Hello again! I know it’s been a while, and I’m so excited to start sharing new stuff with all of you again. To be honest, I was lacking a lot of motivation and vision for this blog so the time away has been a great reset for me. During my absence, I’ve been thinking about ways I want to update this blog and contribute more to those of you who are reading. Rather than selecting a single artist each week, I’ll be sure to throw out multiple bands and artists from a variety of genres that I hope will help you dive deeper into your appreciation for music.

This particular post is a small list of some of my most recent playlists I’ve been jamming to. I went through a little bit of an identity crisis at the end of 2018 when my Spotify summary lacked the traditional rock genre and bands. Instead, it featured a whole lot more folk and pop. I think my most listened to artist was either Buxton or Penny and Sparrow. While I love those bands, it was a surprise to see my most listened to genre was no longer rock. While I obviously still love the rock genre, I wholeheartedly admit that I have spent the last year or so exploring more unfamiliar territories of music. Consequently, I’ve added a bunch of new playlists to my repertoire so that I have a playlist for each of my many musical tastes and moods. I’ve compiled three  (out of many) of my favorites below.

homesick.
The last half of 2018 up until recently has been filled with travel. Since my last post, I’ve been back to Colorado and New York, and I even ventured out of the states into Mexico City and Iceland. My weekends have also been spent with little road trips around the hill country of Texas. As much as I loved exploring new places and living out of a suitcase for a while, it has been more physically and emotionally tolling than expected. With the more I traveled, the more anxious I grew about not feeling grounded and stable. The majority of my typical playlists and outdated Spotify library left me uneasy and restless. I began craving more calming and peaceful melodies with unique tones and soothing vocals. While I still love rock music (and play it regularly), I’ve also developed a deeper appreciation for the smoother and more mellow tones of Americana. My go to’s were bands familiar to this blog: Buxton and Wild Child. While their songs range from soft and delicate love notes to fun and optimistic anthems, they all leave you with a lighter heart and upbeat mood.

I’ve compiled Buxton’s and Wild Child’s discography onto my homesick. playlist, along with some other artists that I feel fit the mood and help bring me back home, even if it is just through my ears. These other artists include the Filipino band, MilesExperience, and Ancient Cat Society. If the vocals in Ancient Cat Society sound familiar, it’s because this band is actually a side project for a couple of the guys from Buxton!

bubbles.
I admit this playlist is still under construction and in need of some vision. I’ve been having trouble identifying the exact type of pop I want in here. Right now it’s an intermingling of indie pop artists like Bleachers, traditional pop songs from Carly Rae, and some newer styles of synth from Aly & AJ’s new album. My original idea was to create a playlist of all my pop music that would be listener friendly to any new comers in my car who weren’t into my style of rock. Turns out, I’ve under estimated the many genres of pop I have in my music library. While this particular playlist may stay jumbled and all inclusive, stay tuned for an upcoming playlist made specifically for my favorite synth tunes. I’m new to this genre and type of instrumentation, so I’m still exploring which band and artists fit this label. Some of the ones that come to mind are Handsome Ghost and Moonlight Hotel. If you know of anymore, be sure to let me know! I’ve been super into this direction of music, and I’m excited to learn more about the scene.

// Jesus & Coffee
I don’t typically go out of my way to hunt for new Christian tunes because I don’t find it very rewarding. A lot of the music tends to sound too similar to each other, and it just makes my experience with it quite stale. My only exposure to new worship songs tend to just be from whatever is played at church every week. If I like the song enough, then I go ahead and add it to my library. So this next playlist has been quite a surprise for myself.

This playlist is actually the only one I listen to on Spotify that I didn’t create myself. The curator is someone named Cedric Shy, and I appreciate his work so much! Like I mentioned earlier, the past few months have been pretty mentally and emotionally exhausting. So the tracks featured on this playlist are quite literally a Godsend. Not only did it already feature some of my favorite artists like Penny and Sparrow and All Sons & Daughters, but it also introduced me to new Christian musicians that have such an impelling spirit. The songs on this playlist have helped me to realign my priorities and help me see things from the right perspective. They’ve coated my heart in patience and faith to continue pushing through. The lyrics are the most transparent and authentic that I’ve come across. Bryan McCleery has been one of my favorites. He doesn’t shy away from some of the darker thoughts that may be considered taboo in some church atmosphere. Instead, he tackles them straight on with God’s love and grace. Other tracks serve as great scriptural reminders of God’s faithfulness and his persevering love. I hope that you let these songs touch your own heart, too.

Let me know what you’ve been listening to while I’ve been away! I’m sure I’ve been missing out on a bunch. Are there any new rock tracks that I should be listening to?

xxRose