I MADE YOU A PLAYLIST, Vol. 13: "Base Camp" — 2021 Favorites

Songs that seem evergreen 🌲

If you’ve ever gone camping for multiple nights (I’m talking >5 days or so), I’m sure you’ll agree that the campsite usually hits its sweet spot around days 2-4. If you’ve never had this experience, no worries—I’ll explain.

On day 1, everything is exciting but also strange and chaotic because no one knows whose pack holds which cooking utensils and it takes a minimum of ten minutes to find a single s’mores ingredient. On the last day, everyone is sad but pretending not to be (one of the worst combos ever, in my opinion), and even though you’re in desperate need of a shower, no one actually wants to leave. This leaves us with days 2-4. Prime campsite time hits smack in the middle of the trip, when you’ve settled in enough to develop a micro-routine in your micro-corner of the world, and you start to worry less about the weird noises in the woods and instead notice nice things like the patterns the trees make on your tent in the mornings.

(I will now wrap up the extended camping metaphor and explain how it relates to my music listening habits of the past year. Hang in there.)

My point? Sometimes it’s good to build a bubble for yourself and just live there for a while, soaking in the familiarity. Change is necessary, and I’m all about expanding horizons, etc. etc., but in the middle of all our adventuring it’s nice to have a comfy place to come back to—a base camp, if you will.

Just some top-notch trees I visited in August.

If last year’s listening theme was escapism, this year was about realizing that sometimes escape simply isn’t possible, and in that case it’s best to build a bubble, settle in, and get to know your surroundings.

Personally, I made some Big Changes in 2021—new job in a new-ish industry, new city, new mattress (!!), new daily walking route. Lots of transitions. So it makes sense that musically, I feel like I was less intent on chasing uncharted territory and instead embraced songs that sounded familiar, comfortable, satisfying, and, in some cases, extremely conventional.

Maybe I spent too much time hanging around my musical campsite when I could have been exploring a new trail or discovering the 8th World Wonder or whatever. But the thing is, I like it here!!! Unlike the streets of my new neighborhood in Nashville, I know these songs like the back of my hand, and it’s been a blast to push the limits of their appeal, only to find that yes, they still hold up after 1,357-odd replays.

Before I pack up the tent and move on to 2022, I’ve rounded up my favorite albums, lyrics, musical moments, and songs from the friendly voices that soundtracked the past 365 days.

Welcome to base camp! Make yourselves at home.

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ALBUMS

Ten albums I had on repeat this year (in no particular order):

1. maybe i will see you at the end of the world — Sydney Sprague

   • MVPs: object permanence, quitter, time is gone

2. State of the Heart — Patrick Droney

   • MVPs: When the Lights Go Out, Little By Little, On Your Way Home

3. Vince Staples — Vince Staples

   • MVPs: Are You With That?, Sundown Town, Take Me Home

4. HOUSE OF CONFUSION — Trace Mountains

   • MVPs: SEEN IT COMING, THE MOON, EYES ON THE ROAD

5. Del Water Gap — Del Water Gap

   • MVPs: Perfume, Sorry I Am, Bug Bites

6. Cool Dry Place — Katy Kirby

   • MVPs: Cool Dry Place, Secret Language, Fireman

7. Collapsed in Sunbeams — Arlo Parks

   • MVPs: Caroline, Eugene, Too Good

8. Don’t Go Tellin’ Your Momma — Topaz Jones

   • MVPs: Rich, D.I.A.L., Black Tame

9. Sob Rock — John Mayer

   • MVPs: Last Train Home, Shot in the Dark, Til the Right One Comes

10. Sad Night Dynamite — Sad Night Dynamite

    • MVPs: Krunk, Icy Violence, Killshot

***Honorable Mentions: isolation by John The Blind, Summerland by Diamond White, Juno by Remi Wolf, Digital Meadow by Dora Jar, Take The Sadness Out of Saturday Night by Bleachers, Far From Here by Emmit Fenn, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert by Little Simz

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MOMENTS

If I could bottle up these musical moments and drink them like a tonic or a green juice, I’d be guaranteed to live to 101. Here’s the shortlist of “favorite parts” that kept me coming back for more:

