A performative male: the guy who swears his music taste makes him different, but you already know every track he plays is from Instagram reels. These songs are the soundtrack to his curated persona crafted for the hope of ending up on a “What song are you listening to?” TikTok while walking across campus. Grab your matcha, untangle your wire headphones and press play.
“Bags” – Clairo
A no-brainer performative male banger and the ultimate soft-boy anthem. He will tell you it’s about “lyrical depth,” but really it’s just the one song that makes him feel artsy when he’s walking across campus in his Sambas. It’s okay, we know you bought tickets to “All Things Go” just to see this song live.
“C U Girl” – Steve Lacy
This might be one of three Steve Lacy songs he knows, but you must give credit where credit is due. He will pull this out on AUX to look cool, maybe mumble a line or two and then quickly switch before you realize it’s the only track he saved off SoundCloud. Don’t expect him to know anything past Gemini Rights; he will still claim Steve Lacy encapsulates his music taste.
“Souvenir” – boygenius
He swears boygenius is “underground” even though they sold out MSG, and he can only name one of the three members. This is his way of signaling he’s in touch with his emotions, probably spinning it on the record player he bought from Urban Outfitters in 2019.
“From the Start” – Laufey
The jazz-adjacent pick to prove he’s “different.” He definitely found it on TikTok or from his younger sister, but he’ll insist he’s been listening to Laufey since her NPR Tiny Desk. It’s his musical version of ordering a matcha with whole milk at Holy Grounds.
“Silver Springs” – Fleetwood Mac
Preferably the live version, because that has the raw emotion Stevie intended. This is his way of showing he’s soulful and wise beyond his years while secretly hoping you notice he queued up a deep cut. Bonus points if he brings up the Rumours’ recording drama, like he lived through it himself.
