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.
Justin Mancini (Co-host of Podelay!)
Song: “Catatonic”
Artist: Sleep
Before they unleashed their iconic Holy Mountain and Dopesmoker albums upon the world, these stoner metal pioneers were pushing the limits of trudgy, lugubrious riffs and glacial tempos. I keep returning to this track from their debut album Volume One for its structural innovations and primal fury. It’s the kind of song that dares to be patient, to withhold as much power as it delivers, letting basslines build and drums steadily find their groove.
It easily meanders from more relaxed passages to hazy, heavy breakdowns, refusing to settle on an overarching theme. Bassist/vocalist Al Cisneros snarls and spits like a caged animal, finding an eerie acceptance of his fate toward the end before heaving an unearthly sigh toward the heavens. In a genre so understandably associated with a certain leafy substance, Sleep remind us that great songwriting and performance can be appreciated in any mental state, unaltered or otherwise.
Randy Allain (Co-Host of Podelay!, Co-Host Media/Lit Podcast)
Song: “In the Night”
Artist: Beck
We thought it might be coming, but this month, Beck Hansen officially announced his 15th studio album, Ride Lonesome, dropping on September 18, 2026. Alongside the announcement, he also dropped a brand new single. “In the Night” follows in the tradition of Sea Change and Morning Phase with haunting guitar picking over a heavy string arrangement from Beck’s father and longtime collaborator, David Campbell. It’s not exactly a feel-good tune for the summer, but it captures the rhythm of the heart-wrenching 3 a.m. turmoil that occasionally shakes our souls on those long, hot summer nights. Let’s face it, sometimes, the questions are so big that even our most trusted guides and role models can’t provide the answers we need:
Your teachers and your saints
They’ll walk you to the grave
And say you’ll find your way
In the night
Wanna get hyped for the new album? Join us over on Podelay: A Beck Hansen Appreciation Podcast!
Christal Garcia (Rutgers University Summer Writing Program)
Song: “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You (I Love Baby)”
Artist: Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Hill, the rapper/singer-songwriter known for ‘Ex-Factor’ and ‘Killing Me Softly With His Song’ originally wrote the song, “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You,” for the The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill album which premiered August 19, 1998 . This track alongside other songs have gone platinum globally. Lauryn Hill has only come out with one album, all the songs on the tracklist earned so much recognition.
“Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You (I Love Baby),” has a soothing melody with a mix of pop. Her lyrics come across as very loving and appreciated; it’ll make you feel warm, while yearning for a loved one. Lauryn Hill incorporates heartfelt and relaxing lyrics that make you feel more acknowledged by your partner than you have ever felt. This is a song you play when you are in love with someone so much, you cannot take your eyes off of them. “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You (I Love Baby),” will have you feeling as if you’re walking on Cloud 9 with your significant other.
Kris Ingersoll (Co-Host Podelay!, Co-Host Batman by the Numbers, Co-Host Media/Lit)
Song: “Bender”
Artist: The Paradox
When folks think of the music scene in Atlanta, Georgia, pop punk certainly isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. In general, pop punk isn’t quite the hot topic it was 15 plus years ago. One band is working to change all that. Formed in the summer 2024, The Paradox burst onto the scene with a huge social media presence helping to boost each single they dropped and they quickly caught the attention of new fans and industry legends alike.
Just a year after their debut, Eric Dangerfield (vocals/guitar), Christopher “Xelan” Bernard (lead guitar/vocals), Donald Bryant (bass), and Percy “PC3” Crews (drums), were anointed by none other than Travis Barker when he featured on their new single “Bender” and performed life with the boys for the music video. A few months later they dropped their first album, NSFW, and now it feels like they’re single handedly breathing life into a genre that was going terminal.
Combining power cord heavy guitar work and high octane percussion with catchy melodies and emotive lyrics, The Paradox do their pop punk forefathers proud. NSFW is a no-skips-necessary type of album but, if you must cherry pick, “Bender,” “No Strings Attached
and “Do Me Like That” stand out for their lyrical excellence. All the angst, joy, and rebellion you expect but with a Gen-Z twist that makes it all their own. Their sound will be pleasantly familiar to any fan of the genre but it’s far from played-out. Rather than the last gasps of a dying animal, The Paradox brings the triumphant roar of a new born beast to a genre many of us hold dear.
