The Playlist is a brand new column for Pop Break celebrating the songs we love at this very moment, and we think you, our readers, should be putting in your life as well! This column features recommendations from the writers, podcasters and photographers of Pop Break as well as our friends from the world of journalism, entertainment, podcasting and our everyday lives.
Bill Bodkin (Editor-in-Chief, The Pop Break)
Song: “Freebird”
Artist: MOONLIGHT
This song has been stuck in my heard ever since I heard it on a random Instagram reel. It’s one of the silliest songs you’ve going to hear, but also kinda genius? MOONLIGHT cuts out 95% of this epic anthem and samples the God tier guitar solos and matches it to all gas, no brakes beats. It works way better than you’d expect and feels like it was ripped out of the mash-up trend for the Aughts. Spiked with eagles screeching and some dude yelling “WHAT THE F*CK IS A KILOMETER?” this absolute banger makes you want to throw shapes into the ether and it’ll leave you feeling absolutely ready to run through a wall. Maybe it’s all the time I’ve spent at the Jersey Shore – including those 10 years covering Seaside Heights (yes, the home of MTV’s Jersey Shore) – that has warped my brain into liking this song. But, you know what? Not apologizing at all for this pick.
Taylor Memoli (Staff Writer, Co-Editor-in-Chief of The Underground Edit)
Song: “Lord, Let That Tesla Crash”
Artist: CMAT
As soon as I heard the lyrics “I don’t miss you like I should/ but I’d kill myself to find out if you think this song is good,” I knew this song would be on a constant repeat for me. “Lord, Let That Tesla Crash” by CMAT tells the story of grief through a pessimistic, heartbroken lens. While the lyrics closely align with the physical death of a friend, I interpret the song through the lens of a different kind of loss—the metaphorical death of a relationship, like a breakup. CMAT sings of memories now tarnished, specifically the image of a Tesla parked outside of this person’s old house, depicting that life still moves on after an event that has left her feeling frozen in time. CMAT’s voice, mixed with the slowed-down track, makes for a haunting yet addictive contrast, capturing both grief and CMAT’s musical talent.
Justin Mancini (Co-host of Podelay!)
Song: “Hourglass”
Artist: Lamb of God
Still going strong since the late ’90s (and having just released their twelfth studio album), Lamb of God might have had their finest moment with their 2004 release, Ashes of the Wake. A direct response to the Iraq War, it feels as frighteningly urgent today with our current debacle in Iran. Nowhere is this truer than on “Hourglass,” a song that marries metronomic precision with pure, exacting riffage. The sense is one of gnawing unease: abrupt stops and starts, ominous whispers, instrumental bridges that appear without warning. Randy Blythe’s throaty growls cut like shards of sand spilling out of their titular vessel, while Chris Adler’s crisp, technical drumming establishes a demented order to the frenzy. Indicting the powerful figures who stand to benefit from the war machine and lamenting the doomed masses feeding it, “Hourglass” sees no rosy future but a predestined fate of manipulation and death. And as Blythe chants the mantra of “It’s only getting worse…”, we can only mourn the failed opportunity to learn from our history—knowing we shall, inevitably, mourn again.
Gabrielle Sangataldo (Staff Writer, Co-Editor-in-Chief of The Underground Edit)
Song: “Sue me”
Artist: Audrey Hobert
Not a song would usually be in my rotation, but “Sue me” is a welcome exception. “Sue me” boasts a driving undercurrent that carries throughout the entirety of the song, as Hobert’s earworm melody makes getting back together with your ex sound like a good idea because, as she eloquently puts it, “fucking your ex is iconic.” It’s truly the anthem of guilty pleasure, persuading any listener that their worst ideas may actually be their best.
Christal Garcia (Rutgers University Spring Writing Program)
Song: “100”
Artist: Ella Mai
Ella Mai, the singer/songwriter, is known for her songs ‘Bood Up’ and ‘Little Things’ She originally wrote the song, 100, for her “Do You Still Love?” album which premiered last month in February. As it’s currently trending and doing numbers on apple music, it has a soft melody and her lyrics are relatable to anyone who is in love. 100 is a song that will make you feel capable of being there for your significant other no matter the situation. Ella Mai incorporates loving and caring lyrics that make you feel more admirable of your partner. This is a song you listen to when you’re cleaning your apartment condo and cooking at the same time. 100 is a song that makes you feel a boost of care and affection; wanting to cherish and appreciate your loved one.
