"fighting flames of fire"

Historically, my October playlists have been very gloomy, often filled with slow, somber songs about heartbreak and regret.

However, I'd like to think that I switched it up a little bit in 2016. With a mix of bangers (sort of) like Bruno Mars' "24K Magic," feel good tracks like Phoebe Ryan's "Dollar Bill," and slow jams like Solange's "Don't Touch My Hair," my October playlist is more "chill" than gloomy.

Below are the eleven songs that served as my soundtrack during the month of October:

1. "All We Know" (feat. Phoebe Ryan) - The Chainsmokers
2. "Trust Nobody" (feat. Tory Lanez & Selena Gomez) - Cashmere Cat
3. "Blow Your Mind (Mwah)" - Dua Lipa
4. "Body Moves" - DNCE
5. "Dollar Bill" (feat. Kid Ink) - Phoebe Ryan
6. "24K Magic" - Bruno Mars
7. "Flex Your Way Out" (feat. Blackbear) - Sofi de la Torre
8. "Edibles." - JoJo
9. "The Loudest Silence" - Maurice Moore
10. "Drum" - MØ
11. "Don't Touch My Hair" (feat. Sampha) - Solange

Happy Listening,

Robert

"i got fake people showing fake love to me"

photo by Drake (@champagnepapi on Instagram)

Just ahead of his 30th birthday, Drake announced that he would dropping a new project in December titled More Life. In addition to relieving the title of the project during a special birthday episode of OVO Sound Radio, Drake premiered four tracks, including two singles "Fake Love" and "Sneakin'" featuring 21 Savage.

"Fake Love," an infectious, tropical hip-pop, and unmistakably Drake record about fake people, has gained more traction than its more rap heavy counterpart "Sneakin,'" even claiming the top spot on Spotify's United States Top 50. 

With it's Instagram caption worthy lyrics like "yea, I know they wanna take my place" and "look you in the face and it's just not the same," "Fake Love" is destined to be a hit. I expect to hear it blaring through the speakers at every after-hours holiday party this fall and lip-synced in thousands of Snapchats. 

Happy Listening, 

Robert

"sometimes i ask for the sun and get rain"

photo by Rebel Rae (@rebelraemusic on Instagram)

Following the release of R&B newcomer Rebel Rae's sweet and soulful EP, Twenty16, the singer-songwriter has unveiled the wonderfully simple and aesthetically pleasing visual for the project's closing track, "Tomorrow."

Donning a cut off "Generic Brand" denim jacket and equipped with a portable CD player, Rae sings about not letting the past impact her, instead, choosing to focus on "Tomorrow."

Hopefully she'll be creating and releasing for visuals for the other songs on Twenty16, but until then, I'll just keep hitting the replay button. 

Happy Listening (watching),

Robert

"this life can make you so jaded"

August marked my return to one of the most fast paced and chaotic places in the world, New York.   The apartment hunt proved to more of a struggle than I was prepared for, so I spent most of the month stressing and couch-surfing, with the occasional trip back down to D.C.

Starting off with the undisputed song of the summer "Closer," and wrapping up with the perfectly cool and dreamy "Moon" by newcomer Tysm, August is pretty low-key with mid-tempo jams from Kehlani, Glass Animals, PARTYNEXTDOOR, and Ansel Elgort, who released his debut single, "Home Alone" at the end of July.

Below are the fifteen songs that served as my soundtrack to the month of August:

1. "Closer" (feat. Halsey) - The Chainsmokers
2. "I Met This Dude at Coachella" (feat. Rykeyz) - Brezy
3. "Hurts So Good" - Astrid S
4. "Perfect Strangers" (feat. JP Cooper) - Jonas Blue
5. "Let Me Love You" (feat. Justin Bieber) - DJ Snake
6. "For Free" (feat. Drake) - DJ Khaled
7. "Youth" - Glass Animals
8. "Home Alone" - Ansel Elgort
9. "Distraction" - Kehlani
10. "Not Nice" - PARTYNEXTDOOR
11. "Come First" - Terror Jr
12. "In The Name Of Love" - Martin Garrix & Bebe Rexha
13. "Lies" (feat. SZA) - Felix Snow
14. "Gone" (feat. Ty Dolla $ign) - Afrojack
15. "Moon" - Tysm

Happy Listening,

Robert 

"high like amphetamine, maybe you're just a dream"

photo by Lady Gaga (@ladygaga on Instagram)

After a three year hiatus from pop music, Lady Gaga has managed to reinvent herself, yet again, and she's back with a vengeance.

