music memoir vol 2: songs of 2024
songs I couldn't get enough of
A -somewhat- second part to my previous post, with the most impactful songs of my 2024 experience. A DIY Spotify wrapped, if you will, of my months in Brussels, concert setlists and travel soundtrack. I explained the concept in depth at the beginning of the last post, give it a read if you’re curious. The list is never-ending.
1. You’re gonna go far by Noah Kahan
I spent the first two months of 2024 daily driving back and forth to a different city for an -unpaid- internship. I used to listen to Noah on the drive home, in part because his music helped me decompress from my long, unfulfilling days, but also because I was manifesting getting tickets to his sold out show in Brussels -where I was moving once I completed my internship at home. My manifestation was successful -after initially getting scammed- making Noah Kahan my first concert of the year, on my first 24 hours living in Brussels.
I remember listening to this song in the car after finally finding a ticket and imagining how hard it would hit when I’d get to hear it live, at the beginning of a new chapter in my life -which turned out to be my favourite chapter yet. When the day finally came, I was tired from the previous night’s traveling, getting ill and I had woken up in what would be my bed for the next 6 months in a city that was absolutely foreign to me. Still, I somehow found my way to Forest National arena where I listened to this song live and thought of my internship drives.
2. Fuzzy by Grant Lee Buffalo
I have a handful of good -very old- friends in Cyprus that I’ve stayed in touch with over the years. One of them, Evi, showed me this song in her car on the drive back to our hometown, surrounded by the beautiful, characteristic Cypriot mountains after celebrating her birthday in a cozy village, brunch and exploring. Another friend, Nicola, stole a flower for her that she carried around like a magic wand on our walk around the village. It was forecast to rain all day, but the sky was kind to us and waited until we were driving away before it turned grey.
3. Safe Flight by Wild Rivers
I was introduced to Wild Rivers as Noah Kahan’s opener in Brussels. I had been on a plane less than 24 hours prior, on my way to my new life. This song got me thinking about my endless cycle of goodbyes with loved ones, and the countless “have a safe flight”s I’ve exchanged throughout my life. By the end of their set I was a Wild Rivers fan. I listened to their music and this song in particular so often around this time, that it now sounds like getting lost in the Brussels streets as I tried getting accustomed to the city.
4. Anything on Father John Misty’s I love you Honeybear
I made a friend through my traineeship who recommended listening to Father John Misty to me over lunch at work one day. His instagram profile picture is a picture of the man himself and he made quite a convincing case so I gave him a listen and wasn’t disappointed.
5. I hate it here by Taylor Swift
Ironically, this song came out when I was in my favourite place I’ve lived in so far. My life in Brussels had become routinely by mid-April when The Tortured Poets Department came out, I had grown accustomed to my 9-5 traineeship that made me feel young and bright, I had grown closer to the people I’d met and I was the happiest and most inspired version of myself I’d been in a long time.
I gravitated to this song purely based on past experiences of escapist longing and because the imagery reminded me of the first short story I wrote that intensified my desire to become a writer.
6. Alienated and Stardust by Zayn
Zayn’s time finally came in May last year, with the release of ROOM UNDER THE STAIRS and his return to the world of promotional interviews and fan interactions. I had the pleasure and honour of being in the crowd of his first solo performance the day the album was released as well as attend a signing two days later, where I got to have a hug and picture with him as well as hand him a letter. In order for me to be present for these events I had to teleport to London from Brussels, with my tight budget and time constraints. (shoutout to flixbus and the eurotunnel)
Alienated is one of my favourite songs on the album and sounds heavenly live. Stardust -while not on the setlist- reminds me of getting ready on the train to London as I put little stars on my face, an accessory a touch I’ve added to my concert makeup since Love on Tour 2023.
7. Risk and us (feat. Taylor Swift) by Gracie Abrams
Gracie Abrams’s music had never hit the spot for me until Risk was released in May, which marked the beginning of my fixation. I’m a sucker for songs with so many words they leave you out of breath when trying to sing along to them and Gracie’s latest album had so much of that -following in Taylor’s footsteps in that respect. (apparently Gracie is controversial, I’m not sure why other than her nepotism but if anyone knows please enlighten me?)
I was lucky enough to attend the last leg of the Eras Tour, on the third London Night in June, when Gracie Abrams and Travis Kelce both made surprise appearances on stage. us had been out for just over 2 days, which Taylor pointed out before playing it and I knew what it was instantly.
