Dear Rocka readers,
Happy New Year! I took most of December off to recharge. “Big things coming,” says everyone ever. But really.
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The biggest news of this month is that I’m starting my first “real” job both generally and in the music industry. After a few months of meeting a bunch of different people and only slightly harassing them, I landed a job with Universal Music Group’s °1824 program as a PR representative. I’m so excited to start. I’ve known about the program for a few years now and nearly every person I admire in the industry is an alumna of the program.
My PR position will be focused on podcasts and playists and during one of my interviews, I proudly showcased my endless Spotify playlists. I realized in this moment, as I’m watching the man who is in charge of hiring me scroll through them, that some of my playlists are perhaps not corporately appropriate. For instance, my infamous “DD” playlist which has every rap song I’ve ever liked on it (named after David Duchovny). I quickly decided to own this and talked for five minutes about the cultural importance of my “hot priest” playlist, named after the Fleabag character. At my religious school, I get many comments about how this playlist is so “crazy” and inappropriate. I also see people listening to it frequently. “Hot priest” is the perfect example of an idea getting into my head and making itself at home. When I think about his character, I think about where faith, adoration, lust, and love intersect. The playlist features a lot of Doors, Fugazi, Morphine, and Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds. The tracks are charmingly sleazy and show up as they are. It’s an orchard of forbidden fruit that you exit with juice stains on the corners of your mouth.
I’m not trying to encourage hedonism or having crushes on your religious leaders. I’m just saying that I love finding clear aesthetics to sort music from all genres and decades into. It’s something I think Gen Z is particularly good at since our interests are so specific. Maybe making playlists isn’t as intimate or valued as making mixes used to be. But it’d be wrong to say there isn’t an art to it.
I’m excited to learn more about playlists and how people find new music in my job. And I’ll forever be making the joke that my “hot priest” playlist landed me it.
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My Spotify wrapped this year can be summarized by what one man said to me a few years ago, “are you even indie?" I had Phoebe. I had Sufjan. I had Brian Jonestown! However…
My top artist was Jack Harlow.
All insults can remain unspoken.
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Speaking of playlists, this month’s mix is my attempt to ease the blues (aka seasonal affective disorder) of winter. I’ll stop writing about the weather when it stops affecting me. I included a mix of some upbeat indie tunes like “Wasted on the Real Thing” by DVC Refreshments alongside a few hip-hop picks like “WHO U FOOLIN,” the latest release from Tommy Richman and mynameisntjmack. “BUNKER/ PREROLL” was my second most listened to song last year, which is significant considering I found it in July. The top track for me this month is “Negroni Summer” by Aussie Donny Benét. This song is so light and fresh, and you can almost feel some sun beams on your skin. Enjoy Jan ‘23 Rocka’s Repeats and the start of the new year.
Rocka out,
Ally