Kris Ingersoll (Staff Writer, Co-Host of Podelay! | Co-Host of Media/Lit Podcast)
Song: “The Unicorn Song”
Artist: The Irish Rovers
t’s always Irish o’clock in our house but in the month of March everyone dons their greens and embraces a little Celtic culture when Saint Paddy’s Day rolls around! Irish music can stir the soul with the harp and the pipe, move you to tears with a mournful tale or inspire the pouring of (several) more pints with a classic pub song, but it can also be downright playful. For the latter, look no further than The Irish Rovers and The Unicorn Song! You don’t need to be a CCD graduate or Sunday school scholar to recognize the story of Noah nestled into this charming tune all about the wonderful, but never seen, unicorn. Leading you in with simple folky instrumentation, The Rovers are charming as ever and you can hear just how solidly their tongues are stuck in their cheeks as they sing out the chorus,
“There were green alligators and long-necked geese
Some humpty-backed camels and some chimpanzees
Some cats and rats and elephants, but sure as you’re born
The loveliest of all was the Unicorn’
As with any great Irish tune, you’ll find yourself singing out loud after just a verse or two and rhyming words like forlorn with unicorn as this silly song plays. Originally written and recorded by Shel Silverstein, the young reader in our house was ecstatic to find these lyrics scrawled on the pages of Where the Sidewalk Ends and to proudly cry “I know this one!” The Irish Rovers made The Unicorn Song famous with their recording in 1968 and it rose to #5 on the Irish Singles Chart. So while this may not have the pub shaking energy of “Shipping Up to Boston,” the true Irish heart holds the Rovers in a special place and the Unicorn Song is among their best. It’s not too late to celebrate Saint Paddy’s Day – Sláinte!
Olivia Aiere (Pop Break Staff Writer, Host of Liv Talks to Much)
Song: “Maureen”
Artist: Fountains Of Wayne
If you’ve ever heard someone say that “Stacy’s Mom” isn’t even the best song from Fountains Of Wayne, know that person was telling the truth. “Maureen” might be one of my favorites, with its classic early 2000s sound that I am frankly addicted to. A good ol’ upbeat alternative song where a guy sings about a girl he can’t have always manages to find a way into my monthly playlists. Maybe it’s the vibe of a cheesy teen movie soundtrack that fills me with a sense of familiarity and comfort. “Maureen” definitely matches this description, along with many other Fountains Of Wayne songs. So to those still obsessed with “Stacy’s Mom,” give these other tracks a try.
Marisa Carpico (Pop Break Film Editor, Co-Host of The Awards Girlies Podcast)
Song: “New Religion”
Artist: Bebe Rexha
Despite modest past hits, (“In the Name of Love”, her collaboration with Martin Garrix, being most notable) Bebe Rexha has been trapped in the Khia Asylum for at least a decade. However, with her latest single, “New Religion”, off the upcoming Dirty Blonde, she may finally escape.
Like many of Rexha’s most successful tracks, “New Religion” relies heavily on a sample. In this case, it’s Faithless’s 1995 dance hit, “Insomnia.” Driven by a slightly sped up version of that song’s reverbed, anthemic dance break and set to a heavier beat, Rexha delivers an ode to losing yourself in the club that immediately places you in the middle of a dark, crowded dance floor, sweating and grooving in collective ecstasy.
Danielle Cairo (Staff Writer)
Song: “This Woman’s Work”
Artist: Maxwell
Maxwell’s rendition to “This Woman’s Work” is amazing song to bring in the new spring season, a period that accentuates all the beauties of womanhood. Maxwell expresses his sentiment for the and sacrifices women make, an ode to their essence in completement. The song is etched with effortless melodies and raw emotion, and R&B masterpiece. “This Woman’s Work” strikes at the core with lyrics about agony, yearning, and love- moments that have passed, wishing they could be relived. A reminder that things are often left unsaid, taken for granted but profoundly felt.
Randy Allain (Staff Writer, Co-Host of Podelay! | Co-Host of Media/Lit Podcast)
Song: “Jesus on the Radio”
Artist: Guster
Nobody can summon up deep emotional introspection out of thin air like the folksy alt-rockers of Guster, and that emotional resonance achieves its highest levels every March 16. While some folks are counting their blessings for surviving the Ides of March and others are stringing up Leprechaun traps, this reviewer is vibing out with Guster:
5 A.M. March 16
Jesus on the radio
You took a photograph of me
In your yellow bucket seat
Despite the Jesus name-drop, this song doesn’t have religion on its mind. It’s merely constructing an atmosphere to help listeners to revisit all of the joy and the pain that has shaped them over the years. This Jesus flavor-text could mean almost anything. It may hint at the culture and values of a past life, or simply invite listeners to apply their own spiritual dispositions to the music. Ultimately, all that matters is that you feel something important to you.
Over the course of the song, we come to understand that the owner of the photograph is struggling to understand that the person they once captured on film has evolved into a whole new entity. Similarly, our narrator can no longer understand who they once were within that frozen memory.
Listeners get a blanket of broad evocative statements they can weave their own stories into:
It’s too high
It’s too wide
You’re so low
You don’t know
To get through
To go ’round
Each phrase rings out in yearning harmony that slowly rises from somber reflection to hopeful refrain alongside a jumpy banjo riff. Although the topic of change can be sad, it’s impossible to deny the positivity inherent in this song. Even though our narrator is sharing a hard truth with the photographer, they also urge them forward toward their own self-realization:
So don’t look back
There ain’t nothing there to see
Once was like you
Can’t say I recognize that face
In the picture that you keep
So folks, take Guster’s advice. Don’t look back – keep looking forward toward the person you’re becoming. You deserve that clarity.
