Well here we go: a new year, full of new music releases and discoveries. If this first month has been any indication of how the year ahead is going to go, it will be another good year, with some moody throwbacks, great hits, and hipster vibes. However, with how out of control we got here and there in 2020, I figured it’s best to lay some ground rules for each WILT, building up to the annual list: no more than 20 songs per month, no more than 1 song per artist (not including features or collabs), and no more than 3 songs per compilation album. At the end of the year, only songs from each of these monthly lists will be eligible for the Best Of list.

So we begin 2021 strong, and hope to stay that way. Let’s tune in:

1. “L8r Boi” by Ashnikko ~ Whoa, she’s in love with her damn self, yeah, yeah
2. “I don’t really like your boyfriend” by Avenue Beat ~ So, please tell me why you chose to date this piece of human trash like?
3. “Blame Game” by Beach Bunny ~ Sorry my clothes can’t keep your hands from grabbing
4. “Daddy” by Charlotte Cardin ~ Baby, if you keep stalling, I don’t know if I can love you
5. “Tinted Eyes” by DVBBS featuring blackbear & 24kGoldn ~ You turn me into someone I don’t wanna be
6. “Paris, or Wherever We Are” by Emily Hearn ~ How I love the view when I’m beside you
7. “Boku no Sensou” by Shinsei Kamattechan ~ Angels playing disguise / With devil’s faces
8. “Demons” by Hayley Kiyoko ~ You can’t go and pray this type of pain away
9. “Glass Spiders” by Hot Milk ~ ‘Cause I’m not myself, lately I been someone else
10. “Lockdown” by Indyah ~ Lay me down like melatonin
11. “How Do I Tell You?” by Lizzy McAlpine ~ How do I tell you that I don’t know what it means / To be happy with somebody?
12. “Lakehouse” by Of Monsters and Men ~ In the fall, we sleep all day
13. “Cry Baby” by The Neighborhood ~ I hope you won’t ever lie to me
14. “Blondes” by Peach ~ I’m not usually this forward but now I wanna be
15. “drivers license” by Olivia Rodrigo ~ Red lights, stop signs / I still see your face in the white cars, front yards
16. “She’s My Religion” by Pale Waves ~ Made me feel like I was finally enough
17. “Evermore” by Dan Stevens from Beauty and the Beast ~ I’ll fool myself, she’ll walk right in / And be with me for evermore
18. “right where you left me” by Taylor Swift ~ Help, I’m still at the restaurant / Still sitting in a corner I haunt
19. “Touch Off” by UVERworld ~ 死ぬか生きるか それも含めお前の自由だ (Whether you die or live, it’s your freedom)
20. “Pierre” by Ryn Weaver ~ Spend the days dreaming and the nights awake

In addition to my favorite songs, I’ve also been listening to a few playlists, some cocktail jazz (perfect background), and those same great albums on repeat. Ashnikko’s Demidevil has been really entertaining this month, with some familiar tunes and new ones too, and I can’t wait to see what she does next. We’re moving on into February. I’m sure there will be more than a few love songs, romantic classics, and cheesy ballads coming my way, along with the usual randomness. The soundtrack of my life, at the very least, has a nice variety.

Till then, stay tuned.