Confession time: There are three people in my relationship. Myself, my husband, and Reddit.
Oh yes, my husband is a Redditor with a captial “R”. You know when he’s checked out of a given social situation once the phone comes out and the barely-stifled, body-shaking laughter erupts from his general direction, or when he pops out “for a minute” and comes back an hour later, ready for an audience with a slew of factoids/anecdotes/puns. But don’t mistake my jealous inner child from fooling you into thinking I’m not a fan of his relentless Redditing; one of the really, really excellent side-effects of his cyber mistress is that our music game is always totally on point, thanks to r/listentothis.
Reddit’s “new music machine” is unarguably one of the best subreddits on the site. Hands down. It’s a treasure chest full of musical diamonds, begging to be played and smugly shared with all your friends with inferior choon-hunting skillz. Here’s a selection of some of my favorites from the past few months; Listen to this, share with everyone, and then get on r/listentothis for even more aural dynamite.
“Bear Hands” // Private Island
This song reeks of aviators and riding in the car with the top down, or lounging on the rooftop with a cold beer in hand. Summer in a song? Absolutely.
“Something Better” // Beat Club
Need a roadtrip anthem to play on repeat all summer long? Here you go! Reverb-y vocals meet upbeat guitar, a smattering of synth and a toe-tapping beat … Yes, please.
“Might As Well (Live)” // The Lil Smokies
A few summers ago I fell in love with folk; I spent the summer concert-hopping, dancing to violins and happy harmonies, and generally having a darn good time. I’ve been on the hunt for some new music on this vein and the Lil Smokies did not disappoint. This folksy ditty is begging for an outdoor festival and a dancing crowd.
“Get On Up” // Big Gigantic
Handy hint: If you need some motivation to get your butt to the gym and work out hard, this is it. Equally, this is the perfect, super-funky remedy for a party that’s starting to fall a bit flat. Try and not dance to this, I dare you.
“Circles” // Machineheart, Vanic
This infectious tune is the love child of machineheart, an indie pop band with a divine female frontwoman, and Vanic, connoisseurs of melody-driven trap. The result? Perfection.
“Protection” // Movements
If you’re the kind of person who secretly pines for a bit of broody emo rock, you’ll love this. Think Say Anything meets The Used … now pretend that that doesn’t sound just a little bit like your new guilty pleasure.
“Hitting Reset” // Stellar Young
A good, classic indie hit, like the kind of song that you’d hear overhead in Topshop but actually pause and listen to. It’s upbeat, guitar-driven and so catchy it should come with a warning.
“Fly For Your Life” // Gunship
I can’t talk about this song without first pausing to reflect on the video: Artistic, horrific and slightly heartbreaking, it’s a stellar piece of animation. Also, this song is epic in every sense of the word, full of slow builds, top-quality synth, stinging beats and beautiful vocals.
“C’Mon Man You’re Dead” // Sahara Beck
Australian singer-songwriter Sahara Beck is a teenager, yes, but her restless, wise lyrics—paired beautifully with her effortless, warm vocals—give her a distinct edge over all her competition.
“The Trouble” // Pogo
Disney remix mastermind Pogo—who takes snippets of dialogue from movies, molding them into a bizarrely beautiful “musical gibberish” all of his own—is at it again with this trippy mash-up starring “Alice in Wonderland”, “Peter Pan” and “The Little Mermaid”.
“Legit Tattoo Gun” // The Front Bottoms
OK, I’m definitely cheating with this one, because I’ve seen The Front Bottoms in concert twice already, and I love them. I’m glad that this song was the “chosen one” for r/listentothis; it’s easily among their best, with their signature scathing, smart lyrics and guitar-driven energy.