Noots Letter: Changing of The Seasons
March 2021
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Unfortunately I’m at a stage in my life where I start 75% of my sentences the same way, which is “I saw this TikTok where…” I’m sorry.
Anyways, I saw this TikTok where user @pattypopculture ranked five of his favorite genres that didn’t exist, and it’s my new favorite game. Please do this with all of your friends and let me know what you come up with—this is your one chance to be The Guy at Spotify Who Made Up the “Escape Room” Genre that topped everyone’s 2020 wrapped lists. Here are some of mine:
Hyperpop remixes that should not exist
The New York Times calls it “ebullient electro-maximalism.” I call it “when you thrust your tongue straight into the powder side of the FunDip pack, no stick.” Not only do these remixes turn more subdued songs into manic ones (Glitch Gum - Kyoto), but they also give new life to tracks that probably should have been left in the past (Rebecca Black - Friday, Teenage Dirtbag - Hyperpop Version).
The end of the world
Give me any opportunity to be reminded of my mortality, and I will slurp that up as fast I chugged a Nesquick after getting my first Moderna shot. Tracks like Fear the Future (St. Vincent) and As The World Caves In (Matt Maltese) turn mundane panic into high-drama cinema soundtrack vibes.
An absolute whisp singing about family
Some slender asparagus fingers tiddling a devastating ditty on an acoustic guitar about generational dysfunction? Sign me up. Ugly cry at Don’t Let the Kids Win (Julia Jacklin) and Thumbs (Lucy Dacus) while you ponder your relationship with your sibling.
Catholic Guilt
I cannot go a single day this week without talking about MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name) by Lil Nas X, who continues to define music history. Although the video and his internet responses are outofthisworld and instantly legendary, the themes are as old as religion itself. Madonna did it with Like A Prayer, Alanis Morissette did it with Forgiven, Kate Bush did it with Running Up That Hill (Deal With God). Hozier said “Take Me To Church” (in the biblical sense), a taxi driver told Frank Ocean he had “Bad Religion”, and FKA Twigs dedicated a whole album to Mary Magdalene. If you still default to the Act of Contrition any time you jaywalk, listen to this stunning playlist religious guilt, but make it gay.
[Inanimate Object] Titles
The only thing more satisfying than hearing the name of a song in the song? Never hearing the name of the song in the song and spending the rest of your life wondering why the hell the artist named this romantic ballad “kitchen sponge”. Scroll down for playlist linked below!
Speaking of TikTok (I’m still going, folks), the “Please Don’t Go” challenge swept across the globe this month, in which users cut to videos of them driving with the windows down, hair wrapped up like Thelma and Louise. If you haven’t completely repressed the years of your life where you wore Tiffany necklaces, Hollister hoodies, and Jergens Natural Glow Tanning Moisturizer, you may recall the Mike Posner summer bop from eleven (I shudder) years ago.
Highlights of the trend include this pair of unlikely pals, this trip to Flavortown, and Benny Blanco’s, which made me drop my phone in my scrambled eggs.
After some intensive research (a.k.a. visiting the Know Your Meme webpage), I found that @lasagnalover1738 is cited as the first trendsetter. And I have a TON of questions for her. Namely, why? Did she like this song when she was growing up (I assume she was only 8 when it came out)? Did she google “songs that have ‘go’ in them” and land on this one? Is Mike Posner her cool uncle? Or was she inspired by his cross-country trip where he walked from New Jersey to California and nearly risked his life after being bitten by a rattle snake? How is Mike doing after that, by the way? OR was it suggested to her by TikTok, further cementing the conspiracy that Big Industry is behind everything??
All this is to say that I'm fascinated by the old songs that are experiencing a resurgence now. It must be so odd for a former star to move on with their life, pop out a few kids, and suddenly realize their song is trending again because a teenager used it to practice their cinematography/makeup skills. But keep the throwback/imitation game coming, because this performance is now my primary source of serotonin.
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Adult Mom, Driver: An incredible combination of authenticity, angst, and atonement on a record that makes you want to roll the windows down.
serpentwithfeet, DEACON: Both other-worldly and honest. Overshadowing the pain of his last album, these reverberant melodies highlight indubitable joy.
IAN SWEET, Show Me How You Disappear: Bright, acidic, scratchy, and sweet. Feels like running down the center of an empty street in the middle of the night. Turn it UP.
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[ Inanimate Objects ]: songs about things (re: above)
Changing of the Seasons, March ‘21: it’s getting warmer! it’s corny! it’s restorative! it’s melting my seasonal depression!
the millennium can have a beer now: a compilation of all new favorite songs released this year so far
P.S. special shout out to personal pals with new music! i am proud of u :)
Sarah Bonn, "Not True" - Julia Nunes cover
Bandits on the Run, “Hurricane" (friends of friends!)
Ooh and my own plug! Performing in Off-White on April 16-18, which is not a musical but does feature a ton of early 2000s hits that you will most certainly remember all the words to!