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It’s hard to believe that this column will be the grand finale of my reign over Monthly Music. At this point in my career as an esteemed UltraViolet columnist and a music-loving teenage girl, I’ve developed some pretty intense listening rituals and habits. So as a final hurrah, I have decided to share some of my tried and true tips for one of the most sacred activities: listening to a new album for the first time.
First off, my personal favorite tradition when listening to a long-awaited release comes down to a simple formula: under the covers, all lights off, earbuds in, eyes glued to the ceiling. I like to call this move “the bedchamber,” as I always feel slightly like a Victorian child afterwards.
Despite the dramatics, I’ve had some seriously transcendent first listening experiences this way (I still get chills thinking about the first time I heard Lorde’s life changing verse on Charli XCX’s “Girl, so Confusing” this past summer).
Due to the fact that this tactic relies on laying in bed in the dark, I can only use it for singles or EPs to prevent any unintentional naps.
For first listens of full albums, I have a few different recommendations. For those records that you know are going to emotionally destroy you, I find that embracing the pain with a friend is the best way to go. Picture this: It’s 9 p.m. on a Thursday in April. Lights dimmed and candles flickering, my best friend and I embrace one another on her bedroom floor as Adrianne Lenker’s new album blares through a massive speaker.
While this may sound like a scene right out of an experimental A24 high school horror flick, I promise that this first listening experience made the emotional rollercoaster of the record much more bearable.
However, for slightly lighter albums that you suspect might make their way into your normal rotation, a background listen has never let me down. Listening to a new album while doing something passive like driving or walking is always a surefire way for me to ensure that the tracks are able to differentiate themselves in my head from the get go.
Finally, for the love of Monthly Music, please ensure that your first listens of albums are in order. To me, the sin of a first listen shuffle is the equivalent of randomizing the order of episodes in a season of TV. Artists create albums with specific visions for the listening experience in mind, and if you don’t respect the tracklist, I don’t respect you. Sorry not sorry!
Well, that’s all from me. Thank you so much for reading, and I send all of my love to the future generations of Marlborough music columnists. I’ll always be listening … make me proud!