Spring 2025 Playlist: Annotated

I was thinking about why my Spring 2025 playlist is so moody, and it occurred to me that Spring and everything about it, from the weather to NCAA basketball, reminds me of my dad dying. So maybe my Spring offerings aren’t going to be particularly chipper from now on. Hopefully time does heal all wounds, or whatever. Meanwhile, please enjoy this playlist full of mud, earthworms, flash floods, and wet, bitter winds. Don’t worry: a few flowers bloom toward the end.

1) “Anxiety” by Doechii - Wow, Doechii dropped the anthem of our generation. And that Gotye sample? Perfection.

2) “My Angel” by Basia Bulat - This one showed up on a Discover weekly playlist—and it’s not quite so miserable as the others! It’s about love, okay! Get off my back.

3) “Mantra” by Lauren Mayberry - Very much enjoying this solo album from the lead singer of CHVRCHES. Her voice is so crisp, even though the song itself is a bit murky.

4) “Girl Feels Good” by FKA Twigs - I love FKA Twigs’ new album Eusexua. It’s giving 90s—but like, Dido 90s? I’m not sure I've ever included a song that evokes nighttime in Spring on one of these playlists, but this one fits the bill.

5) “Venus” by Ty. and KKECHO - On a recent trip to Champaign, IL to go to H-Mart, my friend Elena and I got to talking about Chinese rappers. Anyway, that’s how this song ended up on the playlist.

6) “push go” by Poppy - I got to see Poppy in concert a few nights ago and it was utterly delightful. Masked musicians. Weird dolls. Pyrotechnics but with smoke instead of fire. She played most of my favorites. I had a blast.

7) “Garden of Eden” by Lady Gaga - When Mayhem dropped a few weeks ago and I heard this song for the first time, my immediate thought was: “a throwaway, but catchy.” And now I’m obsessed with it. Gaga, you’ve done it again!

8) “Soprano” by Nova Twins - Soooo excited for a new Nova Twins album this year. I might not have put this song on a Spring playlist, but the chorus takes it there.

9) “Let It In” by AKWAEKE - I totally missed when this album came out last year, which is a shame, because Akwaeke Emezi really can do it all.

10) “The Seed” by SASAMI - This song marks the point where it starts to become a more typical Spring playlist for me—but it’s still a little weird. I’m obsessed with her new album Blood on the Silver Screen, though, so you can expect to see SASAMI on upcoming seasonal playlists this year.

11) “Faith in Oil” by Storefront Church - Spotify served up this song on a playlist for me and I can’t get enough of it. I guess this guy, Lukas Frank, was in Phoebe Bridgers’ band for a while, and this is his solo project? So good.

12) “It’s a Mirror” by Perfume Genius - I may be moody, but I shouldn’t complain—we are truly blessed with new music from great artists this year. Can’t wait to listen to the whole album.

13) “Grand Mal” by Ezra Furman - Speaking of new music from great artists. I can always count on Ezra to match or surpass my moodiness.

14) “Crystals” by Sea Lemon and Benjamin Gibbard - This was another Spotify discovery—so dreamy sounding. Bonus points for Ben Gibbard Millennial nostalgia.

15) “All I Need” by Blackwater Holylight - It would not be one of my seasonal playlists without a cover. I didn’t know you could make this quiet Radiohead number so noisy and spacious, but Blackwater Holylight pulled it off.

16) “dazies” by yeule - Once again, Spotify knows what’s good for me. I guess yeule made their name with a song from the movie I Saw the TV Glow, which I still have not seen, much to my chagrin. It seems clear to me that they rule.

17) “Crush” by Lola Young - Like everyone else, I’ve been unable to escape the song “Messy.” But this one is also a banger. What a voice she has!

18) “777” by illuminati hotties - Glad to hear a new single from illuminati hotties. This song is raw in the same way Spring is raw—new life forcing its way out of the cold earth.

19) “Sick of the Blues” by Porridge Radio - Sing it, girl. We’re all sick of the blues. (According to Pitchfork, this band is breaking up. What a shame!)

20) “Felicity” by Miya Folick - Miya Folick ends up on a lot of my Spring playlists. Her music has a decidedly Spring aesthetic.

21) “Genius” by Ravyn Lenae - I’ve been waiting for Ravyn Lenae to put out new music, and I totally missed it last year! Glad I caught up. This song is so fresh.

22) “Hard to Love” by Dehd - If you don’t think this song sounds like Spring, I don’t know how to help you. This song is chipper as heck. It’s cute.

23) “Trouble” by Sharon Van Etten - I suspect this whole album is going to stick with me for a while. It’s very good. I haven’t listened to Sharon Van Etten much in the past, but I’m thinking I should remedy that.

24) “..THUS IS WHY (I DON’T SPRING 4 LOVE) by Saya Gray - Normally I don’t like to be too literal with my seasonal playlists—in other words, I don’t like to to include songs that mention a season directly. But how could I not go with this one? It’s perfect.

25) “Life Is” by Jessica Pratt - My bestie/robot overlord Spotify found this song for me and I find it charming. Good for those Spring days where it’s both rainy and sunny?

26) “Mega Circuit” by Japanese Breakfast - I’ve only listened to it a few times so far, but I think the new Japanese Breakfast album speaks more to Summer than it does to Spring? But this song did seem to fit.

27) “Now is the Time” by Norma Tanega - I’ve been trying to fit this 1971 song onto a playlist for a while now, and it finally worked. If you think you don’t know Tanega’s music, you do; she did “You’re Dead,” which is the theme song for What We Do in the Shadows. Anyway, this song is unabashedly hopeful, so if you didn’t like the prevailing moodiness, hopefully this will help.