Sep 2026 // Early Autumn
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Jump to the playlist on Apple Music here!
Cooling weather, shortening days, and a return to normalcy embraced by brilliant colors. The season demands tunes, and I must deliver. Enjoy!
// FULL PLAYLIST
01: Sean La’Brooy - Storage Room (feat. Leo Yucht)
02: Purity Ring - “imanocean”
03: Dido - “White Flag”
04: After - “Snowburn”
05: Lucy Bedroque - “How to Pretend”
06: glitter - “humanity is ending!”
07: Rebecca Black - “Corsetry”
08: Snarky Puppy, Metropole Orkest & Jules Buckley - “As You Are But Not As You Were”
09: Portraits of Tracy - “Caught In A Jam”
10: Luna Shadows - “gutspill”
11: honeydip - “Summer’s Gone -second season ver-”
12: Holding Absence - “Heaven”
13: Movements - “Live by the Sword”
14: Spiritbox - “Mourning”
15: TesseracT - “Of Mind: Exile”
16: No Oath - “Terminal”
// SPOTLIGHTS
After - “Snowburn”
After has had me in a chokehold for the last entire year, ever since they dropped their iconic first two EPs. I love those EPs, but was a little bit anxious to hear their first full-length album offering, Fell Asleep in the Sun. Both EP is varied and eclectic, but both felt as though they had the same “types” of songs covering the same bases, even if they were still unique. I didn’t know how the band would stretch themselves to keep their sound fresh and exciting for an entire album, but I certainly do now, and this might be a contender for album of the year. “Snowburn,” in particular, feels like it keeps the classic After sound—incredibly catchy choruses, punchy but atmospheric production, flawless vocal takes—but elevates it to a new level of songwriting that showcases each shining edge of the band. Expect to see a lot more tracks from this album in the coming months, because this album truly has something special around each and every corner.
Rebecca Black - “Corsetry”
I trust Rebecca Black wholeheartedly. This song in particular has gotten almost daily play since her album release, and it’s easy to see why. It is infectious. The bass synth’s entrance is so obtrusive in the best possible way. The panning synth stabs in the verses have the perfect amount of saturation. Every single instrument group has such dynamic range while still being loud and impactful. “Corsetry” may be my mix analysis go-to for the next electropop tracks I make, because everything about it is everything about the sonic environment I want to be making.
Snarky Puppy, Metropole Orkest & Jules Buckley - “As You Are But Not As You Were”
I had the opportunity to go with my family to see Snarky Puppy live at the Paramount in Seattle a couple weeks ago. I already had enjoyed their Somni album with Metropole Orkest quite a bit when it first dropped on YouTube (“Chimera” and “Only Here and Nowhere Else” are still routinely spun on shuffle), but this track had flown under the radar quite a bit. But wow—this was my… third? Fourth time seeing Snarky Puppy? Let’s go with fourth. Regardless, the live version of this song stuck out above the rest, and upon revisiting it I had an entirely new point of view on the way it evolves. Do yourself a favor and go see Snarky Puppy if they’re ever in your area—besides being an incredible live band, they always bring along incredible artists who are also on the GroundUP! label. This tour, they had Varijashree Venugopal open for them (and even join them on a track during their set), and I have had such a blast checking out her Vari album over the last couple weeks. I wonder which tracks will make it onto my October playlist… only time will tell!
