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Mixtape Friday: Really really light
Volume 005 • Fall 2025
Here’s our new mixtape as a snapshot of where we’re at right now. It’s a music mix of contemplation, energy, variety, and those moments to carry you through.
Opening with PJ Harvey’s “A Child’s Question, August,” we flow into “Jungle Drum,” then a demo version of Joni Mitchell’s “California.” Maybe it’s a vibe, maybe it’s a prediction. But it feels nice to me.
The emotional range was something that surprised me when we were putting these songs together. Phoebe Bridgers and Death Cab for Cutie anchor the indie melancholy perfectly, but Japanese Breakfast shows up twice with completely different energies. Their 2017 “Machinist” hits like a punch, while 2025’s “Mega Circuit” feels more introspective. Same Michelle Zauner, different time, different emotional territories. How different were you 6–7 years ago?
ROSALÍA and Rauw Alejandro’s “BESO” shouldn’t work in a playlist that also includes Palace Music and Bright Eyes, but it does. There seems to be a thread of longing that connects it all. Maybe it’s because these songs deal with the passing of time, whether it’s Mitski’s sharp observations or Corinne Bailey Rae’s lush contemplation.
The Mark Ronson collaboration with RAYE adds a bit of pop sugar that goes perfectly into the Latin energy, then we’re back into indie territory with Alvvays. On paper, it’s chaos. In practice, it flows like a conversation.
IMO there are three foundational songs on this volume. “Everyone’s a Queen on Halloween,” “Mega Circuit,” and “Really Really Light,” where the title comes from. Seán Barna’s burst of personality is a mood-changing bit of wonderfulness, plus my favorite song from Zauner’s new album. And then, that line about sitting around talking about the weather with your heart light as a feather really gets at my emotional buoyancy right now.
Ending with Daniel Johnston’s fragile “True Love Will Find You in the End” feels right. It’s hopeful without being naive, especially after all that bigness from Explosions in the Sky. Man, I need a light at the end of the tunnel. Thanks, Daniel.
You can listen on:
- Apple — https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/v05-2025-fall-really-really-light/pl.u-rYW2hV6kRM
- Spotify — https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5kl1dJr4MIedBRT5Rgc2wN?si=df38ede167d445f5
Same songs, whatever your flavor.
That’s what this fall feels like for me/us going into Q4. All these different moods and energies before settling into winter’s quieter space. 31 tracks, about 2 hours.
