What I was listening to this spring!

Wow. Spring is over! Time for another roundup of my favorite music of the season!

I’ve had two big sort-of discoveries this spring. After seeing Sofia Isella in concert in April – a show I walked into knowing only the choruses to her three biggest hits (I’ve followed her since she opened for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour last August) – I became obsessed with her. “Hot Gum” is my favorite song of hers, but her production is impeccable on everything she touches. Then, I had been listening to Alina since the fall, but it wasn’t until I was having a mental breakdown after committing to college that I fell in love with “I Know, I Know, I Know”. Both of these artists have such distinct sounds, voices, and ways with words.

The album cover for Isella's latest EP, I'm Camera.

Following this trend of talking about "new" artists, here’s one who’s been on my radar for years but only just debuted as a solo artist: Audrey Hobert. She has co-written several songs with Gracie Abrams, including the recent hits “That’s So True”, “I Love You, I’m Sorry”, and “Risk”. “Sue me”, Hobert’s official debut, is incredible.

Carter Faith has continued to wow me. I mentioned her recent track “If I Had Never Lost My Mind…” in my last season summary, and “Grudge” made an excellent follow-up. I’m hoping for a chance to scream, “I’m pretty sure that even Jesus thinks that you’re a b***h” at a concert venue when I move to Nashville later this year.

Addison Rae is doing so much incredible stuff. If you want to get hooked and “Diet Pepsi” didn’t already do it for you, put your headphones on and listen to “Headphones On”. Most earwormy chorus I’ve heard in a long time.

The album cover for Addison by Addison Rae.

I remain adoring Big Thief. I turn them on whenever I want to nap. It’s my favorite thing. I’ve been loving “Masterpiece”, “Real Love”, “Paul”, and “Mythological Beauty”.

It makes me laugh how people are always so shocked when Lorde releases a new album, as if her every-four-years cycle hasn’t been pretty clearly established. I thought the time between Solar Power (2021) and Virgin (2025) flew by! “What Was That” and “Man of the Year” feel like more toned-down versions of tracks from Melodrama (2017). That is to say, by Lorde’s standards, I don’t adore them, but by anyone else’s standards, they’re impeccably touching works of art. “Man of the Year” has one of the most interesting storylines I’ve heard in a long time.

The album cover for Virgin by Lorde.

Suki Waterhouse has me wrapped around her finger. Just as Memoir of a Sparklemuffin (2024) was fading into last autumn, she released the deluxe version of the record. I keep listening to “The Bellboy (One Last Crush)”, “Everything You Feared”, and “So Close”. The hook of the first one is striking, especially as I count down the days before I leave my home of the past ten years. The second features gut-punching lower register moments in the pre-choruses. The last feels like a 2010s Ellie Goulding song was put through a modernization machine, creating a future-nostalgia sound that still somehow manages to feel extremely present.

Now for the obligatory paragraph of random songs! I’m not sure what’s happening with Lana Del Rey’s upcoming album (which was supposed to release last month), but “Henry, Come On” is gorgeous and floaty. Revisiting my hometown, I got back on a Katy Perry and P!nk grind (two artists I adored when I lived there). “Waking Up in Vegas” (2008) and “Who Knew” (2006) are incredible. I randomly remembered the closing track of Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess (2023), “Guilty Pleasure”, and I haven’t been able to stop listening for months. I also randomly got into some of the deluxe songs from Lizzy McAlpine’s Older (and Wiser), (2024) “Pushing It Down and Praying” and “Spring into Summer”. As Charli XCX’s “party 4 u” (2020) has been blowing up online, I’ve also gotten into it. Miley Cyrus’s “More to Lose” and “Golden Burning Sun” are my favorites on her recent record, Something Beautiful. Renee Rapp’s comeback “Leave Me Alone” is cheeky and splendid. “Manchild” by Sabrina Carpenter is a contender for song of the summer. Ariana Grande made the incredible eternal sunshine (2024) even better with its deluxe version. “Hampstead” might end up being my most-played song this year. I also love “Twilight Zone”. Lastly, to expand upon my recent Fleetwood Mac kick I mentioned in my last seasonal roundup, “Go Your Own Way” (1977), “Rhiannon” (1975), and “You Make Loving Fun” (1977) have been consistently in my queues.

The album cover for Something Beautiful by Miley Cyrus.

And oh boy, the summer roundup will be crazy. Just last night, Lorde released her fourth album (which I didn’t mention here because it wasn’t a spring release). Then in August, we have Renee Rapp and Sabrina Carpenter, both releasing brand-new albums! I’m so hyped.

I will be trying to put out more articles over the summer, so I hope you’re excited!