María Castaño, A&E Editor
With the beginning of a new semester always comes new challenges, and as a commuter, a recurring theme I have to grapple with is the almost inevitable dead spaces in between classes that I have to do something with. It is scientifically proven that being productive during those times is harder than walking barefoot on glass, so the temptation to just open reels and spend an hour and a half on the quad feeding my phone addiction is really big. This playlist is made with the intent of keeping you away from your phone during that dead hour and actually trying to focus on something else; maybe go on a walk, read, be productive (again, easier said than done), or do anything to keep you away from short-form content. These couple of songs then will hopefully make that time pass faster, or at least make it enjoyable to just sit and people-watch, as I made sure all of these songs are as vibe-y as possible.
- Sexy to Someone – Clairo
I decided to open the song with something softer but still fun. This is a song that gets me in the mood to relax and look at the things around me, romanticize my daily life a bit, and think about my friends. It’s fun, and it reminds me of the chiller days right before the summer ends, when the cold begins to whisper, and you look up to see two or three singular orange leaves.
Favorite lyric: Sexy is something I see in everything / Honey stickin’ to your hands, sugar on the rim
- Green Eyes – Erykah Badu
If sexy to someone is supposed to ignite the mood to slow down in you, this song is supposed to keep you in it. To help you embrace the lethargy caused by knowing you are technically wasting your time, but the end of the summer is too nice to feel guilty about sitting in the quad between classes without at least checking your email or catching up on a reading for tomorrow’s class.
Favorite lyric: Before I heal it’s gonna be a while, I know it’s gonna be a while, chil’.
- Paper Bag – Fiona Apple
I kept wanting to call this song theatrical for some reason, although it is, like the past two songs, on the slower side, telling the story of a toxic relationship with unrequited love, until I finally made the connection between the story told here and the one in The Deep Blue Sea by Terrence Rattigan, which I read last semester in my English class. The thing I loved the most about this play and that still haunts me is the last scene when Hester essentially decides to keep living (I cannot rant about it here, but please watch the play; it’s so good).
Favorite lyric: Hunger hurts but starving works when it costs too much to love.
- Tonight – Pink Pantheress
Necessary hard pivot from all the sad songs! As everything produced by Pink Pantheress, this song is a vibe and easily puts me in a good mood, so I wanted to include it since I think it’s important to keep a positive outlook. This song, to me, kind of represents the fun in anticipating. The fun part of having expectations and fantasies that keep us from apathy, even if these don’t come true; daydreaming is always fun, especially with the right playlist in the background!
Favorite lyric: Anticipation makes me feel like throwing up / But tonight, can you get ready?
- Cementerio Club – Pescado Rabioso
I love walking with this song in the background. I associate it with a hot Sunday afternoon, when the heat feels suffocating, and you can do nothing but sit and hope it passes quickly. Yet it’s not a bad feeling; it’s a type of waiting that feels justified, especially if you hate hot weather as much as I do. It’s a song that doesn’t ask for much; it just wants to be listened to, almost inevitable like those dreaded afternoons – or gaps in between classes.
Favorite lyric: Qué calor hará sin vos en verano (How hot will it be without you in the summer).
- A Estos Hombres Tristes – Almendra
A song about losing yourself to the city and trying to reconnect with the quotidian and the natural. It critiques the fast-paced environment on which a city depends and defends the need of the individual to engage more authentically, naturally, and slowly with the things that matter to be able to discover yourself. I think a song like this belongs in this playlist for obvious reasons, and it makes me think about the importance of balance and measuring what you want and how to get these things without giving yourself up, or worse, never getting to actually know you. While it seems a little overkill for a playlist about a half-hour gap in my schedule (and it kind of is), I think it puts a nice ribbon to it, ending on a high note.
Favorite lyric: Una vez vi que no cantabas / Y no sé porqué / Si tienes voz, tienes palabras / Déjalas caer (Once I saw you did not sing / And I don’t know why / If you have a voice, you have words / let them fall).