It’s been a hot second since I put up a post about music! I’ve always seen music as a soundtrack to my life, which is why I always include Spotify playlists in all of my favorites posts. I was so excited to hear about Spotify Wrapped, because it was a way for me to look back on my musical journey this year.
Spotify Wrapped
I found out about Spotify Wrapped from Kayla Blogs on Twitter (follow me if you aren’t already!), and I jumped on it right away. I love looking back on my “year in music”, and I wanted to share mine with all of you. Check out my graphic below!
Top Artists
Halsey
So, it’s no surprise that Halsey was my top artist this year. “Hopeless Fountain Kingdom” played on repeat in my car basically all summer! I went to see her live a couple of months ago, and she’s one of my favorite live artists as well. My favorite songs off of her new album are Bad at Love and 100 Letters, but we’ll get to that later.
The Maine
Spotify’s determination that The Maine is a top artist of mine couldn’t be more true – they’re probably one of my favorite bands of all time. Their pop-rock-uplifting sound is right up my alley, and it’s my favorite to listen to while studying or on long drives. I also feel like The Maine’s sound is very me, as it’s the kind of music I’ve been listening to since I was in middle school, so it holds a special place in my heart. Their newest album is Lovely Little Lonely, and it’s one of the best they’ve ever put out. I highly recommend it!
Ed Sheeran
Out of all of the artists on this list, Ed Sheeran is probably the artist I’ve been following for the longest. My best friend Jordan surprised me with tickets to see him live back in 2012 at Terminal 5, and his sound has evolved so much in the best way. Barcelona and Galway Girl are probably my favorite off of Divide – they’re so uplifting, and also super appropriate for my impending trip to Europe!
An excited baby Kat at the Ed Sheeran show!
Bleachers
So you might not have heard of Bleachers/Jack Antonoff, but you have definitely heard his sound. He produced all of Lorde’s Melodrama, “Brave” by Sara Bareilles, much of Taylor Swift’s albums 1989 and Reputation (think “I Wish You Would” and “Getaway Car”!). After learning all of this about him, I fell in love with his own individual sound. It’s kind of all over the place, but it also is super reminiscent of the way I think my brain would sound if it was put to music, so I’m in love with it. I Wanna Get Better is one of my all-time favorites, but Hate that You Know Me (featuring Carly Rae Jepsen!) and Don’t Take the Money (featuring Lorde!) are the best off of his newest album Gone Now.
Harry Styles
This probably comes as no surprise to any of you, since I’ve talked repeatedly about how much of a One Direction fan I was back in the day. I did a full-blown review of Harry’s self-titled album a few months ago, and I was honestly really proud of the departure his sound took from the bubblegum-pop early days of One Direction. It’s definitely unique, and I’m happy that his singles and sound were so well-received by the public.
Top Songs
Everybody Lost Somebody – Bleachers
This song is the kind of melancholy hopefulness that is quintessentially Bleachers. It’s about the realization that everyone isn’t really that different and is fighting their own battle every day, so it’s really introspective but also incredibly catchy. Plus, the inclusion of all of the different instruments is always amazing to listen to for me.
Here’s a video of him playing it live at The Stone Pony, one of my favorite local New Jersey venues! I’m super bummed I couldn’t go to the show, but at least I can live vicariously through this video.
100 Letters – Halsey
I got chills the first time I listened to this song – the percussion right at the beginning is so captivating! Halsey has compared this to her album’s version of the Prologue that is at the beginning of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, and it’s easy to tell that the lyrics were written in parallel to that idea. This song is definitely a bop, but it’s also kind of sad & defiant, which makes it all the more interesting.
Awake My Soul – Mumford & Sons
Probably my favorite Mumford & Sons song of literally all time! It’s really triumphant, which helps when studying and when going through a tough time. I actually choreographed a piece to this song, and I’m in love with the way my team brought it to life.
Don’t Come Down & Bad Behavior – The Maine
These two are off of the same album, so I figured I could lump them together. They’re both super fun songs, and are perfect for road trips. Because of this, I learned the words so quickly, haha!
Final Thoughts
I thought that this Spotify Wrapped graphic summed up my music taste fairly well. I do think, however, that they missed some of my favorites on this list. Obviously, Lorde’s album Melodrama is my favorite of the year, and it’s nowhere to be found! Additionally, there was no trace of The 1975 on this list, which is another of my favorite bands!
I hope that this post gives a little taste of my music taste, and how my year went. Here’s to 2018 and even more good music!
What did you listen to this year?
