Playlist for a cold spring drive
Spring Albums '26: Arlo Parks, Quiet Light and more~
I love spring. I kind of say it in an I <3 haters way at this point coz it seems to be the least favorite season of a lot of people in my life. It sort of just extends our winter, which already feels too long, so I do kind of get it. But I can’t get over how bright everything looks outside in Spring, even when its hazy. And we have a lot of pink, white and purple flowering trees where I live so it’s pretty magical. In other news, I’ve decided since now everyone is impressed by Charli xcx, that means I can’t be impressed by her anymore. It’s the only way to genuinely stay an angel imo. POP MUSIC FOREVER!! If she’s a rockstar now then I guess I won’t be able to review her on Top of the Pops either… Anyways, here are some artists on my spring driving mix~
Arlo Parks - Ambiguous Desire
I won’t be ambiguous about it: this is my favorite Arlo Parks record! Her voice has always been incredible (it’s got such presence while staying so feather-light) but I don’t know that her songwriting has always quite felt sturdy enough. And the 90’s, house, trip-hop palette is a good enough base to build off, but it wouldn’t be enough on its own without some gorgeous melodies to back them up. At first, I worried the second single Heaven was too slight, but it quickly grew to be one of my favorites and maintained heavy rotation on the spring driving playlist. Parks talked about being inspired by Kelly Lee Owens on this track and she delivers on the evocative minimalism. My other favorite is Beams which lyrically is such a song in a great way; words like ‘beams’, ‘smashing’, ‘nothing’ sound so good sung, rhyme well, and there’s a lot of inherent poetry to them meaning-wise which Parks follows-through on. I also like Jetta a lot, which reifies the setting of the album in song form. There are bright pop bangers too, like Get Go which splits a nimble, self-conscious pre-chorus with a hang-gliding hook. And 2Sided which sounds like a lost boyband bop.
Quiet Light - Blue Angel Sparkling Silver 2
I guess Quiet Light has been releasing music while also going through medical school, which is insanely impressive! Let’s not forget that bedroom witches creating through academia has led to some incredible music. Blue Angel Sparkling Silver 2 is a mostly instrumentals project, but songs with waifish melodies, poetic and mundane lyrics, and plenty of field recordings make for an addictive listen. Overall, it’s honestly a little more ambient than Top of the Pops usually recommends, but as a girl of a certain aesthetic myself, this album has become my background music. I’m looking forward to using these songs to bridge between moods on my radio show and they will also be great for posting insta stories and TikToks with. If you need some particularly chic studying music, definitely give Quiet Light a spin.
Makthaverskan - Glass and Bones
I’ve noticed that songwriting has become the tenant that I seem to focus on the most with this substack, and with that in mind I wanted to point out Makthaverskan as a band that is always very bold on that front. Perhaps because their instrumentals have stayed so consistent, it’s the only way to truly evolve their sound forward. It results in invent experimentations in song and structure for a such a squarely post-punk, indie rock palette. They’re acrobatic songwriters, with a vocalist daring enough to pull anything off decently well. There are enough cuts that don’t pay off that I can’t rave about the record, but there are still plenty of roller-coaster, melodic bops here. Candied lead single Pity Party is one, and Louie invites some sleigh bells to the mix that feel fresh. I also really like Won’t Wait for the sheer virtue of scratching that indie rock itch so successfully again.
Ladytron - Paradises
For those unaware Ladytron’s whole vibe is like; if fembots had feelings. And Paradises is like the soundtrack to a film about the future, but if it was done but an auteur in the late 80’s. Idk does that land at all? The instrumentals have this chic clunkiness that makes them sound like they’re made of a mysterious physical machine. And there’s this glassy-eyed quality to the lyrics and their delivery that is so effectively camp and self-serious in a way that has me kinda gooped, honestly. And the songs are loooooong! Like they let you have it- they drag. it. out!! It’s all like one continuous song almost too, in a way that makes the project more thrilling and intruiging. Each new song contorts the synth or melody line in some genuinely inventive way. Ladyton is one of those bands that has been chicly consistent throughout the years, and this is their strongest project in awhile.
Lykke Li - The Afterparty
Li is a pop veteran at this point. Like, she’s not wasting your time with filler cuts, so I’m also gonna get right into it too. I love Sick Of Love except for the tail end of its pre-chorus sounding so much like Like A Prayer that it distracts me. I wonder why a track like Future Fear was included in an album otherwise so tight. But Happy Now is pretty perfect and has an urgency to the melody-work that feels fresh. And Not Gon Cry is an undeniable pop cut. On Lucky Again Li rubs shoulders with fellow Scandi-Pop-Pantheoners like ABBA. It’s overall a great showing for a ‘swan song’ and I certainly hope this isn’t actually the last we hear from Lykke Li~
I also considered writing on the new Tori Amos or maybe the new Jesca Hoop but honestly neither album felt very spring so… stay tuned for those more on the singer-songwriter bend~
