Spotify has been giving me some truly awful suggested playlists, lately. The Daily Mixes either have songs from artists I haven’t listened to in years or overly produced noise, instead of music. Normally, I use the skip function with impunity, but today, I decided to stop skipping and review what Spotify thinks I will love.

“Rooftop”-Clara Mae

For fans of Halsey who are already looking forward to her next album, Clara Mae will help to fill that void. With the same breathy vocals and punchy bass line that made Halsey famous, Mae is following in the popstar’s footsteps. Spotify clearly recommended her based off of my love for Halsey, but this song falls short. Like many Halsey songs, the lyrics focus on a love story gone wrong, but this song lacks the creative lyrics that made me love Halsey in the first place. “Rooftop” is overall a fun listen, but it won’t be making its way onto any of my permanent playlists anytime soon. 

“Molecules”-Atlas Genius

This song starts with “We steal the molecules from the dead,” and does not disappoint. The bright updated 80s pop sound is a bit at odds with the melancholy lyrics, but that makes it perfect for any impromptu dance party. The lyrics focus on fate and the fleeting nature of time, stopping just short of outright saying everything will die eventually. Luckily, the lyrics do little to weigh down the listeners. However, it’s easy to lose interest at the end of the song. During the bridge, the beat drops out abruptly and you’re left with a softer, stripped-down version of the original, ruining the best part of the song. I guess this recommendation comes from the week I listened to nothing but 80s throwback songs, but it does not compare. 

“Glory”-ROY JUNO

An interesting blend of folk-like vocals, pop-like production and an 80s-like wall of synthesizer, this song grabs you from the start. Folksy vocals rarely appeal to me, but Spotify seems to have found a compromise that I am satisfied with. The song doesn’t build up to a high point, which left me underwhelmed after such a strong start. Ultimately, there was an unremarkable fade into nothing after three minutes and 23 seconds of atmospheric white noise. Spotify came close, but failed to hit the mark.

“i like the way”-lovelytheband

lovelytheband is an artist that I haven’t listened to for almost a year now, and today, Spotify proved to me that I never should have stopped. The band has great melodic lines and a fantastic drummer that pushes every song forward, keeping listeners engaged and excited. This song in particular always puts a smile on my face when I hear it. This is hands down the best thing Spotify recommended to me this week.

“Dancers” -Virginia Man

After the high of the last song, this song was a brutal disappointment from Spotify. There is nothing actually wrong with this song. The artist has nice vocals and the song has a steady beat. However, the slow jam heartbroken folk-rock style is so far from my normal music choices that I have no idea why Spotify suggested it in the first place. The song is a gentle wash of sound that some may find soothing, but quickly loses my interest and makes me reach for that skip button.

Overall, Spotify did a better job finding me music than I give them credit for. Still, there were some noted exceptions where their algorithm went so far outside of my normal music taste I would never enjoy finding it on a playlist full of my favorite songs.