Etcetera OG ✎ COMPLETE

; fall 2018 mixtape

            Hi, it me.

I was debating on whether to do a holiday themed mixtape since, you know, tis the season, but technically it's still fall and I haven't done one of those yet for 2018. My holiday mixtape will come next month. Or...something along the lines of one. (If we were in person I would have winked at you just then.)

So, this isn't fall themed at all, it's just what I've been listening to since my summer mixtape (which feels like it was forever ago).

Pls enjoy.

01: WITHOUT ME by Halsey

I know Hopeless Fountain Kingdom isn't that old, but I'm SO ready for new Halsey music. Especially after hearing this. Her vocals sound great, that stripped down performance she did somewhere recently sounded great, and just overall I think this is a really strong song. I'm sad she had to experience these things in order to write about them, but I'm happy she seems like she's come out of it all a bigger, better person.

02: NONE OF MY BUSINESS by Cher Lloyd

I feel like I've been waiting for new Cher music forever. I know "Activated" was a thing a while ago, and it was fine, but this is what I've been wanting. The music video isn't great, but the song? Love it. I love the condescending chorus – the tune of it was stuck in my head instantly – and just like in the past, I love the sound of her voice. Something about it is so fun to listen to no matter what she sings. If the last thing you heard by Cher was "Want U Back", give this a listen – you won't be disappointed (although she's got a whole second album you completely missed, so maybe try there too).

03: SLOW by Liam Payne

The biggest bop on his little EP that he dropped recently. It's an instant good time and the easiest of all the tracks to love. My sister thought she'd heard it somewhere before, but personally I just think it has the kind of tune meant to sound familiar (haha...get it) so that it's easy to learn. I don't know. It's a bop. That's all there is to it.

04: STRAIGHT JACKET by Theory of a Deadman

Listen. So I'm not a huge Theory of a Deadman fan. I think a lot of their songs are crude and purposely offensive, but. But. My sister saw them live and had me listen to this song because it has a moment where there's a play on Mary Poppins, and after that part hooked me, I realized that I kind of love this song. They play with syllables and different vocal sounds that I didn't expect – at one point he says "She was a Tesla model S with the ludicrous speed" in a place where that many syllables just shouldn't work, but they do. So. I love it because it's interesting, not necessarily because everything he says is great because it...isn't. It's problematic for sure.

05: RUIN MY LIFE by Zara Larsson

This song is so cute. I love Zara Larsson's voice, first of all, and I love hearing her drop f-bombs because she sounds too sweet for them. The song sounds too sweet for them, but they work where they are. I also don't always love repetitive choruses, but this is a good one. I support everything about this song, including the cover art.

06: WOMAN LIKE ME by Little Mix feat. Nicki Minaj

As one does. I love, love, love that Nicki's verse is so long. A lot of times the rap features are all of fifteen seconds and then they're over, but here we get a full verse. Thank god, because Nicki sounds amazing. They all do. Although this isn't my favorite of the three LM5 songs they've released so far, it's obviously a great first single and I loved the music video because it was so strange. I'm so ready for this new Little Mix era.