Chrissy's World: Vol. 2
Photography by Julien Carr
How was your week guys??? How’s your mental?
How are you, really?
I’ll start (lmao).
I’ll keep it a buck, lthislast week started out a lil rocky for me. I mean, I’m PMSing (can I say this? lmao). On Monday, the sun was missing...I was lookin for ‘er. I feel like last weekend was a little gloomier too. Did I make that up? Also, it’s eclipse season, and Mercury is in retrograde in Gemini (and, yes, it matters. Fight me.) etc, etc etc.
I say all of this to say that even my real happy optimistic ass has been feeling a little off lately, and I think that It’s important to share the not-as-pretty bits of reality. People always tell me how much they appreciate it, so I’m not stopping.
(p.s. my DMs are ALWAYS open in the name of mental health, real shit. Even if you just need a space to put your thoughts. I think society in general really normalizes the fact that we don’t have, like, ANY of that and that ain’t right).
So if you feel me on this ^, and you need some soothing words of affirmation at this exact moment and to keep with you when shit gets tough, here they are:
*deep inhale*
Take your time.
There is no rush.
You are doing just fine.
*deep exhale*
Read that again if you have to. Write it down real quick (or real slow!). We got time! You’re good!
So what I think I really needed this week from music was to just get me out of my funk, honestly and truly—and that’s on Baby. This week’s playlist goes a little something like this:
(1) oddCouple and Kweku Collins’ soothing sound on an incredibly flawless beat by oC that just instantly puts all my nerves at ease
(2) a gorgeous little delight by Stranded Civilians that I discovered on ‘the forecast’ playlist, believe it or not.
(3) a beat from Thelonious Martin’s 2016 ‘Late Night Programming’ which I recently re-discovered discovered for the first time in 2021, and that has quickly become my favorite new background music to live and write to.
(4) KAMI’s ‘Parental Guidance (Interlude)’, that—played on maximum volume, featuring me scream-raging very loudly and badly—single-handedly saved my stank ass mood on Monday.
Omg! And suddenly I’m realizing that this is essentially a very-nice-and-extremely-talented-bald-men appreciation playlist (¾)! We love an accidental theme!
Lots of nostalgia themes here (esp. with tracks 3 and 4), but I’ll have to save my think piece on the psychology of our generation clinging to nostalgia and the pop culture/media from our childhood for another post . Let me shut up so you guys can listen and enjoy, and I hope this brings you peace and love and auditory bliss.
Stranded Civilians • “Midwest Side”
Okay so first of all, I found this absolute GEM on last week’s ‘the forecast’ Spotify playlist and nothing was the same. It just wasn’t what I expected. A very pleasant surprise. From the beat to the flow, it’s just catchy and carefree and fun and beautiful and a whole entire mood. Catch me blasting this with the windows down on LSD (That’s LakeShore Drive, not the drug, although we don’t kink shame over here)
Secondly, this is my new favorite love song.
“I got options but you know you know you not them
And they know they not you
God bless you like “ahh-choo” (LOL SO CUTE!)
Our sex like a haiku
Read you like a bible
Call me like a title
We don’t have a title
Just havin fun for the moment
I know you fine cuz you glowin’
We prolly gotta talk bout that
Cuz I care about your emotions”
Those last two lines right there. We love an emotionally mature king! BUT IT’S ALSO LIKE, WITH THE PRODUCTION AND THEIR SOUND IN GENERAL AND THE FLOW IT’S JUST….It’s just...in a word, refreshing.
“I fell in love
Tell them people what is up
I swear this feel like a drug
Tell my mom I need a hug”
Soo endearing. 10/10 am telling you to play it.
Listen on Spotify • Apple Music • Youtube
oddCouple, Kweku Collins • “Volume II”
OK, but the way this beat comes on and just puts all my nerves at ease??? oddCouple & Kweku are a great mf team. oddCouple’s masterful production and Kweku’s sound and lyrics together are really just magic. I won’t say TOO MUCH about this here because we still have a whole oddCouple feature article coming soon where we talk about Reflections his brand new project that just came out (spoiler alert: we f*&$king love it) but just know that this song is the one. The whole album is the one.
