Spotify Wrapped is back, once again indulging the set of human desires that compel us to take personality quizzes and post pictures of DJs on Instagram. Critical consumption is the essence of Playback, so we thought we’d skip the pretense of a subject and discuss our own tastes in music.
Lilli de Jonghe
I’m proud of another year loyal to Miss Swift as my top artist, as well as “American Teenager” and “Difficult” in my top 5. Those are some of my go-to dancing-around-my-room or blasting-in-the-car songs, which means I liberally participated in some of my favorite activities this year.
I am slightly embarrassed by the top two songs being some of the most depressing ones off the new boygenius album, but I would be lying if I said I don’t adore sad songs. Not a single song in my top 5 could necessarily be characterized as happy, even if some are upbeat—I stay true to my sad girlies.
I am surprised that Radiohead didn’t make the cut on either list; I had a big renaissance of their music this year.
My minute count is pretty average, it’s about 35 days worth of music which is kind of a wild statistic, yet I know many people get to a lot more.
Evan Edler
I’m proud of myself for getting Tommy Lefroy and Jensen McRae high up in my Wrapped, because they only have 14 and 17 songs out respectively so that means I’ve definitely been loyal to my indie artists!
I’m a bit embarrassed that “Parking Lot” (by Genevieve Stokes) is my 2nd most played song – about 90% of that comes from a mental breakdown on a singular flight 😬.
I listen to a lot of my music on cassette, which obviously isn’t in Spotify Wrapped! If it were, I think Orla Gartland, HAIM, and Holly Humberstone would be higher up there.
My minute count is definitely lower this year than it has been in the past, but that’s because I’ve been trying to listen to more music on cassette.
Daisy Burckin
Like Lilli, I’m unsurprised that Taylor Swift ends up once again at the top of my Spotify wrapped. I think she’s been there every year since I got spotify in middle school. I’m happy that Ethel Cain made her way onto my top 5 for the first time—I definitely became an official superfan in 2023. I’m also happy that “Stephanie Says” made it onto my top 5. While I do love modern pop, I also love The Velvet Underground and it’s nice to see some diversity up there.
I was surprised by Lana Del Rey’s appearance in my top 5. I love her, but feel like I haven’t listened to her as much as I listened to artists like The Smashing Pumpkins, Velvet Underground, or Charli XCX. I’m also surprised that “Emily I’m Sorry” was my most streamed boygenius song, as it’s one of my least favorites of The Record. It was also crazy to see 125,205 minutes of music. That’s 87 days of music, which is a little insane. Don’t psychoanalyze me.
When I’m home for the summer, I listen to CDs when I drive because my 2004 Jeep is older than the iPhone. My most played CDs are The Baby by Samia, how i’m feeling now by Charli XCX and reputation by Taylor Swift, so maybe some Charli would have made it on my Wrapped if these streams had counted.
Sophie Chen
This may be my most diverse Wrapped yet, and while I wouldn’t necessarily call range a point of pride, I love to prove wrong the friends and relatives who have accused me of having a music taste diametrically opposed to theirs. Admittedly, one thing that hasn’t changed is the #1 status of some Carti-affiliate. After some initial flip-flopping on my part, Destroy Lonely’s If Looks Could Kill claimed its place as my album of the year, eking out on-repeat Afrobeats albums like Davido’s Timeless and Asake’s Work of Art.
Surprise ensued when a number of Swiftie friends spotted Taylor at #5. I was labeled a hypocrite for previous comments about Taylor Swift and her fans. Do I remember what I said? No. Whatever it was, I don’t stand by it. There’s a certain mood I get in where I will listen to Red, 1989, and then Red again.
I think my top song list generally represented my attraction to melodic and rhythmic variation—maybe I was less prone to get tired of them and move on. For example, “Deuce” by the viral trio 41 oscillates between raucous Jersey club and hardened New York drill, bursting with perfectly timed ad-libs.
Abdullah Ghuman
This year, I initiated my quasi-career as a DJ in Istanbul, and Jan Blomqvist was one of my strongest inspirations, both in terms of musical and performance style. Over this past Halloween, I also attended his performance at Hearsay in NYC, and it felt like a culmination of my experiences abroad as I moved back to New York and found my footing musically. Thus, considering my similar connection with Elderbook as an artist, I’m most proud that both of these performers are well-represented in my Top Artists as they best align with my performance interests. Lastly, I engaged a lot with Turkish artists (particularly house and rap) during my time abroad – and I’m glad to see this exploration represented in my 2023 Wrapped.
I left my phone playing “Rush” by Ayra Starr on repeat by accident, and it ended up making it as the #1 Top Song after 20 hours non-stop on August 19.
I listen to music across a variety of platforms (primarily, Spotify, SoundCloud and Beatport), and I feel that Spotify alone isn’t necessarily representative of my entire listening experience. Accordingly, I feel that the popularity of Spotify Wrapped can often be a reductive factor in representing musical interests.