Two Albums I'm Listening to on Repeat

hey there,

I'm always asking for music recommendations for flights, hikes, and down time, but I rarely dish them out. It's not that I don't have songs that I love to share, it's mostly that I listen to the same four songs on repeat. I've done this ever since my glee days, where once a new Blaine song was released you bet your ass I'd have that one song on repeat until new songs were released. I managed to get the glee cover of Animal by Neon Trees to 200 plays in like one or two days. C o m m i t m e n t. While that behavior hasn't changed, I have broadened my range to more than one song on repeat. I know right, what a feat!

My music taste ranges from pop to indie and then some. Most of my song knowledge nestles itself in the glee era: they introduced me to some great bops and then I ran with it. If that's not your deal that's fine, but please share some of your faves with me!

Expectations - Hayley Kiyoko

MY DEBUT ALBUM OUT NOW. I encourage you to listen to it in order from beginning to end as it was intended, Love Hayley https://t.co/g7ywr5I7yV

— Hayley Kiyoko (@HayleyKiyoko) March 30, 2018

If you haven't heard of Hayley Kiyoko you probably weren't on tumblr in your teens. Edit: I greatly overestimated how long ago the music video for Girls Like Girls was put on Youtube and regret to inform I was indeed not a teen anymore. I remember the video of Hayley's Girls Like Girls being everywhere, you couldn't escape it. I'm glad I didn't because not only is it a beautiful clip, the song is a bop and a half. Her new album Expectations, released at the end of March, encapsulates that mellow vibe from her earlier work but brings this new level to it. Dubbed 'Lesbian Jesus' of pop music her album encapsulates feelings of loneliness but also celebrates being queer. Like Hayley, I urge you to listen to the album in order first, before slamming that shuffle repeat mode. My personal favorites are Curious and Feelings, but it's like picking your favorite breakfast???

Homework - Darren Criss

Hey friends guess what, I'm still listening to Darren Criss. His new EP Homework, released December 2017, is his first official release since 2010s Human. Although plenty of songs came through Glee and his 2013 tour Listen Up, nothing official was released until now. And with his upcoming concert in London -which I am attending and I'm a literal exclamation mark just thinking about it- urged me to dug up and dust off his older work and put his album on repeat once again. Homework features five songs, four of which are originals, and they all give you the happy and melancholic feels. They're easy to listen and relate to, and have a high sing-along factor. Call me bias, but I think it's a really good introduction to Darren Criss.

I hope you give these a listen and they'll end up in your favorites as much as I do. If you have any recommendations for me please leave them in the comments! See you next Wednesday!

- Y.