I Tried Boomscrolling for a Week

How’s your year going,

Last week, I tried boomscrolling — a new term I came up with similar to doomscrolling, but using the social media algorithm to explore music instead of the latest viral trends.

My idea for this came from my experience with 8tracks, a streaming website I used to frequent in the 2010s. The algorithm wasn’t as refined back then, but if it hadn’t been for 8tracks, I wouldn’t have been introduced to the world of indie and alternative music.

Now, that's the kind of influence and impact that Spotify's Discover Weekly, your friends' music recommendations, and any algorithm can't replicate.

I think what I'm trying to say is that new music inspiration is everywhere, and when the right vibes are meant to find you, they will — no matter what media you consume.

Also, I have a BIG announcement to make: music musings is now live on Substack! Named minutes, it’s a more blog-style format where I’ll be sharing reflections about my music curation journey.

More details on how I’ll be using both platforms together to create the full listening experience below 👇

Now, let’s jump in to my algorithm-infused music finds of the week 🎧

Enjoy,

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:

• 🐤 Music Recs from X

• 💿 MusicTok Finds

• 🔖 We’re on Substack!

• 🎶 New Music This Week

🐤 Music Recs from X

Don’t sleep on the quality here – a lot of the things you’re seeing on Instagram and TikTok came from X first.

The creatives from Tumblr have made their way to our humble bird app, so you know they’ve got some pretty awesome stuff to share.

Here are some banger tracks I’ve uncovered in between tweets:

• no messiah by cityboymoe

• Draw me in by Greg Spero, Nicole McCabe, Ka’Cye Thompkins

• The Well by Marcus King

💿 MusicTok Finds

TikTok is quickly becoming one of the biggest non-search engine resources for discovering anything imaginable, from viral artists to independent musicians hoping the algorithm will help them get discovered.

So where did my boomscrolling take me? Here are some really good pieces that landed in my For You page:

• OVR by 3ee

• ordinary by makaleigh colleen

• last request by Neptune

🔖 We’re on Substack!

So you may be wondering: What’s with the new platform? Are we moving to Substack? Is Val going to post the same things on Substack?

Well, none of those. I love writing on Beehiiv for its design features which make my newsletter unique, so nothing will change here. However, I’ve always been inspired by the Substack community and wanted to share something more personal on that platform.

So, I’ll be using both platforms to complement each other. Beehiiv remains my primary platform where I’ll continue to share music recommendations through music musings, while minutes on Substack features behind-the-scenes insights on my journey as a musician and curator.

In fact, I just published my first Substack post! Check it out here.

That said, I’m still figuring out how I’ll be sharing my story on Substack, so in the meantime, cut me some slack, guys. I’m learning as I go. 😅

And there’s no pressure to come to Substack — I’ll still be more active on Beehiiv, but feel free to explore either or both at your own pace 🤗

Speaking of Substack blogs, here are some iconic songs I stumbled upon while boomscrolling on the platform:

• Hang On St. Christopher by Tom Waits

• Voz e Suor by Nana Caymmi and Cesar Camargo

• All I Need by Air and Beth Hirsch

• Binding by Nilüfer Yanya

🎼 Lyric of the Week

🎶 New Music This Week

on one tonight by Gunna: The flute-like melody in the background gives this trap vibe a Middle Eastern flavour. Just don’t be surprised if the music stops — it’s barely two minutes long and is probably meant as an intermission in the artist’s album.

Winner by Scout: Not to be confused with Demi Moore and Zoe Saldana’s recent title at the Golden Globes — our OP stubbornly sings of her desires to emerge from a breakup a victor.

📼 Your Go-To Mixtapes

Best of 2024: Still hungover from 2024? Here’s your last chance to listen to the best vibes from last year before I take this off the weekly setlist. 🙌

Inspired by this week’s music picks?

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