing make the song one of the more polished tracks in the mixtape. Regardless, every Kennedy track that gets released continues to push the envelope for their musical potential. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — Kennedy is definitely one to root for.

Listen to the December edition of Monthly Mix here:

Monthly Mix is Kara Angan’s attempt of writing at least one piece on this blog per month. It features her favorite songs from the month with mini-reviews on stand-out tracks. All monthly mixes can be found on her (very messy) Spotify account.