Eco-Friendly Beats & Green-Certified Streams

What’s up mate,

How coincidental it is that this week’s newsletter just happens to fall on an important global holiday 🌏

If you live somewhere that goes big on Earth Day, you probably know the drill – beach cleanups, recycling drives, tree-planting sprees, and maybe even that one hour where everyone switches off their lights in solidarity.

Whether you’re an eco-conscious dork or a chaotic neutral when it comes to sustainability, I hope today reminds you that our Earth is precious, and we should protect and cherish it however we can.

So, let’s celebrate Earth with some of the coolest sounds it has to offer. Who knows? Maybe it’ll be good enough to attract a few aliens, too. 👽🌍

Your music pal,

Val ♫

(P.S If you are reading this in your email, please click “Read Online” at the top-right corner next to the date for a better reading experience!)

In this week's setlist:

• 🌱 Eco-Conscious Grooves

• 🏞️ Tunes for your Campout Playlist

• 🎶 New Music This Week

• 📼 Your Go-To Mixtape

🌱 Eco-Conscious Grooves

If you're not exactly the beach cleanup or tree-planting type but still want to show some love to the planet, there are plenty of other ways to do it. Think thrift shopping for your next statement fit, upcycling an old tote bag, or swapping your usual ride-hailing apps for a breezy bike ride around the city. It’s all about keeping things sustainable — while still staying true to your vibe. 🌲🌲🌲

Here are some green-coded beats to vibe to during your Earth Day activities:

• alive by Troy Ogletree

• Goodie Bag by Still Woozy

• see me on the outside! by mmmonika

🏞️ Tunes for your Campout Playlist

For many of us living and working in a concrete jungle, chances are we’re often glued to a screen or boxed in by four walls. In the hustle of city life, it’s easy to forget the real world outside our modern bubble. Take time to head out of the city and reconnect with nature this week — it’s always greener on the other side anyway 🌿

Take your stargazing or campfire moment to the next level with these chill beats:

• Islands by rei brown

• hometown by brynne

• Blank Tapes by From Indian Lakes

💿 Album of the Week: SAYA by Saya Gray

If you’re a big-time nature wanderer, here’s an album that could easily be the background music to your hikes and vagabond adventures across this strange, beautiful planet.

Saya Gray’s latest album delivers a very experimental soundscape, one that feels like modern-day faerie-in-the-woods music, or mountain smoke drifting through a cold autumn morning. Think Lizzy McAlpine and Phoebe Bridgers’ darker, synth-loving, alt-rock sister.

Throughout my listening session, I can’t quite pin the album down by genre. One minute it’s indie, then it leans into soul, slides into country, and flirts with contemporary. But somehow, it’s all just groovy.

Many visual elements of this album add to its eccentric personality, like the all-caps song titles. The album art cover is also a nod to surrealism – out-of-the-box, unconventional pairings, and muted colours blending with warm pastels, perfectly capturing the album’s offbeat, layered vibe.

To sum up my experience, I’d say that this album is a trip, and I don’t mean it in a “long road trip” kind of way. The music is strange, yet inviting. Most dreamlike music is soft and pastel-toned, but SAYA paints her dreamscape in charcoal black and midnight blue. Think LANY’s A Beautiful Blur album art cover, but even darker and more grainy.

For serious music explorers, here are my standout tracks:

• HOW LONG CAN YOU KEEP UP A LIE?: Her vocal choices are intentionally off-kilter, picking octaves that feel a little unnatural. But this very choice turns an otherwise mellow track into something that feels like you’re deep in the forest.

• EXHAUST THE TOPIC: This one’s a real introspective ride. The shift from heavy electric guitar riffs to gliding harp chords creates a fascinating juxtaposition, inviting the listener to get lost in the music. Emo rock lovers, you’ll love the bridge.

• …THUS IS WHY (I DON’T SPRING 4 LOVE): With a bluegrass melody that draws you in at the start, you might think you're heading for an indie-folk country tune — until it takes a sharp left and becomes a fusion of everything. Expect the unexpected, you’re always in for an amalgamation of genres HAHA

Listen to SAYA here.

🎶 New Music This Week

do you feel the same by PRETTY BLEAK: I love how the song starts off with some slick, chill guitar riffs that ease you into the rhythm, and then the music builds into a steady 4/4 groove nicely. If you’re looking for a new Parachute-like band for the 2020s with a synth-pop twist, consider giving this band a listen.

Take Me Home by Sabrina Jordan: This piece is as nostalgic as it is full of heart. If I had to give this song a color, it would be green — like the rolling hills of the Isle of Skye. I feel like I’m being whisked away into a Scottish dream 🍃✨

📼 Your Go-To Mixtape

Quarterly Rewind (Q1’2025): This playlist is taking its final bow in this week’s newsletter, but fret not — you can still check it out on my Spotify profile. Don’t forget to save your favorite tracks now before you forget!

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