52 Weeks of Mixtapes
Week 3
Welcome back to 52 Weeks of Mixtapes, my second music series for The Low Major.
Every Sunday, I’ll publish a mixtape of music centered around something - a feeling, a time, a person, a place. We’re running on vibes here. Each playlist cover will be a photo or an edit that’s my own work. This shit’s organic.
Two (self-imposed) rules for this project:
Each mixtape will never be more than an hour - usually in that 45-60 minute space, long enough to run with it, but I’m not gonna brute-force any level of length. Quality over quantity, as they say.
I’m also going to try to avoid reusing artists within the same mixtape and tracks within the same month. Sometimes songs are good enough that it’d be silly to not touch on them again, so you might see some old friends.
I’ll link to the playlist, talk a little bit (like, one sentence) about each track, their ordering and why they were included, and that’ll be all. Pretty simple, and hopefully enjoyable for you.
hold me close tonight
new places, new faces, and familiar feelings
1 | Conversation | Fenech-Soler | 4:01
I like a little up-tempo electronica to open this one - and with such an addictive chorus, it’s a song that left its mark on me pretty easily.
2 | On My Mind | Mitzi | 3:22
Sliding back towards indie dance for this one, half Roosevelt, half Passion Pit, all banger.
3 | Sure | Hatchie | 4:09
I love the reverb that just flows through every single note of this song - it gives ‘Sure’ a really ethereal air that perfectly nails that sort of cloudy haze that comes with figuring out a new partnership.
4 | Upswing | Prinze George | 4:43
I hadn’t heard this song more than twice in the past three or four years, but it’s got this lovely synth-rock energy propelling it forward - fits the vibe just about perfectly.
5 | Crush (It’s Late, Just Stay) | Yumi Zouma | 3:33
Addictive RnB, high energy at the peak, but those keyboard-driven bridges are the real highlight of this track.
6 | Something About You | Hayden James | 3:45
I think the ODESZA remix makes a better song, but the jungle-tinged synths of the original and the sparse breakbeat into these deep-toned drops really shine around a lot of songs that tend to up the ante.
7 | Cult Logic | Miike Snow | 3:56
Early favorite listen from 2024 so far - feels almost chiptuney, but in a way that doesn’t irritate - instead, the clear building block to bigger and better things.
8 | Tied to You | The Knocks feat. Justin Tranter | 4:21
A horribly slept-on ditty from 55, one of my favorite tracks about the inexplicable sort of dance that sometimes happens when you meet someone new. It’s framed around a dance pop instrumental that, to date, remains among my favorite works by the Knocks.
9 | Physical | St. Lucia | 5:29
The chorus is a little odd, but I think this is St. Lucia near the peak of their form, high-energy pushing to a frankly absurd peak. They don’t fuck around, and it’s a brilliant star among their best.
10 | Tonight [RAC Remix w/ Extra Vocals] | Yuksek | 4:43
I’m a huge RAC guy - but this mix was a bit of a revelation. Under echoey vocals and a very raw synth, you get this glowing high instrumental melody, sparkling and twirling, two halves of the same whole dancing in tandem.
11 | We Stayed Up All Night | Tourist feat. Ardyn | 4:26
After a lot of high-energy tracks, it’s nice to take a step back - this one has a fantastic little progression, but takes plenty of time to reach its crescendo, and in doing so, develops one of the greatest buildups I’ve heard to one of these vapor soul tracks.
12 | See You Again | Roosevelt | 4:23
Title’s really self-explanatory with relevance to the playlist and title, I think, but this is also the song I have the easiest time envisioning a concept music video to - just wonderful indie dance.
13 | So Good | Beat Connection | 4:15
I love a little near-ODESZA dance track to finish off a feeling - something about the Near Eastern influences here really do a lot to add dimension to a track that could otherwise feel a bit uninspired.
Enjoy the list! I’ll see y’all next week.