March took its time finding a groove. Coming from a relatively quiet February, my musical moods constantly shifted this month as I discovered new and old connections. Some of them were directly tied with current events—finding a form of escapism through relatable songs. Others came and stole my attention in the way certain ear worms do. Slowly, music came back into my life in its comforting, compelling way.

            We still have our rules: 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. This helped trim it down from 34 new “Likes” in March to more manageable numbers. At the end of the year, only songs from each of these monthly lists are eligible for the Best Of list. I’ve also started indicating old favorites (versus new finds) with an asterisk* since that will make it clear which ones are automatically out of the running.

            Let’s discover how musical March really is.

1. “Cowboy” by Allison Ponthier ~ I feel like a criminal with no history
2. “Strawberry” by Andrew Montana ~ Bite your tongue, down whiskey, we’ll hide out in the country
3. “Break the Distance” by Ashton Edminster* ~ Miles of road just to get where you are
4. “Mama Werewolf” by Brandi Carlisle ~ Would you change me back? / Make me kind again?
5. “Samantha” by chloe moriondo ~ You’re the reason that I dyed my hair blue
6. “Little League” by Conan Gray ~ Standing on our street but nobody’s home
7. “Naked” by FINNEAS ~ And if I’m being real, it was overrated
8. “My Love” by Florence + The Machine ~ I was always able to write my way out
9. “Pomegranate Seeds” by Julian Moon ~ You made a deal, traded daffodils / For a kingdom of ash and bone (bone, bone)
10. “I’m Tired” by Labrinth and Zendaya ~  Hey Lord, You know I’m fighting
11. “Joanne” by Lady Gaga ~ Every part of my aching heart / Needs you more than the angels do
12. “SUN GOES DOWN” by Lil Nas X* ~ But it’s much more to life than dying
13. “A Burning Hill” by Mitski ~ I’ll love some littler things
14. “Paint It Black” by The Rolling Stones* ~ It’s not easy facing up / When your whole world is black
15. “Forgive Myself” by Sam Smith ~ Did you lie to me when you said I was all that you need?
16. “HONEY” by Solar ~ 모조리 다 다 나를 보고 눈빛에서 꿀이
17. “invisible string” by Taylor Swift* ~ Hell was the journey but it brought me heaven
18. “Missing Piece” by Vance Joy ~ That we’ll be fine when you can finally make it home
19. “Chaise Longue” by Wet Leg ~ Would you like us to assign someone to worry your mother?
20. “Nobody Like U” by 4*Town ~ I’m never not by your side, your side, your side

I hope we get more singles from Florence + The Machine’s upcoming album, because it was hard choosing just one this month. I also have a few albums on the backburner that I need to spend time with. My long playlist with Soleil got some good listening while I was traveling to and fro Canada, but we can’t discount the other random music I encountered over the past month in various ways. Hopefully, April will bring more excitement and energy as we move further away from winter and closer to summer adventuring.

For now, we can find the ongoing What I’m Listening To in 2022 playlist here.