A Random Gen-z Kid’s Song Recs (#1)
In this first issue of a hopefully reoccurring series, I’ll let you know a bit about me and then you can decide if you wanna hear about my monthly top ten music suggestions; how’s that sound to you?
Alright listen up everyone!
This article, is essentially for my fellow gen-z’s, MAYBE some rad millennials, and then also those supportive middle aged moms out there who wanna know what the kids are listening to these days (the ones with actual interest).
This is me (Serenity)…
As you may be able to tell, I’m your average cottagecore gen-z-er who likes thrifting and art. If that’s your jam, stick around. Maybe we’re listening to some of the same stuff. Maybe we aren’t. Either way, you may come across a familiar song and be like, “hey, that’s a rad song, great taste Serenity.” Or you may must discover your new favorite bop. Who knows.
ALRIGHT, let’s start!
(In no particular order)
#10- Celebrity Skin by Doja Cat
Hold the fucking phone Ms. Amala. No, I did not say that you could come in here with this early 2000s banger pop hit but you certainly didn’t care what I had to think did you? Get on the Doja Cat hype train or don’t, I’m not here to tell you what the right thing to do is. I get it, people love Doja, and honestly, when an artist gets big, our generation likes to then denounce them (not special to our generation I know, but it’s too common not to point out). Yes, “Say So” was overplayed, but let’s get some shit straight: Doja Cat went from a meme song about cows to literal bangers like “Woman” and “Kiss Me More.” With over 55,000,000 Spotify monthly listeners, put some respect on this woman’s name. This song came out of total left field as it’s not a sound I would have paired with her voice but does she crush it? Do I like cats? The answer is obviously yes.
#9-The Kiss of Venus by Paul McCartney and Dominic Fike
Are you watching Euphoria? No? Are you even a gen-z kid? It’s alright I guess but Dominic Fike is on the show and when I realized he sang a few songs that were on my 2022 playlist… *Surprised Pikachu meme*. What a talented dude. Yes, The Beatles own Paul McCartney wrote and performed (instrumentals) this cute and romantic song but their collaboration is just a treat despite what you do or do not think about the living legend himself. It’s a low-key track with great vocals, catchy instrumentation, and a pick-me-up over all vibe. It isn’t for the sad-boi playlists so turn it on during that tidying up time or something. It’s a song I’d put on with sunlight streaming through the windows with a broom in my hand, pretending to use it as a mic. Just sayin’.
#8-Midnight Driver by Fromm
Not into K-pop? this song will still hit you hard. The artwork of the track cover give you all the emotions you need for this literal piece of art song here. An earworm to play on a midnight drive (duh), that guitar in the beginning is either going to hook some listeners in like it did with me or not but hopefully it does. This song is ethereal and cinematic despite not knowing what the artist is saying. I am totally in love with this song hands down and I will never not stop talking about the instrumental of this. If there’s any song on here that I think will be the gen-z crowd pleaser, it is this one right here.
#7- Dreams Come True by AESPA
If “Midnight Driver” was my crowd-pleaser, this is the controversial pick. I try to stay away from the K-pop stan community even though I love my Korean bops, but I feel like this song was even iffy there as well. Coming off the release of their EP Savage, AESPA came back quickly with this throwback hit that heavily samples if not just remixes an old SM Entertainment girl-group song. The sounds are… experimental I suppose, which hits the group’s AI, sci-fi theme (it’s a really fun concept if k-pop groups are your thing). I can’t lie, I so vetoed this track on first, second and third listen. It wasn’t until I heard it a few more times on Reels that it started to work its way through. As always, the vocals are on point, that was never the problem. The song is just kind of everywhere to be totally honest, with cutesy girl pop vibes mixed with this weird aesthetic that reminds me of this early 2000s CGI kids show I used to watch- basically a fever dream (the show is called “Bing and Bong” in case you were wondering). It evokes this weird experimental computer generated animation “aesthetic” with those high pitched synth keys that are sprinkled into the whole thing. I won’t blame anyone if it isn’t their cup of tea honestly.
#6- Liz by Remi Wolf
Screw you Remi Wolf. Honestly, you can’t be making these absolute fire songs that I get so distracted singing to in the car. Breathing is for the weak but is unfortunately required when driving but I don’t care. I will prioritize my end-goal of sounding like Ms.Wolf while singing in the car even if that means dying in an epic car crash because I wasn’t breathing properly. Remi’s voice is killer and she is the moment. She’s also a generational voice but her soulful and raspy sound can enrapture all age groups. Will they always like her lyrics? No, but it doesn’t matter because they’ll be high out of their minds with her crazy talented vocals. I hope to see so much more from Remi Wolf. There were honestly several of her songs that I could have added on this list but this is the one I feel most passionate about. I aggressively stan Ms.Remi Wolf. A true icon.
#5- Hurts Me Too by Faye Webster
Toss the mentality of crying being weak out the window because I will embrace the tears that stream down my face while living through this gorgeous track. It won’t be because I’m sad mind you. It’ll be because all the flavors of this song are melting together on my tongue in a way that very few artists can do to me. I don’t want to compare and contrast too much but Faye evokes many of the same chords that my all-time favorite artist, Lana del Rey, does on the weekly. To separate Webster from del Rey however, it should be noted that there is definitely a distinct sound that she is pushing on this entire album. The album’s name is “Atlanta Millionaires Club” and somehow that encompasses the aesthetic of the songs really well. Do you feel it? Cus I feel it, fo shizzle.
