What's in my Headphones: New Music Monthly

A Curated Playlist that you can sink your ears into - February 2024

Streaming stole (from those of us who remember) the experience of welcoming new music into our lives in a physical and visceral manner. 

Pre-streaming, you had to want a particular album, drop money on it, get to a store and purchase it. This made the occasion more momentous, it can’t be denied. You were much more likely to give the music you purchased your full attention, precisely because you’d invested yourself - your time, your money, your effort - in that music. 

But that ship has sailed, at least for the time being. And there is danger in embracing the idea that worthwhile, adventurous new music sailed away with it. That’s simply not true.

Yes, surfing the streaming platforms can be daunting - there’s just so much stuff out there, and no centralized hub of the sort that (good) radio and (good) music journalism once provided, to help you navigate it all. 

But this is where the otherwise annoying and, at worst, nigh-on-evil streaming algorithm can be our friend. Because if you listen to a lot of good music from any era, the thing is going to start suggesting to you music from other eras that it ‘thinks’ you might like.

Weird, for sure. But also kinda awesome. 

The more diverse your listening habits, the more eclectic and interesting the algorithm’s suggestions become, which you can see in your ‘Release Radar’ in Spotify, or in the curated ‘New Music Mix’ under the ‘Listen Now’ tab in Apple Music, both of which are updated weekly.

I’ve found this to be very useful, a silver lining of sorts on the underside of the streaming platform shroud. An antidote to the whole ‘there’s no good music anymore’ idea, to be sure. And also, an awful lot of fun. And a desire for fun is a big part of what made all of us fall in love with music in the first place. 

I’ll be sharing a ‘Cool New Music’ playlist each month, going forward, with the hope that you might find something you haven’t heard before that excites you. Check out this month’s playlist, formatted for Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube Music, below. Please share your thoughts and your own present-day music obsessions in the comments. 

And, hey, if you find something you like here, go out and buy it on vinyl!

Spotify:

Cool New Music 2.2024 on Apple Music here.

For those of you who don’t have either, here’s:

Cool New Music 2.2024 on Youtube