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Editors' Picks August 2021

Each month, our editorial staff puts together a playlist of their favorite songs. Scan the QR code to listen along.
Each month, our editorial staff puts together a playlist of their favorite songs. Scan the QR code to listen along.

At the start of the pandemic, our editors started to contribute to a monthly playlist where they all put in their five favorite songs for the month. Read about our favorite picks from the playlist, and listen along with us by clicking the link, or by scanning the QR code if you’re reading in print.

“STONED AT THE NAIL SALON” – Lorde

I’ve been patiently waiting for a new Lorde project for years, and now that it’s finally here I don’t know what to do with myself. Where “Ribs” perfectly captures the teenage fear of growing up, “Stoned at the Nail Salon” looks back and wonders if the choices we’ve made to get where we are today were good ones. The song offers a healthy dose of equal parts comfort and existential dread, like hugging a pillow after a party. – Sean Scott, Asst. Campus & Community Editor

“PEOPLE WATCHING” – Conan Gray

No song has ever captured my thoughts on love as perfectly as “People Watching.” I’ve been a fan of Conan Gray for years, but this song hits me in a completely different way than anything else he’s released. The chorus swells to match the melodramatic feeling of the lyrics. And unlike “Heather” by Gray or anything by Olivia Rodrigo, which embody “‘tis better to have loved and lost,” the lyrics of “People Watching” confirm the somber old adage: “than never to have loved at all.” – Maggie Peña, Multimedia Editor

“BAD KID” – Foxx Bodies

The live version of “Bad Kid” has been on Spotify since 2017, but Foxx Bodies finally released the studio recording in anticipation of their second album coming out this November. The song embraces chaos and messiness, with its distorted guitar riffs and Bella Vanek’s wails exploding into the chorus. At only two minutes, it’s a cathartic listen, one where you can hear the desperation in Vanek’s voice and scream along.   – Lexi Whitehead, Asst. Campus & Community Editor

“WILD SIDE” - Normani feat. Cardi B

I’ve had “Wild Side” on repeat since the day it came out. The day the music video dropped, I gathered all the Chautauquan Daily interns, and we all watched, mouths agape. I’ve been following Normani since my days as a Fifth Harmony stan, but her influences of 90s R&B — and more importantly, Aaliyah — shine through perfectly in the production and the choreography. Also, Cardi B can suck a watermelon through a straw. - David Kwiatkowski, Sr. Campus & Community Editor/Entertainment Editor

“SCREAM DRIVE FASTER” – LAUREL

“Scream Drive Faster” was the song of the summer for me. I kicked off the season with a road trip from Oxford, Ohio to San Francisco, Calif. It was just me, my boyfriend and a whole lot of open road. As you can imagine, there were a handful of times I wanted to scream “drive faster” in his face. It took a week to get there, and those seven days were, for the most part, fucking wondeful. For the rest of the summer, whenever I heard this song, I remembered the highly romanticized version of the trip in my head, and it was awesome every time.  – Rebecca Wolff, Opinion Editor

“ROSES” – Kanye West

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This year has been rough. Almost everyone has felt some kind of loss, whether it be because of the pandemic or otherwise, but I’ve learned a few things along the way. First, people who are important and want to be in your life will show up. Second, there’s a certain helplessness in death. Both of these things are addressed in Kanye’s song Roses. It’s an old one, but it’s especially meaningful at this time in our lives.  –Abby Bammerlin, Campus & Community Editor

“SILVER LINING” – Mt. Joy

It’s folky, it’s funky and it’s sweet. My father described “Silver Lining” as “harsh-sounding,” and my brother said it was “no good”... I like songs that garner strong opinions! I appreciate the guitar; it’s just some good old strumming to keep my spirits up. I feel like this would be great for the opening scene of a movie. It just has that vibe. –Jessica Robinson, Humor Editor

“HONEY” - Coastal Club

While Coastal Club’s “honey” was released in 2020, it has been my song of the summer. It’s vibey and never fails to make me smile. It’s a textbook “feel-good” song. With the chaos of COVID-19 and moving back to school, “honey” snaps me back into the last few days of summer and reminds me to just chill out. - Sarah Grace Hays, Multimedia Editor

“CONFETTI” - Little Mix

I recently rediscovered Little Mix while desperately looking for new music on Spotify. Although I tend to be drawn to slow, acoustic ballads, “Confetti” offers a refreshing new sound to my playlist. The layered vocals and bass create an upbeat and energetic sound that uplifts and hypes me up for the day. -  Megan McConnell, Social Media Editor

“ANIMAL” – Noah Kahan

In a time when the news feels overwhelmingly hopeless and it's hard to be a young adult, this song strikes home. It’s sad, but it makes you feel a little less alone in facing whatever it is that makes you feel like an animal. And who doesn’t love a catchy, sad song? –Cosette Gunter, Asst. Campus & Community Editor

“COME BACK TO EARTH” – Mac Miller

Watching wide-eyed freshmen move onto a “normal” campus for the first time has me feeling nostalgic for my own first year at Miami. This song, the first track off of Swimming, Mac’s final album before his death, single handedly got me through my first semester. Now, as a rising senior, it reminds me of how far I have come. – Owen Berg, Design and Style Editor

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