Hey friends! It’s been a long time coming :’)
I’m back!! You can expect a new post from me every two weeks. I’ll try my very best to make my page as interesting as possible. I wrote this one to fill in the gap, though. You’ll have to stick around a little longer if you don’t want to miss all the amazing posts I’ve planned!
After the long hiatus, I think it’d be best to start us off with a recap of how I spent the last few months. I have so much to share. Let’s get right into it!
a brief recap
My 2026 started in Türkiye: During the Christmas break, I made great memories with my friends and family in my home country. It was a lovely time. I had my hair cut, went to the cinema to see Avatar: Fire and Ash, and cried my eyes out within the first 50 seconds of the film. I’m unfortunately too attached to those blue aliens, so it took me a while to recover and connect with real life again – lol.
Then, we came back home and the excitement kicked in. I would be seeing Halsey on their Back to Badlands Tour soon, so life was worth living. There were a few complications along the road, unfortunately, on the day of the show as well, but it finally happened. Everything about that night was so incredibly special. She was touring my favorite album of theirs for its tenth anniversary, and I got to hear all my favorite songs in one night. To describe Halsey: show-stopping, absolutely incredible, and I’m in awe of their mind. A part of me hasn’t fully recovered yet. It’s MAY, but I still want to go back, go back, go back! (throwing in a reference for those who might catch it 😉 )
So by the time January was over, I had lived a hundred different lives already. From then on, everything returned to its normal, monotonous form. Winter days in Germany aren’t for the weak, but I made it through for the third time this year (we cheered!).
Spring brought the joy back into my life. Ramadan has always been a relief and a source of light to me. Truthfully, I was only then able to let go of the pent-up stress inside my mind. Not only is fasting healthy, but it also frees you from your draining thoughts.
As nature awakened and flowers blossomed, I found myself becoming more present as well. We had a nice break in April. Even though it felt short, I still managed to make the most out of it (I’ll share more about it later).
Two weeks ago, I saw Billie Eilish’s concert film with my mum. We had so much fun; dancing, singing and of course, getting emotional.
In short, my year is off to a pretty good start 🙂 (we’re literally 5 months in, so I’m not sure if it’s the ‘start’ anymore, but… whatever!)
let’s talk music
This year, I’ve made it my goal to listen to more music. Music is my favorite thing in this world. As to why I set this goal, I always worry that there are songs out there I’d love if I heard them. Moreover, I want to expand my library. Since I’m still so young, my taste hasn’t fully evolved yet either. Despite being only five months into 2026, my preferences and likes have already changed so much compared to last year. Now that I think about it, this doesn’t just apply to music. It’s pretty much on brand for someone who feels like a different person every day, though.
Anyway, I don’t really need motivation to check out new music, but to make things more exciting, I made myself a punch card and drew 10 vinyl records on it, and then I wrote “Listen to 10 albums for a new CD” at the top. I’m officially through my first punch card! As it could inspire you to make your own, I wanted to share my idea.
(if anyone’s wondering, i treated myself to a cd by the cranberries!)
Here’s a list of the releases I want to talk about today:
(disclaimer: only the ones that have stood out the most to me are on the list, so nothing I rated below 3,5 stars!)
- Nothing’s About to Happen to Me – Mitski
- PAREIDOLIA – Erin LeCount
- THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE. – RAYE
- drop dead – Olivia Rodrigo
Nothing’s About to Happen to Me – Mitski
Mitski’s newest album, released February 27th, tells the tale of a reclusive woman living in a neglected house: At home, she’s free; outside of her home, she’s rebellious.
The album implements this theme perfectly, with hints of baroque-pop in tracks like “Rules” and “Dead Women”, while maintaining an indie/singer-songwriter sound overall. For her dedicated listeners, Mitski ensures some references to her previous projects. I don’t know if they were on purpose, though. But I think her songwriting might be the strongest aspect of her music, because it never fails to amaze me.
“In a Lake” is the opening track, setting the scene by describing moving to a big city and starting over, comparing it to the restrictive small-town life. She also discusses a need for codependency in songs like “I’ll Change for You” and “Cats”. Although it’s not my favorite album of hers, it’s still great.
