Jan 2026 // A New Format
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Jump to the playlist on Apple Music here!
January was a wonderful month of music, cleanly split between rediscoveries and brand new tunes.
// FULL PLAYLIST
01: HALEY - “Next Time (For C)”
02: oh caroline - “Spine”
03: Anna Graves - “Blue Hour”
04: Camel Power Club - “Can I Tell You a Secret”
05: Tropics - “Ionian Mirage”
06: Bright Eyes - “Coat Check Dream Song”
07: After - “Cold” (covering Crossfade)
08: deadmau5 - “Failbait (feat. Cypress Hill)”
09: Sports - “If You Want Me”
10: Elliot Paul - “Scenes”
11: Foxes - “Friends In the Corner”
12: boygenius - “Not Strong Enough”
13: Filth Is Eternal - “Stay Melted”
14: Too Close To Touch - “Inside Voices”
15: VOWER - “Dawn In Me”
16: ERRA - “further eden”
// SPOTLIGHTS
HALEY - “Next Time (For C)”
Haley Bonar’s album Pleasureland was incredibly influential for me during the creation of Shades of Living Light. I took a lot of inspiration from how Bonar created sonic environments on tracks like “Pig Latin” (a perennial favorite), “Infinite Pleasure (Parts 1 and 2),” and “Syrup.” “Next Time (For C),” though, was a track that I didn’t come back to as often as some other cuts, but my shuffle blessed me with it one cold January morning. The next thing I knew I couldn’t avoid immersing myself in the world of the song, especially through the evolving central piano motif, the introduction of strings, and the way the song seems to split apart at the seams halfway through only to return to something familiar and safe after piano hits rain down seemingly from everywhere around the listener. I feel lighter whenever I listen to this song.
Sports - “If You Want Me”
I had never listened to Sports before this month, but the album art for their upcoming self-titled project pulled me in when I saw it on my discovery page. I’m not usually the type of music listener to dive into singles before an album comes out, as I really enjoy listening to albums as a whole without any cuts that I already know by heart, but my lack of experience with the band led me to have no qualms about diving in. I’m very glad I did—this song in particular feels like a late-night saunter with the tight drums, dry mix, and especially the G-funk-esque synth that pokes its head in and out before finally going all in between the second and third choruses. Sunglasses, windows down, strutting. A truly great tune with great songwriting that I know I’ll be revisiting for months and years to come, especially in the spring and summer.
VOWER - “Dawn In Me”
I have been mourning the death of Palm Reader ever since the UK-based progressive core band broke up in 2024. The band’s 2020 album, Sleepless, would have certainly been on my top 10 albums of 2020 list… if I had heard it in 2020 and not halfway through 2021. It’s an incredible mix of metalcore, post hardcore, and math rock, all companied by vocalist Josh McKeown’s unique gritty croon. I was scared I would never hear his voice on incredible tunes again, and I was very happy to discover that he pivoted to starting the supergroup VOWER with guitarist Rabea Massaad and two of the members from Black Peaks. This song foregrounds his vocals like never before, and he has not lost his touch with a new group of musicians supporting him. Effective use of tritones, versatile screams, and—I truly cannot emphasize this enough—the stunningly unique nature of the timbre of his voice impeccably come together alongside head-banging grooves to give listeners a great first impression to this band. Check out VOWER if you’re interested in core music of any variety.
