Playlist for Spring
Some old and new picks for objectively the best season
By Fern Slater
While the first day of spring isn’t until March 20th, it feels like the worst of the Oberlin winter has passed. No more struggling to class through single digits! Rejoice! Already, the grass has sopped up the melted snow. Soon the trees will flower, maple syrup will be harvested in Tappan Square, and we’ll all be suffering through midterms again.
In anticipation of the changing season, here’s ten songs to get you ready for spring. In the process of picking out songs for this playlist, I noticed a kind of duality emerging. Spring could be a time for excitement and rebirth, but it also comes with the grief of leaving things behind and having to start fresh. The majority of these songs deal with some combination of both.
hot shower winter morning – Pigeon Pit
A ode to the passage of time, the cycle of the seasons, love, and death. Frontwoman Lomes Oleander’s rambling, honest vocals shine against the backing strings of her band. Feels like a warm conversation with a friend.
Change in the Weather – The Beths
Kiwi power-pop outfit The Beths reflect on a hard, suffocating winter. It’s unclear if things will get better for sure, but spring is coming and they’re holding out hope.
Pale Green Things – The Mountain Goats
A stripped back track in the signature Mountain Goats style, from one of their most iconic albums. The imagery of delicate plant life poking through the asphalt takes center stage here.
One Way Train – Sunny War
This exuberant opening track of Sunny War’s excellent new album Armageddon in a Summer Dress is full of determination to build a better world.
Nightlights I – Nana Grizol
Another song that tackles the passage of time. If you seem to notice stylistic and thematic similarities between this track and “hot shower winter morning,” that’s no coincidence — Oleander is a fan!
Love, the Lazee – The Spinanes
The spring of this song is more listless and stagnant, but still full of sweetness.
Oom Sha La La – Haley Heynderickx
A song about casting out the old and trying to embrace new beginnings. The humor and anger in Heynderickx’s delivery keeps things from turning too preachy or condescending.
Spring Is Coming with a Strawberry in the Mouth – Caroline Polachek
Polachek’s vocals are gorgeous and haunting as usual in this Roger Doyle cover, accompanied by dreamy synths. Spring isn’t just a possibility here, but an entire fantasy world.
Half Past April – Rainer Maria
Underrated midwest emo trio Rainer Maria tells an angst-filled tale of possible reconciliation after a fight, set in a world of melting ice and wet parks.
First Love/Late Spring – Mitski
I wouldn’t be alone in calling this one of Mitski’s masterpieces. Her storytelling ability and lyrical prowess are on full display here, with the opening verse painting a sparse yet evocative tableau of peach trees beginning to bloom. Spring is only explicitly mentioned in the title, but the themes of growing up and lost youth slot comfortably into the rest of the playlist. It’s a true emotional journey.
Yay Fern!!!