Some of my personal favorites were “Where’s My Phone?” and “Lightning”.
PAREIDOLIA – Erin LeCount
Erin LeCount is one of the most talented up-and-coming artists at the moment. I feel like I could never praise her enough. PAREIDOLIA, her second EP, which she released earlier this year, is a completely self-written and self-produced project.
In an Instagram post, Erin explained what the word ‘pareidolia’ means: “the tendency to perceive meaningful connections between unrelated things or ideas, like seeing shapes in clouds or a face in the moon.” According to Erin, this EP describes a downward spiral that you eventually fall back into because it feels familiar, and the familiarity of the pain appeals as comforting.
I love the details in her production. The elements she’s added to her songs, like brief pauses, distorted vocals, vocal chops, etc., are all so clever because they deepen the connection between songs and contribute further to the world of PAREIDOLIA.
Whether it be her production or her lyricism, everything about her music feels so real to me. She’s so good at making you feel the music, if you know what I mean. Whenever I listen to an Erin Lecount song, I’m immediately captivated.
I can’t pick a favorite song. This is me strongly suggesting that you listen to all of it.
THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE. – RAYE
RAYE is inarguably one of the best artists of this decade. She shines with so much talent, it’s impossible not to recognize it. After hearing this album, I can tell you one thing for sure: She puts her soul and everything into her art, and that’s exactly what we need.
THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE. was released on March 22nd. With this album, RAYE approaches music in a cinematic way. She tells us a story about heartbreak and the constant chase of happiness.
Emphasis on ‘cinematic’: the album starts with a spoken intro from the narrator, RAYE. With added sound effects and instrumentalisation, it’s all so reminiscent of watching a drama film at the cinema. The tracklist is divided into seasons that change as the story progresses throughout the album.
To add even more onto the movie perspective, Hans Zimmer is featured on one of the singles, “Click Clack Symphony.”. He provides an orchestral outro to this song, which makes you feel like you’re floating. Fun fact: RAYE’s sisters feature on this album as well, both of them being amazing singers! Also, the closing track is pretty much a 6-minute-long credits roll – the perfect way to end an album like this, if you ask me.
Lyrically AND sonically, it’s safe to say that RAYE poured her heart into this work. And I could reassure you that all her efforts were worth it. This is my Album of the Year so far! Some of my favorite tracks were “Winter Woman.” and “I Know You’re Hurting.”. The latter has actually brought me to tears.
drop dead – Olivia Rodrigo
The wait is finally over! Olivia Rodrigo is back with a brand new single from her upcoming third album, you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love, which she’s releasing next month.
In numerous interviews, Olivia stated that all her favorite love songs were ‘a little melancholic’ and that was the real reason she loved them. Listing “Lovesong” by The Cure and Lana Del Rey’s “Video Games” as inspirations, she revealed that she would delve further into yearning and fear that come with being in love in this album. Personally, I’m very excited to hear how that turns out.
The lead single, “drop dead”, is about daydreaming about the person you’re in love with and envisioning what a relationship with them might look like. “The most alive I’ve ever been / But kiss me and I might drop dead”, Olivia sings in the chorus to express the intensity of her emotions. Accompanied by a beautiful music video filmed at the Palace of Versailles, “drop dead” is a perfect, upbeat young love anthem. It’s incredibly catchy and so fun to sing along to!
I can’t wait for the Olivia Rodrigo summer we’re about to have. Unfortunately, I lost the ticket war for the Unraveled Tour, but… I haven’t given up yet :’)
thank you for reading!
That’s it for today! I’m hoping that my next post won’t be too delayed. If you like hearing about the events in my life, the good news is I’m visiting my friend in Prague in two weeks, and we’ll attend a Conan Gray concert together! So I’ll have plenty to tell you 🙂
As for the music part, I’m planning to do a lyric analysis of Gracie Abrams’ new song, “Hit the Wall” soon. Let me know if you have any new releases you’d want me to check out. I’m open to anything! Also, if you’ve heard any of these projects I talked about, feel free to share your thoughts with me in the comments.
until next time <3
heyy! I’m glad you had a blast at halsey’s show, I can’t imagine what a spectacle it was 🙂
top 5 experiences in my life tbh