Kelley Lauginiger
Song: “Any Major Dude Will Tell You”
Artist: Steely Dan
July has brought many things, but one of them most notably is Jimothy. The beloved Seattle raccoon with a spinal disorder has gone viral for being super cute. After this video of him seeking stairway sustenance amassed 6.8 million views in three days, fan art pages and Subreddits were immediately created. The respect shown to Jimothy by locals, who also call him ‘Nubby,’ has been furthered through wildlife education and community camaraderie.
Everyone wants this little guy to win and get his little snacks. Watching the internet agree on something so pure begs the question: Can the country compassionately resolve its differences through the power of Jimothy?
Social media feeds full of Jimothy fan art and drawings have repeatedly felt familiar. Not quite able to place why, it hit me smack in the Steely Dan at my dad’s 70th birthday party. In the middle of “Any Major Dude Will Tell You,” Donald Fagen (and dad) sang:“Have you ever seen a squonk’s tears? Well look at mine…”
It hit me. A cryptid from Pennsylvania folklore, the mythical squonk is described as a deformed creature who is so sad they travel mostly at dusk to remain unseen and unheard. Weeping incessantly for their perceived ugly appearance, squonks leave their predators a trail. If hunters locate them, the squonks’ greatest defense is melting into a puddle of their own tears to their death.
Leave it to Donald Fagen to compare his feelings to a 1910 mythical molerat’s demise. As a song, “Any Major Dude” flows perfectly well without knowing any of this, and that is Steely Dan’s gift. Learning something from Fagen and Becker’s deeper messaging is ours.
Similarly, the internet’s Jimothy is not ugly, but he is uniquely deformed. Cheering him on has brought people together, sparked imagination for art and creativity, and has helped everyone learn. Is Jimothy a fuzzy, cute version of the mythical squonk?
Perhaps by showing all creatures love, events like Squonkapalooza may keep encouraging what’s different about us all, to be our magic.
Nynoshka Vazquez (Staff Writer for The Pop Break and Underground Edit)
Song: “To The Men That Love Women After Heartbreak”
Artist: Kelsea Ballerini
This month I have been jumping from mood to mood, genre to genre, listening to everything that makes my heart smile. But there is one song that I have had on repeat, that has made me sing beyond comparison, tear up out of thin air, and that’s “To The Men That Love Women After Heartbreak” by Kelsea Ballerini.
As a Pisces, I am an extremely romantic yet sensitive being. I first heard this song on the Kelly Clarkson show as a duet. It grasped at my heartstrings from the first chord progression. A description of love, vulnerability, and most importantly trust.
Rebuilding after being broken is not easy, and being the person alongside them is just as hard.
“To the men that love women after heartbreak / to the tears they catch but didn’t make them fall
To the strong and steady shoulders / helping her get over
And the ones that get forever after all
It aint fair and its hard to understand
It ain’t easy but you do it cause you can
And you don’t see my heart as second hand
And baby that’s why it takes a man”
When you love someone, you support them through the highs and the lows, the pain and the sorrow, regardless of what caused it. This song has become an absolute favorite.
Bill Bodkin (Editor-in-Chief, The Pop Break)
Song: “Black Dog Rabbit Hole”
Artist: Devon Gilfillian is a name I’ve seen on dozens of festival posters and concert calendars in the Northeast for years. However, I didn’t actually hear one of his songs until his single “Black Dog Rabbit Hole” off his 2026 album Time Will Tell*… and oh man what an introduction. The song starts with a bit of Western New Age meets Gospel, then rips into a searing, electric guitar-driven blues anthem. Gilfillian’s voice has tinges of Gary Clark Jr. and Robert Randolph, combined with the swagger and panache of Lenny Kravitz. This song absolutely rips and contains one of the better modern guitar solos you’re going to hear.
Brandon Hoffman (Staff Writer, The Pop Break)
Song: “Flyers Direct”
Artist: Fearless Flyers
My endless love for modernized funk music continues on with the Fearless Flyers. These insane musicians formed in 2018 and consists of Joe Dart and Cory Wong of Vulfpeck, which were the familiar faces for me. Guitarist Mark Letteri and Drummer Nate Smith get thrown into the mix, and you’ve got yourselves a nonstop head-bobbing supergroup. This song “Flyers Direct” in particular makes everyone a rhythm instrument player. Mark and Joe take control of the main melody while Cory and Nate run wild with their respective guitar and drums. Everyone, especially Nate Smith, demonstrates why their talents are absolutely perfected in a sea of beautiful instrumentation. I’ve learned over the past several years, some of the best pieces of music out there are ones where lyrics aren’t needed to portray the effects of it. The Fearless Flyers’ effects are that they produce music tighter than a quadruple knot. Super groovy.
