I MADE YOU A PLAYLIST, Vol. 14: "Good Soup" ♨️
Simmer and groove
Confession: I’m calling this edition of I MADE YOU A PLAYLIST Good Soup, but I’ve actually only made soup one (1) time this entire winter, in spite of multiple winter weather events and colder-than-I’m-used-to temps. It was taco soup, to be specific, and my family has been making the same criminally easy, insanely delicious recipe for years. Here it is if you need a dinner idea:
Taco Soup
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 large onion
minced garlic
1 can corn (16oz, drained)
1 can creamed style corn (16oz, not drained)
1 can northern beans (16oz)
1 can wax beans (16oz)
1 can black-eyed peas (16oz)
2 cans diced tomatoes (16oz each, use spicy kind if you want)
1 packet taco seasoning
1 packet ranch dry seasoning mix
2 cups water
Directions: Brown meat, onion, garlic in a large soup pot. Add everything else. Stir and simmer for one hour. Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips, etc. etc.
I’m fully aware that the “good soup” meme is supposed to be used ironically or sarcastically, as most memes are. (If you are unfamiliar: please see the OG version here / and a random TikTok compilation here.)
…But this is my corner of the world and you all willingly subscribed to be here, so we’re following my rules and putting our imaginations to work. The Soup™️ (read: Content™️) has been pleasantly plentiful in these first few months of 2022, and I’m sending it to you earnestly, without an ounce of sarcasm. Sound good? Good.
LISTEN
As someone who absolutely lives for a truly overwhelming New Music Friday, I can happily report that the last several weeks have offered an embarrassment of riches. If I wrote about everything I’ve been loving lately, this email would be 10,000 words long, so please accept this shortlist of standouts:
“3AM” - DRAMA (Spotify | Apple)
If you caught me crafting my summer 2022 playlist when it was still below freezing outside… no you didn’t. 😎 This is decidedly not a February song but it has made me think fondly of miserable, humid August nights… so whatever musical drug DRAMA laced this with is totally working. The vibes are impeccable, the video only adds to the greatness, and I simply cannot listen enough!!! Don’t sleep on “Dark Rain” (also out now) or the rest of their forthcoming EP, which I’m sure will be just as wonderful.
CAPRISONGS - FKA twigs (Spotify | Apple)
Historically, I’m not FKA twigs’ most loyal fan, but this recent mixtape is converting me. “honda” is just unreal (🔥🥵), and I also keep returning to “oh my love” and “ride the dragon.”
Absolutely - Dijon (Spotify | Apple)
This late-2021 release has now soundtracked about 50% of my daily(ish) walks in 2022… and please understand that’s a pretty high percentage for someone who is constantly sifting through Discover Weekly’s and friends’ playlists. The “Dress” hype is real, but “Scratching” and “Talk Down” are my personal gems.
+ a few more things on repeat lately: “The Look” by Roxette (thanks to euphoria season 2), “Be Somebody” by slimdan, “Love You To Death” by Fickle Friends, “Make It Out” by Henry Jamison feat. Maisie Peters, and Anais Mitchell’s absolutely lovely self-titled album
READ
west elm willoughby by Brandon Taylor (Sweater Weather)
If you were on Twitter or TikTok during the #WestElmCaleb debacle a few weeks ago, this headline will make some sense. If you were not, I’m begging you to click on it anyway. This essay is a brilliant, highly-entertaining commentary on gossip, its pros and (many) cons, and the unlikely connection between some of Jane Austen’s most polarizing characters and a viral TikTok moment in 2022. I promise it’s worth a read even if you’ve never cracked a copy of Sense & Sensibility or downloaded the TikTok app.
This part really stuck with me: “Perhaps this is how we first know all the people who become important to us. In little snatches of information stolen from the larger living legend of a person among all the people to whom they are known.”
“Angus Cloud is Soft, Too” by Samantha Leach (bustle)
Angus Cloud’s “Fezco” has quickly become one of the most beloved characters on HBO’s euphoria, despite… well… despite a lot. This is a fun little profile on the actor behind it all. (He’s really funny!!!)
“A Love Letter to Gaming” by Justin Heckert (1843 Magazine)
I’m the farthest thing from a gamer, but this ode to old-school video games made me emotional, so I’m passing it on to you. The best writing makes you care deeply for something to which you otherwise have *zero* personal connection, and this piece completed its mission with flying colors. (You can read it for free by submitting your email address!)
“The Power of the Dog Has A Queer Problem” by Spencer Kornhaber (The Atlantic)
I LOVED The Power of the Dog (streaming on Netflix), but also appreciated this critique of the ways it capitalizes on some overused tropes and cliches we’ve (I’ve) been trained to expect from queer films. ***Contains major spoilers, proceed with caution!
FOLLOW
I see your Half-Baked Harvest recipes and raise you a Carolina Gelen creation. (No shade at all — Tieghan Gerard is a genius — but Carolina’s reels are just so good.) She’s posted a ton of healthy, winter-appropriate lunch and dinner recipes, but I’m mostly excited to try this chocolate cake.
+ a bonus follow: David Shrigley
…need I say more?
PLAY
I crafted this playlist for soup-making/cooking/general kitchen time, but most specifically it is for when you want to make your 1,986th Trader Joe’s frozen meal a little more exciting by playing some ~*sexy soul music*~ and pretending you’re the tiniest ounce as smooth as Leon Bridges. (Nope. Never gonna happen.)
Sonically, “Good Soup” is closely related to my other kitchen-friendly playlist, *Chef’s Kiss*, but let’s just say “Good Soup” is the bolder, cooler, younger sister—the one who gets away with edgier outfits and later curfews. She’s the type of gal who queues up Dijon after Michael Bublé, Kendrick Lamar after a Marcus Mumford Bob Dylan cover, and Yebba after Billy Swan. I’m a big fan of her vibe.
Bonus: This playlist is 90-ish minutes long, which is roughly the amount of time you need to make a batch of taco soup. You’re welcome.
Good Soup
“Whatever It Takes” - Michael Bublé feat. Ron Sexsmith
The Dress - Dijon
Low - Chet Faker
Go Gina - SZA
Leave The Door Open - Silk Sonic
Lover Girl - Aaron Frazer
Soul Serenade - Aretha Franklin
Let’s Make A Deal - Frederick Knight
Baby, This Love I Have - Minnie Riperton
Luscious Lady - Darondo
Ride or Die - Durand Jones & The Indications
Drama - Erika de Casier
Don’t Be Cruel - Billy Swan
Far Away - Yebba feat. A$AP Rocky
All over You - LEISURE
All Night Parking - Adele feat. Erroll Garner
You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go - Madeleine Peyroux
Steamroller Blues - James Taylor
When I Get My Hands On You - The New Basement Tapes
LOVE. - Kendrick Lamar feat. Zacari
Please Stay (Once You Go Away) - Marvin Gaye
Mr Magic (Through The Smoke) - Amy Winehouse
Don’t Worry (feat. Ink)
Listen HERE:
Or HERE if you’re on Apple Music!
Have fun cooking, sipping, scrolling, reading, binge-watching, etc. Wishing you only the BEST soup, always!
Natalie
…How many times did I say “soup” in this email? 😂 (Please don’t answer that.)