Produced by Mark Ronson, Bloodpop, Kevin Parker of Tame Impala, and Gaga, herself, "Perfect Illusion," is a loud, powerful, punk-rock infused banger that explores deceitful relationships with lyrics like "I still feel the blow / but at least now I know" and "it was a perfect illusion mistaken for love."

With its anthemic chorus and bridge, "Perfect Illusion" is destined to become a break-up classic, but this fall, I can guarantee that it will be blasted at ear-drum shattering levels at clubs, in cars, and through headphones across the world.

Happy Listening,

Robert

"shut up i love you, you're my best friend"

I spent 5 and a half incredible months studying in and traveling around Europe. I saw some of the most beautiful churches, bridges, towers, and monuments in the entire world, and I also explored a decent amount of shady underground (literally) bars, clubs, and pubs (shout out to Prague). July marked the end of what felt like a dream, and I was so quickly woken up by the daily grind of my internship and the never-ending process that is trying to find an apartment in New York City.

Per usual, I needed my music to get me through it all and while I often say that my playlists are a roller-coaster, this one is just really confusing. July marked my return to country music, meaning that in a span of fifteen minutes, you will listen to country, pop, and latin music from a wide range of artists like LANY, Sam Hunt, and Alkilados.

Below are the sixteen songs that served as my soundtrack to the month of July:

1. "Tongue Tied July" - Michael Brun x Roy English
2. "Where I Wanna Be" - A R I Z O N A
3. "The Ocean" (feat. Shy Martin) - Mike Perry
4. "Carry Me" (feat. Julia Michaels) - Kygo
5. "Please Don't Go" - Joel Adams
6. "Leave The Night On" - Sam Hunt
7. "Picky" - Joey Montana
8. "Heathens" - Twenty One Pilots
9. "pink skies" - LANY
10. "Gonna Wanna Tonight" - Chase Rice
11. "La Bicicleta" - Alkilados
12. "Cruel" (feat. ZAYN) - Snakehips
13. "Aloha" (feat. Merryn Jeann) - Møme
14. "DonaldTrumpMakesMeWannaSmokeCrack" - Ledinsky
15. "Starving" (feat. Grey & Zedd) - Hailee Steinfeld
16. "Cold Water" (feat. Justin Bieber & MØ) - Major Lazer

Happy Listening,

Robert

"so baby pull me closer in the back seat of your rover"

photo by The Chainsmokers (@thechainsmokers)

Six weeks ago, as "Don't Let Me Down" featuring pop newcomer Daya was rising up the charts, The Chainsmokers posted a picture of them alongside Halsey, teasing that she would be featured on their "next one." 

The next one's with this beauty ❤️ @iamhalsey 📷@rorykramer

A photo posted by The Chainsmokers (@thechainsmokers) on Jun 11, 2016 at 8:22am PDT

Today (July 29th), after a very long six weeks, their collaboration was finally released and it has the potential to be their biggest song yet.

"Closer" tells the story of a couple who are rekindling their romance after a four year break. Spliced with the narration of their reunion are references to memorable moments from their relationship.

With Instagram caption worthy lyrics like "so baby pull me closer, in the back seat of your Rover" and "we ain't never getting older," "Closer" is destined to be a viral sensation and it's low-key, synth heavy production makes it better suited for long drives and late summer nights than jam-packed clubs.

The Chainsmokers are currently working on a full-length follow up to their 2015 EP, Bouquet.

Happy Listening,

Robert