What Is BU Listening To

What am I listening to: Kit Iyer

There are three types of avid music listeners: the one who strictly listens to albums, the one who makes playlists based on their mood, and the one who puts everything into a few massive playlists and presses shuffle. I would say the last one is a little chaotic but to each their own.

Personally, I’m a good mix of the first two. If an album is good enough, I will almost only ever listen to it in one sitting. A good example of this is Mac Miller’s Swimming. But, because of my short attention span, I have a better time listening to one or two playlists a month that usually follow a certain mood or vibe. So, for example, in the month of October I’ve been listening to playlists made up of folk pop songs that give a nice Gilmore Girls fall vibe or punk rock songs that give a strong hex girls Halloween vibe. For November I’m sensing more of a groovy R&B, chill indie pop vibe. If you’re looking for new music, here are a few of my favorite artists/songs I’ve been listening to lately as well as a couple of honorable mentions.

The Cocteau Twins

First, I’ve really been on a dream pop/chill indie pop kick. This includes a lot of artists like the Cocteau Twins or a recent discovery of mine, Lyla Foy. I discovered Lyla Foy when watching the end credits of a Bojack Horseman episode and I’ve been loving her soothing vocals paired with alternative beats. My favorite from her is “Impossible”. I listen to the Cocteau Twins more for their music than anything. Their

ethereal dream pop glimmers create this far away feeling that is the perfect background noise for everyday life. My recommendations are “Heaven or Las Vegas” or “Pandora (For Cindy)”.

Willow Smith

I’ve also been feeling a strong pull towards the punk rock side of things and Willow, one of my favorite artists, recently released a punk rock album that I’ve been loving. Willow’s lyricism has surprisingly helped me grow a lot in life so my love for her is very sentimental. Off her latest album I would recommend “naïve”, “4ever”, and “Come Home”.

The Runaways

A couple other artists also in the rock realm that I’ve been listening to are The Runaways and Sky Ferreira. The Runaways have more of the classic punk rock feel, with songs like “Cherry Bomb” and “Dead End Justice” that have a strong driving beat coming from the guitar and drums. Whereas Sky Ferreira has more of an alternative pop rock vibe. A couple of my favorites from her are “24 Hours”, “Ain’t Your Right”, and “Love In Stereo”.

I listen to a lot of music, so this short list doesn’t even begin to cover some of the musicians I’ve been listening to lately. So, a couple of honorable mentions I would also recommend include Zhané and Crystal Waters, for a more groovy R&B vibe, or Arlo Parks and The Breeders, for more alternative rock/indie music.