what I'm listening to this winter

Alessi Rose, Lucy Dacus, FKA twigs and more <3

Hey everyone, I want to make a life update and share my winter playlist with you. I recently started a creative writing course at university. I’ve missed the structure of academia, it’s such a privilege to have deadlines each week and get feedback on my writing. Recently I have been feeling motivated to write and get things done. It’s probably the January hype that has been getting to me, but nonetheless, I appreciate the inspiration. The challenge is balancing my schoolwork with my writing, job and travels. I will probably not be perfect at making time for everything, but I will try. It’s all in pursuit of becoming a better writer.

I have 3 concert trips planned in the spring. In February, I’m going to Hamburg to visit a friend and to see Nieve Ella. It’s a friend I would probably never have met if I had not started sharing my writing online. Like all great fangirl friendship stories of the 2020s, we met on Tiktok. We also might be going to Berlin for the Gracie Abrams show which is the same weekend, to potentially meet up with another friend, but at the moment we don’t have tickets. The three of us went to Chappell Roan together in September, and it would be so fun to have a little reunion.

In March, I’m going to London to see Clairo and spend time with a few of my friends from study abroad. A trip that I’m also super excited about, even though going back to England always feels a bit weird since I used to have a whole life over there that doesn’t exist anymore. If you’ve also studied or lived abroad you might know the feeling, of belonging but not quite. I’m lucky to have some great friends who remind me of who I was during that time. Later in the month, I’m also going to Brussels for the Short n’ Sweet Tour with one of my best friends. The biggest pop music event of the year. Now onto what I’ve been listening to!

LANA: SOS Deluxe by SZA has been playing non-stop since it came out in December. SZA’s production and voice are so familiar to me and this album is a joy to consume. I especially love the opening track No More Hiding. The way the vocals creep in and the words feel like a journal entry is captivating. It’s a promise to herself of sorts. To no longer hide, to experience life and love and all that it has to offer. A great start to the album which explores the ups and downs of a relationship, and how it affects your view of yourself.

Alessi Rose just released her second EP for your validation and it’s all the pop girlies have been talking about for good reason. Her fun pop mixed with honest lyricism is striking and feels very Gen Z. These songs go through the ups and downs of having a crush, in the best teenage girl way. I’m sad she’s skipping Scandinavia on her for your validation tour, but I’m hoping for a summer festival date.

Chloe Slater is someone who has been on my for you page and in my Spotify algorithm for a while. She’s opening for Alessi Rose on tour in the United Kingdom. I first heard about her through her song Price On Fun in which she sings about misinformation in the media and the climate crisis.

Fig Tree is inspired by Sylvia Plath’s fig tree metaphor in The Bell Jar. The idea is that there are many different life paths, as in figs, that you can choose but if you wait too long trying to pick they might rot. The song is about patriarchal beauty ideals and the pressure they put on women. The idea that you might rot very much resonates with the discourse around women getting older, and how we constantly are made to feel like we are running out of time.

She repeats “I’ll choose a life that is mine” as a call for agency in this world that is constantly telling us what to do. I like to name my playlists after lines in songs that resonate with me, to use them as affirmations in a way. This time I chose this one. It's a good reminder to do what you want instead of what the patriarchy wants you to do.

I have known about Brandi Carlile for years and always knew I would love her music. I finally listened to her In These Silent Days and instantly understood the praise. Her voice, words and melodies feel like a warm hug in winter, especially through this cold political climate. That wants us to live in fear and make ourselves small. I especially love this song. It functions as a reminder to look for hope through dark times. To be open, curious and loving towards others and yourself. I need to go back and listen to more of Brandi Carlile’s catalogue.

Julien Baker and TORRES, an artist I was not previously familiar with, have released a country love song called Sugar In The Tank. The song and video is a stunning portrayal of queer joy. It makes me want to go to a queer line-dancing event more than ever before (and I already wanted to go really badly). We need queer joy right now, with all the scary things that are happening with the Trump administration, as well as other right-wing governments. If you are queer, especially trans and nonbinary, I’m sending you love. We are so much stronger than they can ever dream of being.

Speaking of queer art: Lucy Dacus is back and more unapologetically queer than ever. Her way of putting small details in human relationships into words is rare. Lucy writes with deep care and intention for each word in a way that often makes me think she understands me better than I understand myself. I am a massive fan, and so happy to have new Lucy Dacus music out in the world. She has released two songs, Ankles and Limerance so far and her album Forever Is A Feeling is coming out on March 29th. I strongly encourage you to listen to them.

