music i like this week

6/24/2025 - Sideshow by the Seashore - Luna

one of the inaugural entries for my "weird songs" playlist, i absolutely love whatever the fuck the guitar is doing in this song. good vibes - 7.5/10

6/17/2025 - Motor Away - Guided by Voices

shout out to the KGLW amoeba video for putting me onto this one. i felt nostalgic on my first listen of this song. i feel that way about a lot of distinctly 90s rock - even though it's not what i grew up listening to. the brain works in weird ways! anyways, i love this little song, makes me want to speed down the high way and run away from all my problems - 7/10

6/4/2025 - You Get What You Give - New Radicals

as an apology for the KG&LW spam, I wanted to talk about a song I discovered through a todd in the shadows video the other week. i am not immune to a sickeningly positive and upbeat song every once in a while, and this one is just too fun. this shit really makes me wanna skip and jump and hop around on a sunny day!!! 7.5/10

6/4/2025 - This Thing (Live in Maine 2024) - KG&LW

THIS SONG IS SO GOOD LIVE!!!!!! i thought the album version was pretty decent but holy moly, the live version shreds so hard. the lyrics also hit hard for me this week, and i relate heavily to conflict with a load bearing friend and having to trudge through the bullshit that is close friendship. 9/10, absolute top 5 gizzard song for me.

6/4/2025 - Grow Wings and Fly - KG&LW

i'm deep in the gizzgoop this week man. this new release off Phantom Island is equal parts banger and crier for me. the video for this one is really my idealized version of being in a band. just a bunch of homies fucking around and shooting a silly music video, making kick-ass music, and just being friends. i feel like this song is about growing through nurturing other people, and i adore that. i hope that i get to grow like that, too. together, we go the extra mile - 8.5/10

5/27/2025 - Modo - FREDDY L

i really enjoyed this song for a couple of reasons. the vocals are gravelly and deep in a way i don't hear very often, and something about the chorus is extremely catchy to me - those pop influences are really shining in this one. a lovely blend of pop & rock - 7/10

5/20/2025 - Iron Lung - KG&LW | LIVE PERFORMANCE | MUSIC VIDEO

it's no secret i've been absolutely enthralled by king gizzard and the lizard wizard recently, and this song's music video popped up in my recommendations last week. honestly, this song is more of an experience than anything - the music video is awesome, and the particular live version i linked features an absolutely killer performance from all involved. the song itself is a blend of jazzy guitar riffs and chaotic rock-y sections that work really well together. definitely worth a listen - 8/10

5/13/2025 - Best for You - Blood Cultures

continuing on my psychedelia arc recently, i got recommended Best for You from spotify's "recommended based off what's in this playlist" feature. i was completely cooked when i first heard this song and holy moly it hits so good when you're stoned. definitely a candidate for my weirdo songs playlist, Best for You's chopped-up background vocals and brassy composition make for an eerie yet comforting experience. blood cultures is definitely an artist to check out if you like slightly discordant, vaguely out-of-tune in the best possible way music that makes you feel like you're living in an ARG. 7.5/10 - a treat for the ears

5/6/2025 - Hiding In The Melody - Night Moves

i've been super into psychedelia and psychedelic rock lately, and this song is such a hidden gem. i am a complete sucker for resonant and echoes in songs and this track is basically a love letter to both of those. John Pelant's voice really shines in this one, especially the further you get into the song. real wet little guy vibes (in a good way). incredible track for taking an edible to and just forgetting the whole world around you. 8.5/10 - immaculate vibes

4/28/2025 - DEADSTICK - King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard

i am putting in the WORK to make this my top played song of 2025. the full Phantom Island album comes out on my birthday and it's looking like the best birthday gift i'll ever receive if this song is any indication - incredible vibes! those horns really elevate this from funky ditty to full on banger, and special shouts out to ambrose kenny-smith for belting out some truly amazing vocals in the back half of this song. 9.5/10 only loses points for being the shortest gizzard song on my liked songs playlist

BACKLOG

here's some older songs & albums I want to gush about real quick......

The Dripping Tap - King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard

i regularly listen to all 18 minutes of this song. look, i'm not a music columnist, i can't really tell you why exactly this song fucks so hard, but every single part of it works so well and that harmonica is absolutely shredding it. i didn't even know harmonicas could shred. my god. it fucks.

NURTURE - Porter Robinson

to be a bit vulnerable, Nurture really was the catalyst that got me to change as a person. my first time hearing nurture was back in very early 2022, about a year into my decision to switch majors to psychology. that time of my life was full of uncertainty and fear, and nurture felt like a beam of hope in those times. this album made me appreciate life, maybe for the first time. at least the first time in over a decade. i can't quite put into words why nurture was such a transformative experience for me... but the combination of stories about overcoming suicidal ideation from Look at the Sky, the melodic weaving of birdsong and wind throughout the album, and the overall theme of growth and resilience was intoxicating to the depressed, lost person i was at 21. i am so grateful i got to live long enough to listen to this album, and i am so grateful i got the opportunity to change.

i remember the moment i decided nurture was my favorite album - usurping my previous favorite, hospice, by the antlers. that was the moment i realized things really could get better.

Russian Roulette - Porter Robinson ( & the album SMILE :D)

speaking of porter... this is another top 10 song for me. i think the magic in this one is really the "i want to _ one more time" section. sorry, being personal again, but it brought me back to being 14, thinking that i could literally never feel happiness. so when i listened to this song in 2024 for the first time and i found myself belting along to "i want to live, i don't want to die", fuck man, it was just one of those moments you don't really forget. getting to listen to this song live and surrounded by friends was one of those things i wish i knew was coming when i was a teenager. there's a lot i need to catch up on after 10+ years of suicidal ideation and depression. but i don't want to die anymore. it's kind of crazy, but that's enough for me right now.