#4- Hush by the Marias
Bad bitch vibes activate. Next few tracks are honestly going to be full “I’m cool as shit” vibes. Like, “I am Rihanna cool” feeling songs. The Marias bring this full on bad-ass-anthem with this slower BPM moment. She’s the sexy song for you, for everyone. Maria Zardoya’s voice ties this song together. Her vocals are smooth and feminine and the layering of said vocals gives my ears tunnel vision if that makes any sense. The beat is a subtle firecracker and the vocals of the assuming other half of the group, Joshua Conway really bring on this extremely sexy tone to the whole song and while I could be a super hot villain to this song, I could also be in a strip-club. (Don’t send this article to my parents please.) There is also a stripped down acoustic version of this song which obviously hits in a different way but is also quite great. The OG version is my personal favorite though. These guys know what they’re doing with the sounds in this song. The vocals say it all because the intentions are clearly sang. This is the one to go on that sex playlist I know some of you have. No judgment here, I’m only supplying more content ;).
#3- Trademark USA by Baby Keem
Holy fuck. Sorry to bring up Euphoria again but when this started playing I had to know what it was. Thankfully that is quite easy to do and I got this song that is the definition of a banger. I am the fucking coolest in my mom’s former 2009 Ford Escape when this song is blaring. This is my, “middle-finger-in-the-sky-to-all-the-slow-drivers” anthem. I’m dripping with epic awesomeness when I hear this song. Songs with trap beats are very hit and miss to me. Like any genre, there’s the easy route to go when it comes to songs with trap instrumentals. The lazy route is a trap beat with someone droning on in monotony but make it autotune. Just like pop, just like country, there’s a bad way to do it and let me tell you, Kendrick’s cousin is not here to fucking play and free-load off his relative’s own success. He came to kill and he does with this track that screams that he’s making his mark. It’s hard to find song’s that really hit me with an authentic bad-ass aura but this one does it hands down.
#3-Changes by AUDREY NUNA
ON. RE. PEAT. AUDREY NUNA is literally my new obsession. As an Asian-American it is a JOY to see a fellow Asian killing the game and slaying it with a sharpened sword because she does with this song. Throw this on to the villain playlist because I am fucking evil and enjoying it when I hear this song. The beat is accurately hard but suiting to her rich flow and it is a million Gordon Ramsay kisses. Catch me in a skintight latex suit with thigh highs and seductive red lipstick because I am the villain everyone wants to sleep with when I listen to this song and I live in a universe where it is only ever night time. This song hits like a diamond encrusted bus because it is royally an entire piece of art that’s gonna rail you. I hope that NUNA continues with a few more of these honest to God thorough hits. Please, when the mood arises and you HAVE to do some bad bitch shit, play this in your Air Pods or something so I can live vicariously through you.
#2-Overy My Dead Body by AAAMYYY
Taking a dreamy breather from those literal embodiments of cool, we have “Over my Dead Body” by AAAMYYY (屍を越えてゆけ in Japanese. It’s an ethereal dream where the synth sounds are used in the perfect way. I don’t have synesthesia but great songs paint great pictures for me and this one screams of vintage grainy film of white spaces. Hard to explain and I’m 100% sure many other people will conjure up other imagery or nothing at all and just straight vibe to this pretty song. The vocals a can’t be discredited as an addition as AAAMYY’s voice is what evokes such dreamy imagery in my mind. I don’t know what type of mushrooms were put into here but I swear my eyes glaze over just a little bit when this song comes on. Ethereal is what I keep saying but that is the perfect word for this song. Japanese ethereal. It reminds me of those visualizers of retro anime that people put over slowed+reverbed edited songs on YouTube. Such a pleasant song for the ear and the mind honestly.
#1-Want me Back by BENEE
Ending on a very low-key track, “Want me Back” by “Supalonely” singer BENEE is a cry to all that have only accredited her to the TikTok famous song. I don’t hate the fun up-beat track “Supalonely” that spurred serotonin during the early days of quarantine but BENEE can push so much further than that and the tracks that she’s come out with since then are really the epitome of what modern-day pop could be. It’s creative and catchy, with her vocals being super sing-able. “Want me Back” is needy and soft but don’t let the docile nature of the song deceive you because it is strong in its unskippable-ness. I really recommend those who were caught by BENEE’s voice to check out her discography because there are several songs of hers on this years playlist. I may not be as aggressively passionate about this song as some of the others on this list, but if you have been listening along with this list, it is a great way to end the ten recommendations of this month.
That’s been the first issue of what is hopefully going to be a monthly occurrence. I really hope that there were at least a few songs on this list that resonated with you readers. Music may not be something I know how to do, but I most certainly know how to feel it and I can only hope that my passion for how some music makes me feel came through with this article. As always, I really appreciate those who stuck around to read this and I’ll see you next month.
To see Serenity’s full yet ever-growing 2022 playlist, click HERE.
(Sorry for any typos as this was only proof-read by yours truly.)