I read her newest interview with DAZED where she spoke about how Forever Is A Feeling is about love, and how you feel that love will last forever but rarely does. Ankles is a fantasy of wanting someone you can’t have. The album, as well as Limerance, is about a breakup.

The aesthetics are inspired by museums because love has always existed and been preserved through artworks that people have made of those they love. When we are in love, we feel that we are experiencing something unique, but people have fallen in love for generations and museums carry this history with them. The fact that she puts queer love in museums is powerful as well. There are of course some examples of queer love preserved through art, but I can't help but think of the many love stories that have been erased or were never told out of fear and judgement from society.

I also just found out that Lucy Dacus is playing at Roskilde Festival this summer and I already have plans to go. I am so grateful and excited to most likely cry my eyes out. I’ve seen her live once before in London on the Home Video Tour in 2022 and it’s one of my favourite concert experiences ever.

jasmine.4.t released her album You Are The Morning last week, which I heard about because it was produced by boygenius and they shared it. If you didn’t already catch it from the past two songs, I am a huge boygenius fan. You Are The Morning has a comforting sound full of guitars, pretty melodies and even some backing vocals from the boygenius members. Phoebe Bridgers is on this one.

I’m grateful my love for boygenius allowed me to discover jasmine.4.t. I generally trust that anything Saddest Factory Records (Phoebe Bridgers record label) releases will be up my alley. jasmine.4.t is going on tour with Lucy Dacus and Katie Gavin in the States. I hope she does festivals in Europe in the summer, or maybe a fall tour.

I’m a big fan of Blondshell’s raw storytelling and indie rock sound. Her new album If You Asked For A Picture is coming out on the 2nd of May. The first single T&A has a nostalgic 90’s/early 2000’s sound. I’m super excited to hear the rest of the album. I’m going to hear it live at her headline show in Copenhagen in August.

Japanese Breakfast has just released her first single called Orlando in Love. Her album For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women) comes out on March 21st. Michelle Zauner, the lead singer, is an artist I always look forward to hearing new music from. I really enjoy her writing style. I read her memoir Crying In H Mart a few years ago. It’s a beautiful book which follows the process of her mother dying of cancer and the grief that follows.

Her new song and music video is queer, quite chaotic and a fun watch. It’s inspired by a renaissance poem called Orlando Innanmarato by Matteo Maria Boiardo, which is about a poet who falls for a siren.

Samia’s sad indie bangers have been soundtracking my life for the past few years. This year she is releasing a new album called Bloodless. It’s coming out on the 25th of April. The first single Bovine Excision is about cattle mutilation - draining a cow of blood. A morbid image that I assume is a metaphor for the theme of the album which she has stated is about all the ways she searched for validation from men. The song explores how she has emptied herself and feels drained, for the pursuit of men’s attention and love.

So far, it’s clear that 2025 is a great year for sad indie music, and that makes me very excited. Last year was a year for the pop girls, and now the boygenius members are active as well as some of my other favourite indie artists: Blondshell, Japanese Breakfast and Samia. My indie heart is happy.

Something different which I’ve also been listening to is FKA twigs new album EUSEXUA. This album is a full universe inspired by going to raves in Prague and chasing the feeling of complete presence. I watched her interview with Jake Shane where she talks about the world and lore which she has created around the album. I’m super fascinated by her creativity and her unique life. She seems to have lived so many lives and travelled to many places. Being an open and curious person is definitely part of what makes her a great artist. I'm not sure I truly understand it but I'm very fascinated by the art she creates and how her mind works.

I’m drawn to escapist albums at the moment, like EUSEXUA, Imaginal Disk and brat which have immaculate worldbuilding. EUSEXUA is inspired by harsh city environments and has sounds such as metal, concrete and loud noises. I encourage you to listen to the full album, but if you’d like a snippet first here is the title track:

That was all the music recommendations for this post. If you'd like to leave a comment or message me, I would love to know what you have you been listening to this past winter. What new albums are you excited about? Discovering and talking about music is my favourite thing in the world, so I'm always interested to know.

If you made it this far, please subscribe. It’s free and the only thing you have to do is put your email in one of the subscription boxes. It brings me so much joy to have a small online community of people that love music just as much as I do <3