Playlists to start your spring 🌸

ft. Haim, Bon Iver, Chappell Roan, and seasonal mixes galore

There’s a special kind of thrill when the perfect song arrives to mark the changing of the seasons — and this month, Haim delivered with “Relationships.” Brought to life by the sleek production of Rostam and Buddy Ross, the sisters’ new single bounces along with a vibrant energy to match the fresh springtime air. The steamy music video makes it clear that this is a sad song, but still one you can dance to — blending melancholy, merriment, and defiance to fit right in with the general ~vibe~ of 2025.

Clearly in a generous mood, one week later Danielle Haim lent her signature vocals to “If Only I Could Wait” — the latest gem from Bon Iver, who continues his streak of warm, cleansing anthems.

Paired together, the two tracks kick off a new playlist I curated to soundtrack the start of Spring 2025 — hope you enjoy! Here’s a rundown of what you’ll find within…

• Standout tunes from stellar solo albums: Last issue, I featured catchy singles from Panda Bear (of Animal Collective) and Hamilton Leithauser (of The Walkmen) — now their full albums are here, packed with more great songs.

• “The Giver,” Chappell Roan’s new country single: What a jam! (ICYMI, she debuted it on SNL back in November.)

• Breezy, twangy, and nostalgic indie rock to know: Silver Synthetic, Fust, and Tobacco City are three exciting bands crafting open-air, windows-down rock — a recent issue of No Expectations dives deep into their respective new albums. Plus, I highlighted a few more emerging artists to know playing in a similar space: friend of the newsletter deathblow, The Tubs, Cactus Lee, runnner, and Sharp Pins — whose album of “scream-a-long hooks and artful riffs” recently got stamped with Pitchfork’s coveted Best New Music label.

• Singular sounds and memorable vocalists: New tracks from Samia, Raveena, Lucy Dacus, Alex Amor, Bartees Strange, Ben Kweller ft. Waxahatchee, Beirut, Oklou ft. Bladee, and MJ Lenderman (covering This Is Lorelei)

• Two bands named for horses: Confusingly, there are two up-and-coming bands with “horse” in their name that caught my attention via two positive Pitchfork reviews. Horse Vision is a Swedish duo that Shaad D’Souza describes as “pitched somewhere between Pinegrove and Bladee…winkingly reframing contemporary indie sounds and beloved pop samples for a debut album that’s goofy yet undeniably beautiful.” Horsegirl is a New York-via-Chicago twee indie rock trio with “linguistic playfulness” and “chipper vocal melodies” according to Nina Corcoran.

• …and three bands named for other animals: Meet Frog (also Pinegrove-y), Cardinals (“a buzzy band from Cork, Ireland”), and Goose (“the jam band that might persuade you to love a jam band,” according to The Atlantic’s Charlie Warzel).

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More standout spring playlists

• Spring Is Springing from the World Cafe team at WXPN in Philly // released a week before the official first day of spring, this playlist “in anticipation of those sunnier days” still plays perfectly now. [ft. Simon & Garfunkel, Sheryl Crow, Bill Withers, Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes, Solange, Radiohead]

• spring2025 from expert playlister Adam Sharp // a playlist of new tunes fit for “lighter jackets, growing things, and open windows.” [ft. Gordi, Wishy, Petey USA, Beach Bunny, Wet]

• Spring Rotation 🌼 from Patrick Mahan of the Carefully Curated newsletter // a playlist of seasonal songs new and old [ft. djo, Tunde Adebimpe, Wild Pink, Tom Petty, Lou Reed, Tennis, Waxahatchee, Feist, Funkadelic]

• Patio Grooves 🌸 Spring 2025 from Jared Smith of the vinyl-focused Wax Museum newsletter // a 33-track mix “built for outdoor hangs, backyard lounging, or just kicking back solo dolo” [ft. Roy Ayers Ubiquity, Beach House, Sleigh Bells, Vampire Weekend, Mac DeMarco, Little Dragon]

• in bloom from tastemaker Kasey Gelsomino, aka Kasey’s Playlist on TikTok // spring indie-pop, freshly updated for 2025 [ft. The Japanese House, MICHELLE, beabadoobee, Mallrat, Olivia Dean, Del Water Gap, Hovvdy, Remi Wolf]

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Curating the curators: More newsletters to know

As the media landscape continues to evolve in real-time across Substack, Bluesky, and new emerging platforms and publications, I’ve been wanting to take a moment and highlight some curators and influencers who keep me listening beyond my comfort zone…

Dinner Music: “Immaculately but not intimidatingly curated playlists and album recs, every week.”

Recently featured in Anne Helen Petersen’s Culture Study, Austin-based DJ Jacqui Devaney highlights eclectic, wide-ranging albums across eras that are specifically ideal for cooking dinner or post-work cool down.

For a taste of Devaney’s musical sensibilities, check out this mix she put together of all-time personal favorites. (“A few mainstays: Sade, Dorothy Ashby, Mina, The Radio Dept, Weyes Blood, ELO, The Doors, Townes Van Zandt, Perfume Genius, Jess Williamson, Ronald Langestraat, Patrick Cowley.”) She also has a nice mix of “soft music for mornings” that I’ve been using to ease into the day.

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Such Great Heights: Indie nostalgia from Stereogum managing editor Chris DeVille

DeVille’s new book on the evolution of 21st century indie rock is out on Aug. 26. In the meantime, he’s started a newsletter with features, excerpts, and playlists building on the theme — including an ode to “When ‘Fallon’ Was Cool,” paying tribute to the musical history of the Late Night era that preceded Fallon’s less exciting Tonight Show run. He also put together a playlist accompanying chapter 1 of his book, “surveying the basics of 20th-century indie rock” to answer the question: What do we mean when we say “Indie”?

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Herb Sundays: “A weekly playlist series by different curators each go-round.”

This playlist project from DJ and record label founder Sam Valenti IV is nearing its 150th mix of personal, themed picks from artists and tastemakers. A few recent standouts:

• Gary Hustwit, director of the wonderful Brian Eno documentary, curated Eno songs fit for a Sunday morning

• Emile Mosseri, composer of the music for Minari, compiled his “favorite tunes that were written for movies”

• The aforementioned Panda Bear put together “songs to start a sunday peacefully,” with tracks that “inspire a kind of cozy solitude”

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Bonus playlist: Waxahatchee’s birthday party mix!

Sometimes just clicking around on Spotify leads to unexpected playlist discoveries — like this mix that twin sisters Katie Crutchfield (of Waxahatchee) and Allison Crutchfield (of Swearin’) apparently made as the house music for their recent birthday show at Largo. Unsurprisingly, excellent picks all around.