Hi. Welcome to the page Monthly Music Recommendations (MMR), where I recommend a song I got obsessed with during the month, all listed in reverse chronological order. I’ll also add a few lines about the song (and possibly the artist themselves) as well just to make it a nice read. A few rules about the MMR:

  1. It must be a song I really liked from that particular month. This may mean I discovered it in that month, or having some heavy rotations during the month.

  2. After featuring a song from a certain artist, I can’t feature another of their song for another 12 months. Out of all the rules this will be the one that I will enforce on myself as a hard constraint. The 12 months is an arbitrary number which might change at some point, but will try to at least make it a point to not repeat artists unless I really like their song in that month.

  3. A softer rule related to the one previous – I will (try to) not feature songs from artists that were picked as my latest AOTY (see here), and discourage ones that were AOTY at some point before as well.

  4. I will prioritise songs that were released more recently. Ultimately I will still prefer songs I like, but may give some bias towards more recent songs a bit more.

September 2024 - Lifelong Song by Men I Trust

Random pick, but Men I Trust really does slap. I have been checking out tracks with these vibes a bit more, and it’s quite a fun and chill listen really. Lifelong Song is a shoutout for me, mainly because of the lick. If you know, you know.

Other shoutouts:

  • While You Were Sleeping by Laufey. I am so tempted to put this as the recommendation this month since I have been putting her music on heavy repeat since I went to see her live. But I am going to refrain myself a bit. While You Were Sleeping is the song that Laufey have been opening her shows with, and it really does bring a new energy to the song now that I hear it on tape. Now that I have you guys here though, she recently covered Phoebe Bridger’s Savior Complex and it is the best cover I have heard this month.

  • recently by Liana Flores. Spotify music recommendation really doing its thing again with this one. Soft acoustic song that I was introduced to this month.

  • I Love You, I’m Sorry by Gracie Abrams. I am surprised that I enjoy her music. I don’t think it will be in my top albums this year, but it’s definitely one where I’ll put on now and then, and I’m not sure why.

  • Ptolemaea by Ethel Cain. I don’t want to say too much about the song but it’s incredible. However I do recommend you all to check the whole album out rather than just the one song – it is incredible haunting but definitely worth a listen.

August 2024 - Steamroller by Phoebe Bridgers

After listening to her for a few years at this point, I am finally beginning my entrance into the Phoebe Bridgers rabbit hole. There are a few old Phoebe Bridgers performances online where she performs some of the older (sometimes unreleased) songs. And boy, all of them are sad. A few worth mentioning are Waiting Room, Georgia (in particular my favourite version that was more rock than the album version), and Steamroller. The latter is not even on Spotify (it originally was but it was sadly removed) so you’ll have to go listen to it from other unofficial sources. But one thing that Steamroller (and to be honest her other early tracks) had very heartfelt and somewhat direct lyrics. She just puts all her emotions into words, and I kind of respect that.

Other shoutouts:

  • Promise by Laufey. Less than a year ago I featured a different track of hers, Lovesick, from the same album Bewitched, so I am only putting this track as an honourable mention. Lovesick was the the song about someone falling in love, and dreaming of what it all could be. Promise, on the other hand, is sort of the opposite. It’s probably one of the saddest Laufey songs out there (I might even say it is the saddest). What do I like about the song? Is it the beautifully crafted lyrics of hers? Is it her angelic voice? Is it just how soft and gentle the instrumentation is to fit around the track? I don’t know, but y’all should give it a listen.

  • Voyager by Birdy. I have already featured her album Young Heart as my AOTY in 2022, and I still have the album on repeat. The reason I wanted to feature the song here is because I went to a Birdy concert earlier in the month, and it was a great experience. Voyager is already one of my favourite track of here, and so I am very glad I got to hear the track played live (among her other tracks obviously). Since then I have been having more Birdy songs on repeat again.

July 2024 - Femininomenon by Chappell Roan

I bought into the hype fully.

Chappell is incredible. Sure, maybe Spotify did try to push her to all of the listeners. But dammit she deserves it. The whole album is incredible, and a strong contender for one of my AOTY spots this year. Chappell’s songs are a bop – point to any of them and you can find something good about it. The lyrics, the bridge, every song is just unique and so, so good.

But, being a fan of good album openers, Femininomenon is my favourite for being such a strong one. From the slower buildup, to the bridge, and even the short talking bit to hype the listeners a bit. It has a catchy hook and a real fun one to just sing along to. I can really see why Chappell is such an icon.

I have been away for a bit, so I really don’t have any other good shoutouts this month. Just go listen to more Chappell Roan if you haven’t already.

June 2024 - Nothing Matters by The Last Dinner Party

At last, I feel I have caught up with the pop music of 2024.

I have been listening to more music released in 2024, and a few albums have been quite good. The girl in red album, the Clairo album, the Faye Webster album, the Charli XCX record, etc. But The Last Dinner Party is just some really fresh rock sound from a newer band. And it’s good. I don’t know what about them, but it gives some very renaissance-y vibe that I enjoy. The whole album is great though (Feminine Urge and Sinner being some of the other tracks I enjoy), and you all should give it a listen.

