2024 Spotify Wrapped - The forgotten year

Happy Spotify Wrapped Time! 

(Let's act as if it hasn't been over a year since I updated this)

I have been hard at work living life and stuff since last I updated this but ITS SPOTIFY WRAPPED SEASON, or at least it was a month ago... LISTEN I am a busy busy person with many busy busy hobbies like watching youtube, and watching youtube... Anyway the theme for 2024 was simple: Don't try. I wanted to break away from the shackles that Spotify had put onto in the past few years, aching for the high my 2018 playlist gave me, searching for it every year to no avail. I wanted to find music casually and just enjoy the music I had, live life and breathe air! That is not what ended up happening. I probably had the worst year ever in terms of finding new music, and the music I found felt so unmemorable I feel bad for even talking about it. My 2024 playlist was touched maybe twice, and since my days began to be taken up by driving, the way I listened to music changed so much it was hard to even keep up with the numbers. 

As I said last year, statistics are a large portion of my Spotify experience, and every year I place myself goals with what I want, keep them in mind throughout the year, and usually fly past the goals by mid-to-late parts of the year. This year, although my goal was to not try, I ended up not trying so hard I fully did not think of the statistics at all. I don't even think I know my goals, and so this blog is really the first time I am looking at them. Not to mention, this year Spotify changed their wrapped to be so boring I checked the thing once when it first came out and never again! Let us look together at my 2024 Spotify Statistics.

Statistics:

Songs Played: 15,450 songs

Minutes Listened: 263,994 minutes

Artists Listened To: 5,664 artists

Genres: n/a

Again, these statistics mean nothing to me this year, I listen to music while I sleep, many of the songs and artists I heard were so forgettable I can maybe list you a single artist I found this year. It felt as if Spotify had heard my calls to not try and they said they would join in with wrapped as well. It was sad. 

Compared to last year, 2023, the statistics are pretty similar, which make me question a lot. I tried relatively well last year to find and listen to new music, and yet there is not that much of a clear difference between either year. Like maybe I need to not try this upcoming year, maybe I should continue my track not looking for music. What this year did make me notice is how much I miss the thrill of finding a song and realizing how good it is! 

Top Artists/Songs:

Top Artist:

1. Fox Academy (Top 0.005% fan)

2. Florist

3. Whatever, Dad

4. Charli xcx

5. Phoebe Bridgers

Top Songs:

1. Like a Brother

2. Moon Begins

3. We'll Never Have Sex

4. House Song

5. The Fear of Losing This 

I think the top artists and songs is a great example to the nothingness that was this year. All artists and songs I had heard before besides Like a Brother by Hey, Nothing. I am surprised the duo was not in my top 5 artists, but at least they are crystalized through the top songs. 

Charli xcx being in the top artists is interesting, I knew I listened to her lots because of the new Brats album but I did not think I listened to her to the point of making a difference.

2025 Goals: 

I don't know what my goals are this year, I think I just wish I could listen to music again with joy. I want to find new music and keep up to date with the artists I love. I just want to fall in love with music again. 

All in all, this year has been a horrendous mistake for music and while 2025 is not looking the best for everything else in the world, but music has been amazing in January. I will post my review on Ethel Cain's new album, as well as Bad Bunny's soon. For now, let me get back on the groove of both this blog, and listening to muic. 

    ~  Limon✩

  

2023 Spotify Wrapped - I Went a Little Crazy

HAPPY SPOTIFY WRAPPED TIME!!

We are going to ignore I am MONTHS late, but like I said... busy.

This Spotify Wrapped, although I had been keeping up with it throughout 2023, left me a bit speechless with the statistics. While I am happy with the overall numbers I was left a little... underwhelmed, to say the least. For some context on how I view Spotify Wrapped, I use it as a guide for my goals music-wise; Wrapped gives me decent statistics (I love numbers) that make it easy to document my own trends when it comes to artists I listen to and amount of time I listen to. While I know Last.fm has a better way to keep track of those things, I didn't really start using it until 2021, I have been using Spotify's "Year-end" tracking since 2017/18 (can't remember). It is not the only thing I used to keep track of artists and songs I listen to, however, and it is not by any means a perfect system.

That being said this post will go over some of those statistics, the artists mentioned, and my goals for next year's Spotify Wrapped. 

Statistics:

Songs played: 14,943 songs

Minutes listened: 288,775 minutes

Artists Listened to: 6,517 artists

Genres: 276 genres

The statistics when it comes to how much I had listened to will always just be absurd. In all honesty, I do keep it on at night often, and at points, I was essentially living on two to three hours of sleep a day and music would be the only thing keeping me moving like a human. Either way, it is not something I boast about as much as I think I would have two or three years ago, because honestly what is the point of listening to so much music if you are not making the effort to listen to a lot of different songs and artists. 

