As the unofficial office DJ, I spend an unreasonable amount of time crafting perfect playlists to appease the PR, finance and event’s teams. Bouncing between early 2000s’ indie, R&B and Fleetwood Mac, is a proven formula for keeping the peace, but as a music obsessive I have a daily urge to grab a pair of headphones and listen to something a little more antisocial.
In my younger days I had aspirations of becoming a music journalist before reality whispered in my ear that you can’t swap press passes for bread and milk. I still like to write about music and I wholeheartedly believe that digging out new stuff is one of the most rewarding experiences you can have.
The below five tracks are a few of the many songs I frequently turn to for a blast of PR motivation/ inspiration.
Bricks – DJ Carnage ft. Migos
This is a track I really loved from the soundtrack of the sensational film American Honey. Obnoxious trap beats and Atlanta’s finest Migos are a match made in heaven for when you need a boost around 3pm.
Immunity – Jon Hopkins
My absolute favourite producer who created ‘Immunity’ – a stunning electronic album charting the journey of a night out to a club. The title track is the album’s gentle closer and perfect for when things get a little too hectic.
Your Best American Girl – Mitski
I found this track through the Hype Machine’s end of year list and it was one of those tracks that had me stop everything, drop my pen and just listen open-mouthed. That earnest teenage adoration for music came flooding back and I ended up listening to this on repeat. Masterful lyricism, structure and production is on show here. Mitski is playing London in March and I am giddy with excitement.
Dream House – Deafheaven
A nine-minute epic album opener from Deafheaven’s fantastic ‘Sunbather’ album. They’re a noisy experimental black-metal band who were pretty divisive to true metal heads because of their (slightly) more accessible sound. I’m guilty as charged because I love this album when a power hour is needed and I don’t own a single Metallica T-shirt.
Photograph – Nickelback
This one is a bit of a running joke thanks to the diabolical YouTube suggestions algorithm. I ran a little experiment to see if people would notice me playing this track every day. They did notice. They still notice seven months later although now we all laugh together rather than just me.
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