Other shoutouts:

  • You Need Me Now? by girl in red featuring Sabrina Carpenter.

  • the girl, so confusing version with lorde, by Charli XCX.

  • But Not Kiss by Faye Webster.

These are pretty much some of the 2024 albums that I enjoyed thus far (note – the shoutout originally featured Chappell Roan but was removed because I selected one of her songs for July’s MMR instead).

May 2024 - Terrible Love by The National

Definitely walking with spiders for this one.

I have heard the Birdy cover of this song for a while now (which is also incredible), but the original version is just something else. In fact, the whole album High Violet is a great listen. Surprised it took me so long to go through the album. Nay – I’m surprised I have not been as into The National as I should have been. Their discography has such a good vibe, and I’m a bit sad I haven’t been listening to them earlier.

Other shoutouts:

  • Supercut by Lorde.

  • Perth by Bon Iver.

April 2024 - Sad To Breathe by The Japanese House

This is an album that was released in 2023, but I suppose it’s not too late to discover it. I have been a bit into the indie music, and The Japanese House has been an obsession this month. I think the whole album is quite good. I can’t really point to what I like about the song, but something just feels right. Maybe it’s the lyrics, maybe it’s the slight change of tempo in the song. But regardless, it’s my pick this month.

Other shoutouts:

  • Run Away With Me by Carly Rae Jepsen.

March 2024 - Adult Diversion by Alvvays

This one is an interesting one for me.

The album sort of comes out of nowhere, one of those I got recommended by my Spotify. I’m quite glad tho, really do find the album a fun listen. I did pick the opening track (I have something for strong openers of albums), but other songs like Archie, Marry Me or The Agency Group are also some strong singles from the band. Maybe shoegaze will become a thing for me this year.

Other shoutouts:

  • Anywhere by Passenger.

  • Queen of Peace by Florence + The Machine.

  • brutal by Olivia Rodrigo.

I also realise that it’s been three months, and I haven’t really came across much new music that really wows me yet. Hmmm, maybe I need to pay attention to the new releases a bit more.

February 2024 - Autobahn by Kraftwerk

*Car engine starts.* Au-to-bahn. Au-to-bahn. Au-to-bahn. Au-to-bahn…

I didn’t expect an 70s electronic band from Germany to be on this list at the start of the year. I’m especially not someone who listens to electronic much, but something about Kraftwerk is just different. For a 70s album, they definitely do not sound aged. It’s a 20 minute long track, but it really does build the atmosphere well. Highly recommended.

Other shoutouts:

  • Burning Down The House, a Talking Heads cover by Paramore.

  • สนิทใจ by Palmy.

  • The Family Madrigal by Stephanie Beatriz (from Encanto soundtrack).

January 2024 - Lovesick by Laufey

I am so sad I discovered her music so late into 2023 (pretty much the last month of 2023). But I am making it up for it in 2024.

I don’t really listen to anything remotely jazz. It is not that Laufey is necessarily jazz (frankly her style of music wouldn’t be the first thing I think of when someone says jazz), but I do also think that she is able to really combine some interesting jazz elements into more modern pop music. And I do find that a good change from the other songs that I do listen to. Not to mention that she’s an amazing vocalist as well, probably one of the best in the modern days.

The whole album Bewitched is a great one, but Lovesick hits me especially. The song lyrics would fit with most other love songs from normal pop music, but the music that accompanies it is more unusual compared to other pop music. Not to mention that Laufey’s voice is absolutely incredible.

Other shoutouts:

  • Athens, France by Black Country, New Road. Aside from the fact that the band doesn’t really get geography, the track itself is a masterpiece instrumentally and also lyrically.

  • Surfin’ Bird by The Trashmen. Yes, it was because of Family Guy.

December 2023 - Knees Deep by The Beths

Opening the list strong with this one. This is the reason I had to start the MMR on my blog.

The Beths are a New Zealand-based pop rock/indie band, and I don’t even remember how I came across them in the first place, but I recently went to a record store and saw their debut album Future Me Hates Me on vinyl on a discount. I remembered listening to their latest album and the song Expert In A Dying Field and really liking it, so I naturally bought the LP.

And god it was incredible. I listened to the LP before, but listening to it again was incredible. The songs on it were great, with Little Death and Happy Unhappy being the two that stood out in particular. The two having similar themes of being about some feeling that you get after liking someone. These along with the rest of the tracks make for a very strong introduction to The Beths for me.

However, through their discography, I found Knees Deep to be the song that I come back to the most. The song started with an upbeat guitar riff, and an extremely catchy and happy-sounding hook. Once again, the song itself does not disappoint. The song also has an accompanying music video which genuinely puts a smile on my face (especially seeing each of the band members bungee-jumping one by one).