Compared to 2022, I almost doubled most of the statistics, and I am proud of how diverse my music has become. While Spotify doesn't keep track of it, I have listened to many different languages and styles of songs. I think 2023 was one of the first years I allowed myself to listen to and like popular music. The little indie kid inside me is annoyed at it, but the even smaller kid inside me, who only listened to One Direction and Taylor Swift CDs, is dancing happily. I have also listened to much smaller artists and really got myself into Latin music, and I am happy I am getting closer to that part of my culture. Overall I am happy with these numbers. 

Top Artists/Songs:

Top Artists:

1.  Fox Academy (top 0.001% fan)
2.  Noah Kahan
3.  Ethel Cain
4.  Car Seat Headrest
5.  Boygenius

Top Songs:

1.  American Teenager - Ethel Cain
2.  A House in Nebraska - Ethel Cain
3.  Stick Season - Noah Kahan
4.  Hard Times - Ethel Cain
5.  Not Strong Enough - Boygenius

This was the year of repeating full albums for hours on end until I could no longer feel anything. Fox Academy came out with their new album Joseph's Deli & Lottery had no skips and "favorite team" is just so good. When they began putting out singles in 2022 I was honestly just expecting more singles in 2023 so having a whole album to put on my playlist and listen through was nice. In 2023 I also fell through a little nostalgia rabbit hole, listening through Fox Academy's entire discography multiple days in a row. Hearing their old stuff is far past nostalgic, I don't even reminisce about them because they are still so good in the present. Still, hearing their new stuff and just how much they have improved production-wise, while still having that unique Fox Academy sound... they truly never miss! 

I have written about both Noah Kahan and Ethel Cain in early posts which I highly recommend reading, but their respective albums Stick Season and Preacher's Daughter both changed me in ways I cannot explain. I am in a very hard transitional time in my life and both albums were able to put those things into words and stories that are beautiful to listen to. Their other works are also great, both have a decent amount of stuff in their discography that really just gets to you. Noah Kahan's "Someone Like You" with Joy Oladokun is a soft little melody, and Ethel Cain's "Crush" would be blasted in the car any chance I had. These were the only two new artists of the year that made it to my top 5, which I am as impressed by, not because of them, but because I was not aware of house much I just heard the other three. 

Car Seat Headrest was my number 1 in 2022, making it one of the first years Fox Academy was dethroned. I did not listen to them much in 2023 but their discography is vast and not a single one of their songs is a skip, it is easy to see them become a regular on my top 5 every year. While they did not come out with a new studio album in 2023, I went on a little deep dive on albums post Twin Fantasy, because in 2022 that album was essentially all I heard. I love "Big Jacket" and all of the versions in and out of Spotify, I feel like if we took the statistics from Bandcamp and Youtube on how much I listen to Car Seat Headrest they would easily rest higher on the list. 

While this is the first time Boygenius is in my top 5, I have been listening to Phoebe, Lucy, and Julian for years now. Their newest album The Record with the extended EP The Rest really pushed me forward on listening to all three of them, however. It is rare to hear songs or entire albums dedicated to a bond between friends, and I am just so happy how Boygenius has been able to show this 'beyond platonic' friendship that can happen between people, both in the songs and concerts. While all of the songs hit right in the heart, "Voyager" puts me in a state that very few songs do. 

I would go into detail on the top songs, but as all the songs are from the top 5 artists, I find it a little redundant. It really just demonstrates how much these artists have meant to me in this past year. 

2024 Spotify Wrapped Goals:

Around this time last year, I had an entire list of goals I wanted with my Spotify account: the number of songs, new playlists, languages to listen to, everything. Every number was higher than the year prior, and while I did not allow myself to look at it throughout the year, I had the numbers etched into my brain. It felt great knowing I was exceeding my own expectations, especially once the year drew closer to an end. Going through the process, however, was daunting. I had more days where I was burnt out listening to new music and found myself going back to old playlists and artists often. It frustrated me to waste time not listening to new artists, but I would still be stressed knowing I was fulfilling my goals.

Listening to music should never be taken that seriously. Especially when I am gaining nothing from it, outside of what I hope are good memories with the songs. 2023 was supposed to be the year I took it less seriously, actually, as I had seen a trend where every other year my stats were less than what I expected and were overall underwhelming years and 2022 was relatively good. So, when I looked back at 2023, while it was a stressful year, I was so proud of the music I had found, the playlists I had made, etc. I cannot call it underwhelming. 