The beat drop in Sad Night Dynamite’s “Krunk” 🔥🔥 my god

When Maren Morris’ background vocals come in on John Mayer’s “Last Train Home”

Basically every single outro on John Mayer’s Sob Rock

“Mood Ring” @ 2:34-2:40, when it sounds like Lorde is underwater and in outer space at the same time

MUNA’s bonus little high harmony on “Ohhh when she’s on meeee” in the last chorus of “Silk Chiffon”

The dramatic let’s-jump-off-this-cliff-together delivery of the final chorus in Patrick Droney’s “Like The Water”

The sax solo at the end of “Lockeland” by Moody Joody

The bridge of “drivers license” by Olivia Rodrigo… 🚦 for obvious reasons

“Like a damn SOCIOPATHHH” — also Olivia Rodrigo… 😈 also for obvious reasons

“IstillputmyhandaroundtheheadrestinmyHondaACCORRRDDDDDDD!” from the second verse (ish) in “Off My Mind” by joe p

“Obstacle” by Manchester Orchestra @ 2:27-2:34—can’t explain it, it just sends me into the stratosphere every single time

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LYRICS

Every year I say I’ll start journaling and every year I fail, but if I ever succeeded, these lyrics would line the pages:

if i had a penny for all your potential / i’d be left drowning, my mouth full of metal (Jade Bird, “Now is the Time”)

if time is a river running, well let’s be stones underwater, carry each other (Patrick Droney, “River”)

all’s well that ends well, but i’m in a new hell every time you double cross my mind (Taylor Swift, “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)”)

god, i’m so obsessed with forever (Carol Ades, “Crying During Sex”)

i’ll let you borrow the spare room in my heart (Delilah Montagu, “BABY”)

life's so fun, life's so fun / got my mini skirt and my rollerblades on (MUNA, “Silk Chiffon”)

when the wheels come off, i’ll be your spare / when the party’s over, i’ll be stacking the chairs (Middle Kids, “Stacking Chairs”)

jiminy cricket lickety split (Dora Jar, “Polly”)

and with all my extra rods and cones, i see / that the rhythm’s more important than the melody (Katy Kirby, “Cool Dry Place”)

i wish i could tell you, you’re drop dead kind / you’re easy to talk to, and you’re generous with time (Del Water Gap, “Sorry I Am”)

you’re better than ever, but i knew you when (Lucy Dacus, “Hot & Heavy”)

small talk in the fishmonger shop (Georgia Parker, “Anna”)

and then when you're ready, i'll be outside and we can go look at the sunrise by euphoria mixed with existential vertigo? cool. (Robyn’s interlude on Lorde’s “Secrets From A Girl (Who’s Seen It All)”)

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SONGS

Drumroll please… Guess what! I made you another playlist! These are the steady, reliable, surefire-hit songs I’ve revisited as the past year ricocheted from pandemic life to normal-ish life and back to pandemic life again. Some picks are probably expected (“deja vu,” “Silk Chiffon,” “Anyone,” etc.), but I would like to think that some are fun little surprises. For example, we’ve got ourselves a sneakily satisfying pop-punk cover of “drivers license,” and a time-travel trip back to 2006 thanks to my Hot Vax Summer™️ rediscovery, “Stars Are Blind,” plus Sir Paul McCartney’s otherwise-forgettable “The Kiss of Venus,” fascinatingly reimagined by Dominic Fike.

Note: You can listen however you want—in order, on shuffle, forwards, backwards, break it off in bite-sized pieces, whatever floats your boat. But just know that I slaved over this sequencing for hours.

Okay, here we go! 100 songs that have earned permanent spots in my micro-corner of the world. I hope you find something familiar. 🥰