Listen on Spotify • Apple Music • [no youtube]
Thelonious Martin • “Late Night Financial”
Sometimes what I need to get through the day is a perfect beat (or ideally a whole lot of ‘em) with no other artists or lyrics on it. Discovering a new song that doesn’t numb me or distract me from thinking for myself, but actually encourages my thought process in a healthy way?? Now that’s a musical Mecca for me, dawg.
I’m always searching for and yearning for instrumentals and playlists that are perfect and smooth enough so that I’m not distracted...so that they can be a true backdrop to my day and bring only good things. This whole project (and let’s be honest—everything he puts out) is so meticulously well-thought-out and put together. I don’t have to worry about my lil perfectionist’s mind getting distracted by wonky transitions or songs that are just not it or trying to kill my buzz or throwing me for a loop—(or sounding crazy when put on a loop!) so, being able to give an artist your complete trust when you press play??? I mean! Is there anything more important? And Thelo has my complete trust with that shit.
Listen on Spotify • Apple Music • Youtube • Bandcamp!
KAMI • “Parental Guidance (Interlude)”
This song actually single handedly saved my entire mood while sitting in Monday evening traffic. (which was promptly elevated, secured, and sustained by ‘Foundation’ shortly after.)
If you’re only here because you’re friends with me or not necessarily a music head or just in general are impatient and want to rage immediately I guess you could skip to the 2nd part @ the 2:48 min mark. That shit is undeniable poetry. But keep it on the record that the build up and juxtaposition from part 1 to part 2 only makes it sweeter.
Part 2 (2:48 min mark)
‘Just Like The Movies’ in its entirety though is just so...memorable, important, impactful.
I remember the first time I watched the ‘Home Movies’ video. Certain visuals just stay with you forever in this little heavenly pocket in your mind. Like, truly stopped in my tracks, forgot whatever else I was doing, and damn-near unwillingly just got completely and forever sucked into the lil Just Like The Movies universe, lol. S/O to very lowkey/incredibly impactful Chicago production studio NAKED for a lot of the visuals from this project. Insane.
Something about the visual/auditory (?) experiences that make you forget where you’re even at, make you forget the crew, forget the script, like you genuinely get taken to the world within the project. I’m not watching you with the barrier of the fourth wall in the way, i’m literally with you, next to you for these three minutes or however long. And I think that that’s just the difference between something that’s THIS thoughtfully put together versus a lot of the...other kinds of music(!) that we’re exposed to.
KAMI • “Foundation”
Personally, I remember the albums that make me feel, the ones where I can hear the hurt and the vigor and the shits in the artist’s voice. Like when you know they left. that. shit. in the studio.
And that’s how I felt about this project when it first came out and how I still feel about it now. This song in particular is just such a perfect segway...it has that sweet, soft nostalgia with the people’s voices...the direct references to our fav movies...but then it’s like, rage-y jumpin around with your friends in that second half.
I’m realizing that that’s what makes a project for me--album, feature film, what the fuck ever, like, take me through it all with you. I wanna laugh with you, i wanna cry with you (LOL) but real shit! Take me with you through that shit and I’ll never forget you. (lmao let me get my ‘music is my boyfriend’ Delia’s catalogue t-shirt wearin ass…)?
If ur only here because ur friends w/ me or not necessarily a music head or just in general are impatient and want to rage immediately I guess you could skip to the 2nd part @ the 2:48 min mark. Cuz that shit is undeniable poetry. But keep it on the record that the build up and juxtaposition from part 1 to part 2 only makes it sweeter.
This album as a whole is just a masterpiece. What feels like, looks like, and sounds like looks like million dollar production, engineering, bars, all that.
Listen on Spotify • Apple Music • Youtube