Therefore, 2024 will be the year I relax. No goals, no specific statistics I am aiming for, I just want to enjoy the music I find and have fun with the process again. If the numbers are lower, that is okay. I just know I will be proud of the playlist that comes out of this year. 

Closer:

So that was my Wrapped! How was yours? Let me know in the comments below!

~ Limon☆

Queerness Transcends - LGBTQ+ Artists Changing the Landscape

Playlist link: Queerness Transcends ☆  

Music has always been more than just something to put on in the background for me. Many of my friends know me for the unnecessary amount of music I listen to and the countless hours I put into looking for new artists. I just find music so captivating, and at a time with so many streaming platforms, we have the privilege of hearing so many different perspectives and stories.

Recently, I created a playlist with some of these stories, specifically from LGBTQ+ voices. Throughout my coming out journey, now as I navigate life as a queer person, I have used music as a way to feel more connected with myself and others in the community. As I was coming out it was much harder to find LGBTQ+ artists for many reasons. I wanted to create this playlist more to find artists rather than as a way to just listen to music, though having this playlist on shuffle is not that bad. I wanted this so that 1. more LGBTQ+ people can find artists they connect to and 2. some of these artists get the love and support they deserve. 

I focused primarily on artists who have intersecting identities with their queerness, as those are usually the artists who do not get the proper recognition. They have also been the artists that have helped me through my journey as a queer person of color.

Below are 5 artists I want to highlight from this playlist:

1. Villano Antillano

Villana (or Villano) Antillano (She/They) is a Puerto Rican rapper and songwriter who has changed the landscape of Latin rap. I found her, like many, through Bizarrap's session with her, "BZRP Session #51". Bizarrap is an Argentine producer who collaborates with popular Spanish-speaking artists, his collaborations reaching a range of 50-200 million views depending on the artist. When Villana collaborated with Biza she was not as well known, but her collaboration skyrocketed, and the video now at 237 million views. Villana defines herself as a transfeminist and emphasizes the experiences of queer and trans people in her music. She has made such a difference in the Latin music space and it honestly warms my heart to see how many people's first view of trans people is Villana and their songs. 

2. Janelle Monáe 

Janelle Monáe (She/They) is a singer, songwriter, rapper, actor, and overall amazing human being. It is a little embarrassing how long it took me to really listen to their work, especially since my best friend loves them, but I am so glad I do now. Janelle Monàe has had so much amazing work since starting their music career in 2003, a lot of it talking against oppressions Black and queer people face through futuristic themes. Monáe has also been very vocal outside of her music bringing up the topics in her interviews and acceptance speeches. As my friend put it "She was able to blend her blackness and her queerness in an amalgamation that didn’t deny either of them. Even when they were being attacked for being too black, being too 'mannish', they stood resilient in the face of hate. And then, when that became the norm for them, they pivoted away to a celebration of love, a celebration of being sexy."

3. Willow Scarlet 

Willow Scarlet (He/They) is a queer Goth singer and songwriter from India. I found him making this playlist and I am glad I did. I am not one who usually listens to Goth or its adjacent genres but the eerie nature of the songs was just so captivating. After looking into them I have found out all the amazing work they do, not just in their music, but for the Gothic community as well. They are a vocal advocate for people of color and queer people in Goth spaces, putting on fashion shows demonstrating Gothic clothing designed by him on Desi models, and being a voice for other Desi Goth artists. Willow Scarlet is one of those artists, that although some of their songs are in a different language you can still enjoy the meaning behind them and their sounds and production. I am really excited to see where Willow Scarlet goes from here, as he has already had such an amazing impact on the Goth community.

4. Dreamer Isioma 

Dreamer Isioma (They/He) is a Nigerian-American singer and songwriter. They are known for their hit song "Sensitive" which became a popular sound clip on TikTok in 2020. I began listening to Dreamer in October of 2022, and while they had gained a lot of popularity before then, seeing them grow past that has been so great to see. Their music touches many different concepts, but one of the things that stuck with me was their journey with embracing their femininity after transitioning. It is something I can relate to. They also mix their Nigerian culture into their music and visuals; both concepts are well represented in their newest album Princess Forever. Their trippy, funky sound is so mesmerizing to listen to, I can have so many of their songs on a loop for hours. 

5. Molly Grace

Molly Grace (She/Her) is a singer and songwriter who focuses on LGBTQ+ topics, body positivity, and women empowerment. It was hard choosing the last artist for this list but it did not seem right to not talk about the artist that gave me the idea of this playlist in the first place. I found Molly Grace through an Instagram reel about a month ago; she was singing "Lover (Love Her)" on stage and I just fell in love. Her presence on screen was so magnetizing, and the song just sounded so fun and freeing I had to look more into her content. She gets her musical influences from her Armenian and Irish background, mixing in some American genres, which ends up with an amalgamation of a fun pop-funk sound. 