Base Camp: 2021 Favorites

1. Feels Like - Gracie Abrams

2. When The Lights Go Out - Patrick Droney (watch this version, too)

3. Anyone - Justin Bieber

4. Silk Chiffon - MUNA feat. Phoebe Bridgers

5. drivers license - jxdn

6. object permanence - Sydney Sprague feat. Danielle Durack

7. You Sexy Thing - Zella Day

8. The King of Wishful Thinking - Go West

9. the angel of 8th ave. - Gang of Youths

10. Amalfi - Wild Pink

11. Last Train Home - John Mayer

12. The Runaround - Joshua Speers (also my favorite music video of the year)

13. Crying During Sex - Carol Ades

14. Got Me - Laura Mvula

15. Lockeland - Moody Joody

16. He Gets Me So High - beabadoobee

17. Can We - Jim-E Stack feat. Kacy Hill

18. RUBBER BANDS - BERWYN

19. Deserve You - Justin Bieber

20. BABY - Delilah Montagu

21. Rich - Topaz Jones

22. Icy Violence - Sad Night Dynamite

23. TAKE ME HOME - Vince Staples feat. Fousheé

24. Go Easy, Kid - Monica Martin

25. Good Days - SZA

26. deja vu - Olivia Rodrigo

27. 4Runner - Rostam

28. Polly - Dora Jar

29. Stacking Chairs - Middle Kids

30. Now is the Time - Jade Bird

31. Mimi - Big Red Machine feat. Ilsey

32. Getting Over Our Love - Ric Robertson feat. Lucius

33. Cool Dry Place - Katy Kirby

34. Caroline - Arlo Parks

35. PACK IT UP BOY - City Girl feat. tiffi

36. The Promise - Samia feat. Jelani Aryeh

37. The Walls Are Way Too Thin - Holly Humberstone

38. quitter - Sydney Sprague

39. Matches and Metaphors - Morgan Wade

40. Yours in the Morning - Patrick Droney

41. Wildfire - Cautious Clay

42. Bonafide - Emotional Oranges feat. Chiiild

43. Totally - Inhaler

44. Boilermaker - Royal Blood

45. knuckle tattoo - girlhouse

46. I Can’t Wait to Be British - Carol Ades

47. Dreams with You - Kississippi

48. Stop Making This Hurt - Bleachers

49. Harmonia’s Dream - The War On Drugs

50. Show Up - Samia

51. Mood Ring - Lorde

52. jealousy, jealousy - Olivia Rodrigo

53. One Night - Griff

54. You Could Be The One - Niko Rubio

55. Grumpy Old Man - Remi Wolf

56. Slide Tackle - Japanese Breakfast

57. Golden - Zella Day

58. Til the Right One Comes - John Mayer

59. Stars Are Blind - Paris Hilton

60. Spit Of You - Sam Fender

61. Heart On Fire - Eric Church

62. Off My Mind - joe p

63. Perfume - Del Water Gap

64. Hood of My Car - Anderson East

65. Fall Into Me - The Chain Gang of 1974

66. Far from Here - Emmit Fenn

67. alien jewelry - John The Blind

68. barcelona - Winnetka Bowling League feat. Sasha Sloan

69. Secrets from a Girl (Who’s Seen It All) - Lorde

70. Hot & Heavy - Lucy Dacus

71. Cub Pilot - Fruit Bats

72. Don’t Stop Loving Me - Joshua Speers feat. SKAAR

73. Five N’ Dime - Mills

74. Wouldn’t Come Back - Trousdale

75. Last Resort - Natalie Hemby

76. Obstacle - Manchester Orchestra

77. Better - Michigander

78. Please Don’t Leave Just Yet - Holly Humberstone

79. Nothing New - Taylor Swift feat. Phoebe Bridgers

80. What If I Love You - Gatlin

81. Symptom of Your Touch - Aly & AJ

82. Oh shit… are we in love? - Valley

83. Free - Parcels

84. Distance - Yebba

85. Old & Fine - serpentwithfeet

86. Coming Back - James Blake feat. SZA

87. The Kiss of Venus - Paul McCartney feat. Dominic Fike

88. Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You - Lauryn Hill

89. SUNDOWN TOWN - Vince Staples

90. Introvert - Little Simz

91. The Dress - Dijon

92. All Night Parking (Interlude) - Adele feat. Erroll Garner

93. End of a Dark Age - Amy Allen

94. Anna - Georgia Parker

95. My Place - Goldpark

96. Pivot in Place - Bre Kennedy

97. SEEN IT COMING - Trace Mountains

98. Signs of Life - Foy Vance

99. New Person, Old Place - Madi Diaz

100. All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault) - Taylor Swift

Listen HERE:

Or HERE if you’re team Apple Music.

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Thanks for reading, listening, caring, etc. See you next year! ❤️🎶

Natalie