When Sabbath Meets Sunbeam: My Month in Musical Whiplash

 Some months, my Spotify looks like a thoughtfully curated mixtape; other times it seems like a teenybopper toying with the idea of Satanism.

July was the latter for me.

Some mornings, I'm shaking the walls with Midnight's "Lust Filth and Sleaze," the next, a gentle sway to The Vaselines' "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam." The algorithm can't make heads or tails of my taste and seems to have no idea what I'm going through, and honestly, neither do I.

But that's the beauty of it, right?

This month I've been keen on proto-metal, blackened speed, swampy post-grunge, theatrical doom, and the occasional reggaeton curveball (hello, Bad Bunny).

The Unholy Trinity: Sabbath, Midnight, and Ghost

Black Sabbath is still ruling my playlists. Top hits like "War Pigs" and "Sweet Leaf," along with deeper dives like "Into The Void," all made my top tracks this month.

Meanwhile, Midnight barreled in with titles like "Expect Total Hell" and "Satanic Royalty", evilness that Sabbath paved the road for many decades ago. This is the kind of music that demands you give it some energy back. I love it.

And then there's Ghost, as always, who manage to walk the line between Satanic Priest and ABBA's #1 fan. "Lachryma" and "Umbra" gave me just the right goth sparkle to balance the filth.

Divorced Dad Core: Jerry Cantrell and Alice in Chains

No month is complete without me crawling back to Jerry like the emotionally repressed, riff-loving goblin I am. "Jesus Hands", "Dickeye", and "Psychotic Break" were on repeat for me--because sometimes you just need to sit in your feelings while a man with great hair growls about spiritual ruin.

Alice's "We Die Young" also made a top track for me, fun fact, this was the band's first studio recorded song and first single.

Wait...The Vaselines?

Let's blame this one on my boyfriend, who dragged me into his deep dive on them. The original "Molly's Lips" is a far cry from the one most grunge lovers would recognize from Nirvana's cover, and the same can be said about "Jesus Wants Me For a Sunbeam". Maybe it's balance, maybe it's brain damage. Either way, it worked.

Chaos: Flatwounds, Castle Rat, Bad Bunny, and Migos

From Flatwounds' lo-fi groove metal to Castle Rat's theatrical doom cosplay to Bad Bunny's "NUEVAYol" and Migos' "Stir Fry", the second half of this month's top tracks is unfiltered chaos.

But that's the fun of it, I don't want to be one thing or fit in one box. I want to be everything. A demon, a sunbeam, a cowboy, a cartoon...emotional, stoic, strong, weak. I want to be a little bit of everything, even if it all comes back to metal for me anyway.

Final Thought: Be Strange

If there's anything that can be taken away from my listening this month, let it be this: genre is fake, emotions are real, and you're allowed to be inconsistent. In fact, you're supposed to be.

Let your playlists be messy, let your vibe change by the minute. Play Sabbath on your way to Trader Joe's. Write papers to The Vaselines at work. Blast Midnight in the shower. There's no wrong way to let your freak flag fly.