There are over 50 artists in this playlist, and I am going to continue to add more over time, but I hope this introduction to 5 of the artists gets you excited to hear the rest. Comment below any of your favorite queer artists, or if you found a new artist through this playlist! 

Playlist link: Queerness Transcends ☆

~Limon☆

I'm Back! An Update...

 

Update:

As the year comes near a close, a school project reminds me of this blog and suddenly I am struck by how fast time flies. I will be honest, a lack of proper structure and school responsibilities got in the way of this blog. With three drafts and multiple playlists with "blog post maybe" on the description, I did not not want to work on this account, I just got busy. 

That being said, I have 6 playlists with blog posts that will be posted in the last month of 2023. One of them is the school project, it will be different than what I usually do, but I am still proud of it. The others are end-of-year wrap-ups, most of them are just to fill my innate need to show off the amount of people I have listened to this year and will most likely be a couple of posts with a few playlists for each post. 

What is coming up in the future?

To be honest. We will see. I don't think doing multiple weekly blog posts will be helpful for me, especially since the start of the New Year means a new semester in school and work. I will be working on some sort of schedule during winter break and will post it by the first week of January. What I am hoping for is at least a monthly blog post, but maybe I can sneak in a bit more. Regardless, my Spotify is updated constantly, so if you wish to keep up with me that and Twitter are where to go.

Here is to finals week! 

~Limon☆

Album Review: 10,000 Gecs -100 Gecs

 Overall rating: 9/10

    It is hard to explain 100 Gecs' music, with their many genres mixed into one, their absurd lyricism, and overall style, their newest album 10,000 Gecs is no different from this. In less than 30 minutes, they sing songs talking about a frog at a party, a song about Doritos and Fritos, to a song about tooth removal; no album has been more 100 Gecs than 10,000 Gecs since their debut album 1,000 Gecs. 

    Consisting of Laura Les and Dylan Brady, this duo is able to bring their own knowledge of producing and singing-songwriting to create a conglomerate that is so unique to them. 100 Gecs is seen as the godfather to the Hyperpop genre, but you honestly cannot put the band into a box no matter how broad and obscure you make it, which makes for some amazing carefree songs. 

    The album starts with a sample of the iconic THX sound effect in "Dumbest Girl Alive" that then moves to a more rock-sounding beat that honestly goes hard. As for the lyrics... I cannot for the life of me make a proper interpretation of this specific song, the lyrics sound aggressive and mad, but I don't know what to make of it. It is the fun part of 100 Gecs, in my opinion; some songs could have more meaning, and others are just pointless fun, either way, that doesn't matter, just listen and have fun.

    No other song shows that more than "Frog on the Floor", which is a story about a frog... on the floor, who no one knows where he came from. But he is doing keg stands and having a blast at the party! Until he has a little too much fun and starts chasing flies. This song is honestly so perfect, the number of frog croaks throughout with the ska beat playing for almost the entire song, this amalgamation of noise has become one of my favorite songs of the year. 

    "I Got My Tooth Removed" is another 100 Gecs classic. It starts somber with Dylan Brady singing about someone, or something, that has just been awful to him, so he has to leave them. Then it goes straight to ska baby! The first time I went onto Genius to see what this song was about, which honestly the fact I did not get it by the title says a lot about me. The summary said something about this either being about a tooth needing to get removed, or it's an allegory to suicidal idealization. Again, you can never really know with 100 Gecs, but that comment has stuck with me since I first saw it, and cannot hear the song differently even though it is such a stretch. 

    But honestly, that is the fun of 100 Gecs and this album, it is amazing production, music mixing, and lyricism mixed to make the most stupid and enjoyable music. They are pioneers in making the absurd a somewhat mainstream thing to listen to and I am sure they will continue to do so until there are no more Gecs to give.
~Limon 

10 New and Upcoming Artist to Listen to:

Magazine Beach 

 

    We are living in one of the greatest eras for music making. Many free resources are available to create and with platforms such as SoundCloud making it easy to drop music, there are so many new artists to choose from and listen to. This list is in no particular order, nor specific to any genre, though I will try my best to categorize each artist. Give them a listen, give them support, and comment on artists you think deserve some love. 

