Melissa Kacar

 "Night Shift" is a song made up of Lucy Dacus ' signature raw and emotive songwriting, fully realized through its six and a half minute run time. Lucy said at the time of its release that it is the only breakup song she's ever written. The song is deeply intimate and specific, building to an explosive ending. It is overall a testament to the love and memories they shared, but it also feels very much like a final word. "Night Shift" is one that wants the distance and the space to never see them again, while still recognizing the positive experiences that shaped the music born from that relationship. Its placement as the opening track of her 2018 album Historian especially interesting because by all other measures, it feels like a conclusionary song, but maybe that's the point. It opens the album because it closes the chapter on the relationship that inspired it. In an interview with  NPR , Lucy said, "For a long time I didn't believe expressing...

"Carla's Song" by Harry Styles Kiss All The Time, Disco Occasionally  is here and it is such an incredible return to one of the defining artists of our time. One undeniable career highlight for Harry is the album's final track, "Carla's Song" . It's hard to even put into words how special this song is. It feels like a celebration of the music that shapes us and the people who enter our lives and change the way we listen, share, and connect. There's something so moving about the way he captures that exchange; how you show someone the songs you love, and they show you theirs, and suddenly your world is bigger because of it. It also feels like a beautiful reflection of the relationship between artist and listener, and the way he understands what his music represents to so many people right now in the moment, and also the ways in which this art will outlive all of us. As a closing track, it's powerful, emotional, and unlike anything I've hear...

My favorite rock star forever!  So much of my love for music, fashion, and pop culture as a whole stems from Hannah Montana , and that spark has only grown into a lifelong passion for all of those things. That fact truly cannot be overstated, as Miley Cyrus ' music has been such a big part of my life since I was six years old. She has lived so many lives as an artist since the show premiered in 2006, it has been so special to witness every single one and have her music continue to be such a constant through all of those years. To celebrate two decades since the show premiered feels like honoring the younger versions of ourselves who first fell in love with this world and all of the magic, music, and fantasy within it. This Hannah‑versary is also a reclamation of what has always belonged to her and is a true full‑circle moment amplified by the recent Disney+ special. No one else could have portrayed this character the way she did. Miley didn't just play a fictional pop star; sh...

Kacey Musgraves ' "Slow Burn" spreads such a hopeful message of renewal and reassurance. It is such a beautiful and comforting song in so many ways. It invites the listener to allow themselves to let go and trust that whatever is meant to be will be, everything you desire will come in due time.  "Born in a hurry, always late, haven't been early since '88", she sings in the opening lines of the song. So much of Golden Hour is rooted in such a personal, autobiographical approach to songwriting, but "Slow Burn" is perhaps the most significant example of it on the album. "I was born 6 weeks early. Under 5 lbs. I came on the day of my baby shower (I always loved a party)," she wrote alongside the song's release on Instagram. "It was the last time I was ever early for anything." "Slow Burn" is a stunning display of Kacey's talent for modern, yet simplistic, country storytelling, which is something she has always...

a million more is a playlist of some of my favorite songs ever - specifically music that, in one way or another, has shaped me as a writer. I wanted this collection to reflect my personal journey over the years I've spent writing on my blog, and to honor the songs that have stayed with me through every version of myself along the way. All of these songs have inspired me and pushed me to grow as both a writer and a listener.  I wanted to share this playlist as a way of celebrating a massive milestone of my blog reaching a million views recently - which is so exciting and surreal! More than half of that number came from the past year alone, and I am so grateful to anyone who has taken the time to read even a single piece of my writing since I started posting in 2017. This space has been such an important creative outlet for me since I was 17, and I'm so proud of the ways it has grown alongside me.  I started out writing beauty reviews, trying to channel some of my favorite infl...

just one more day! is a curated playlist I created to celebrate the first day of spring, featuring songs on my current rotation and the ones I always find myself returning to this time of year.  The title is inspired by the chorus of Djo's "Charlie's Garden" , the unbridled joy that runs through that song and the wistful lyricism feel so perfect for the start of the season. The Crux  as a whole really captures the feelings of spring in the way that every song embodies a bright sense of optimism and renewal that comes with stepping into a new stage of the year. That album is featured prominently throughout the playlist for that reason, and sonically served as a major influence surrounding the rest of the songs I chose.  The motifs of new beginnings and fresh starts are woven throughout the rest of the playlist as well. Spring is a particularly inspiring season for me and every year I tend to gravitate toward music that reflects that energy too. Other artists prominent...