8. Hi Ren by Ren
I discovered Ren through this song, right before leaving Brussels. It’s an 8-minute lyrical performance of an introspective dialogue between two sides of his psyche and I simply couldn’t stop listening to it once I came across it. It’s a popular one among “song reaction” videos on YouTube so I watched every single one I could find while packing up my room and life in Brussels.
The guitar melody transports me back to my temporary bedroom, surrounded by all of my belongings and a specific metro journey on one of my last days, going to the opposite direction than the one I normally travelled towards.
9. Hadestown soundtrack
Hadestown was what I was listening to when I first got the idea for this series of posts on the train one night. Reeve Carney calmed my brain down, distracted from the motion sickness and anxiety on the way to my brother’s soon-to-be world in Nottingham. It reminded me of how many memories I have which are tied tightly to songs.
Two days before that night I was deep cleaning my new home and finally gave in to my friend Gabi’s pleading to listen to the soundtrack from beginning to end (Gabs, I stand so corrected!). She had played me one of the songs on a drive once, saying the hopeless romantic in me would adore the rest.
Gabi has always been my guidepost to musicals. She’s the one who introduced me to Hamilton, which defined the first couple of weeks of my undergrad in 2020 so listening another musical recommendation of hers right before starting my postgrad felt like it was meant to be.
10. S P E Y S I D E by Bon Iver
The morning I first listened to this song felt like a movie scene. I was making my best friend, Haleigh, and I breakfast, the morning after our first sleepover at my new flat in London. A peaceful Saturday morning, I felt appreciative of the sunlight peeking through my tiny kitchen’s window. She was still in bed when I started frying our eggs and shuffled my most mellow playlist with this song waiting for me at the end of it. I remember thinking “this sounds like Bon Iver” -appropriate background music for a main character montage- before looking over at my laptop to realize it was.
Haleigh and I had our breakfast before failing to get Zayn tickets for his London show during general onsale -we still managed to go. It was a rare moment of feeling contently clear on where I stood in my life. This was the same morning after we watched This Is Us and unintentionally predicted the first 1D death.
11. Like a Prayer (Choir Version) from Deadpool&Wolverine
When Liam Payne died I -as always- turned to my music for comfort and to help me cope with my peculiar grief -it hit me hard. This song was used in several unrelated TikTok edits that flooded my for you page at the time. The first time I came across one it gave me shivers and made me cry. I listened to it for weeks after -often on the bus on my way to campus and back- because it somehow perfectly encapsulated the feeling One Direction had evoked throughout my life.
I can’t listen to it without thinking of the memorials, the flowers, the letters to Liam, Haleigh calling me that night, the 4 boys’ posts or the newspaper and tabloid headlines.
12. LABOUR - the cacophony by Paris Paloma
This was around the time I wrote my misandry post and feminine rage took over me. I lived and breathed the lyrics of this song -among the others in my misandry playlist. It felt like a radicalizing turning point for my feminism.
Honorary mentions:
So Long London by Taylor Swift
Fantasizing about living in London on my way back to Brussels after meeting Zayn, in my exhausted bliss.
Anything by Luke Hemmings
As a casual 5sos fan I wasn’t aware of Luke Hemmings’s sound until early May but fell in love with it and Luke as soon as I listened to boy.
Why Why Why by Shawn Mendes
The return of Shawn Mendes, first heard in a beautifully air-conditioned hotel room in Rome with my best friend over the summer.
Angels on the moon by Thriving Ivory
A song I cried to in the cheap hotel room I stayed in when I found myself homeless in London after a move-in nightmare.
Sailor Song by Gigi Perez
My main song of October along with my grieving music for Liam.
Concerts/gigs of 2024 and my favourite songs from each:
Noah Kahan - Pain Is Cold Water
The 1975 - Be My Mistake
Novo Amor - Repeat Until Death
Kacey Musgraves - Follow Your Arrow
Hozier - Nina Cried Power
Taylor Swift - Out Of The Woods, Is It Over Now and Clean (my surprise songs)
Louis Tomlinson at victorious festival - Written All Over Your Face
Niall Horan (twice) - Black and White
Mitch Rowland - Here Comes The Comeback
Cigarettes After Sex - Heavenly
Zayn (thrice) - Shoot At Will
Flyte - Faithless
luke hemmings appreciation!! we love to see it! this is a great list <3