Artists:

• Magazine Beach
• Genre: Punk/Rock/Emo
• Favorite Song: Summer Hits
• Quinn
• Genre: Hyperpop/Glitchcore
• Favorite Song: i don't want that many friends in the first place
• The 1-800s
• Genre: Alt Rock/Alt Punk
• Favorite Song: Gawty
• Motel Breakfast
• Genre: Indie Rock/Folk Rock
• Favorite Song: MB (as in Modern Baseball)
• Palo Sopraño
• Genre: Indie Rock/Garage Rock
• Favorite Song: Something Sweet
• Tiny Kingdom
• Genre: Pop Rock/Pop Punk
• Favorite Song: If We Were Alone
• Amber Ais
• Genre: Indie Pop
• Favorite Song: Pity Party
• The Tracies
• Genre: Rock
• Favorite Song: Stargaze
• Ash Tuesday
• Genre: Indie Pop/Bubblegrunge
• Favorite Song: Calypso
• Evenson
• Genre: Space Pop/Indie R&B/Indie Pop
• Favorite Song: IF I EVER FEEL BETTER
  

    

    Hopefully, this list is not too confusing to go through. I will most likely do a list like this every Monday, if you have any suggestions on how to set this up better, artists to add to next week's list, or anything else, comment below!

    ~Limon☆

Album Review: Preacher’s Daughter - Ethel Cain

Silken Weinberg

Overall review: 8/10

    This is another one of those albums and artists I wish I would have found before this year but I am glad I inevitably did. Preacher’s Daughter is a story following Ethel Cain, a character and the moniker created by singer-songwriter Hayden Silas Anhedönia. The album is explicit and touches on many hard topics such as sexual assault and abuse, so a warning before listening.

    Throughout the album, we learn about Ethel, her upbringing, hardships, relationships, and heartbreaking death at the hands of an abusive lover. The genres are boundary-breaking, going from Americana to slowcore, rock to ethereal, the album is able to depict the fantasy and dark reality of the American Dream. While the story and character of Ethel Cain are fictional, the concepts come from real-life experiences that take form through the "what ifs" in artist Ethel's life. 

    The first full song “American Teenager” is one of the only upbeat songs in the album, finding success on TikTok and bringing the album to the limelight. Its 80s-style pop beat is contrasted by its lyricism. Depicting everything a teenager brought up at the time is taught to thrive for, and the disappointment that comes from realizing it is almost always unattainable. The lines "The neighbor's brother came home in a box / But he wanted to go, so maybe it was his fault / another red heart taken by the American dream." in the first verse takes you to the morbid reality of it all, and the fault placed onto the American kids almost to say death is a price for freedom and individualism. 

    The rest of the album follows a more bleak, slow tone such as "House in Nebraska" which depicts the heartbreak and longing of an ex-lover; or "Hard Times" which reflects on the sexual abuse Ethel endured at the hands of her father. Another, more grueling listen is "Ptolomea" which shows the end of an abusive relationship, where Ethel desperately screams for it to stop. The last is followed by two instrumentals almost as a cool down to reflect on everything the past 55 minutes have put you through mentally, while in the storyline Ethel is killed by her abusive partner, and ascends to Heaven.

    The last two songs are honestly some of my favorites in the album. "Sunbleached Flies" is a reflection of the entire story of Ethel so far singing "What I wouldn't give to be in Church this Sunday / Listening to the choir, so heartfelt, all singing / God loves you, but not enough to save you" looking back at what Ethel was taught back in "American Teenager". Ethel also calls back to "House in Nebraska" remembering her first love, and almost faulting herself for what she was never able to attend. 

    The last song, "Strangers" feels like a letter to the abusive partner, who according to the storyline cannibalizes her after killing her. The lines "I tried to be good / Am I no good?" and "If I'm turning in your stomach and I'm making you feel sick / Am I making you feel sick?" makes my stomach turn with just the amount of emotion and desperation sang by Ethel, the last few moments asking where she went wrong and if she could get the last laugh from any guilt her partner might have. She ends the song directed toward her mother, consoling her from Heaven and telling her not to worry; telling her she loves her, and she will see her soon.

    Overall this album was an experience to listen to it, and like the last album I have played it on a loop for the past month, making me tear up every now and again. I understand this album is not for everyone, whether it's the slow pacing, long songs; or the hard-to-hear topics that it tackles. Still, I feel like, if it's possible, everyone should listen to it once. It was life-changing for me. Ethel Cain as an artist has some incredible songs outside of this album including the album "Inbred" which follows a similar style. Ethel Cain is one of those artists I will keep an eye on all year to see her growth as she already has such an amazing discography under her and she is just starting. Preacher's Daughter is one of three albums that will come out of this "Ethel Cain" project. Again, an amazing album to come out of 2022, and one of my favorite albums to have listened to this year!

Listen on Spotify

    ~Limon☆