January 2018 Spotify Playlist

You’ve heard people say “new year, new me” – well we’ve gone more down the route of “new year, old me” – bringing back the Spotify playlists to introduce you to some of the songs that have helped us, and kicking off this first one of 2018 with a bunch of songs that have inspired HATW from day one (with a few newbies thrown in for good measure). Here’s a lil runthrough of the songs on here, and why we love ‘em so much.

When I Was Young – Blink-182

Blink have been my favourite band for a long ole time now, so they’re always going to hold a special place in my heart. And while it was their self-titled album that I had on repeat through my toughest days, the EP this is taken from needs some love too. Musically, it feels positive and upbeat, and the hook in the chorus of “It’s the worst damn day of my life… but I’m alright” is a nice reminder that it’s ok to struggle sometimes.

Survive – Rise Against

I’m pretty sure I first heard this on a WWE game on the PS2 (yes, that’s me showing my age) and when I actually listened to the lyrics it was one of those “this is me!” moments. “We’ve all been sorry, we’ve all been hurt, but how we survive is what makes us who we are”. I managed my self-harm by replacing it with playing drums, that was how I survived, and that’s what’s led to so many cool things happening in my life. So a reminder that the coping techniques we share can be more than just a way of getting through the day.

I Was Scared and I’m Sorry – The Wonder Years

The Wonder Years are another all time favourite band, from the second I first discovered them years ago. This bonus track off of ‘The Upsides’ (which is such an important album for me) is one that really hit me hard. “I’m getting better but it’s in small steps” is a nice reminder to me that progress can take time, but it’s important to be taking steps towards getting better – however small they may seem.

Golden – Farewell Fighter

This is the first of my curveballs. It came on shuffle from a random Spotify playlist I was listening to while walking home from work one day and straight away I had to look into it more. “Something in my heart is telling me I’ve learned to love who I’ve become // I know my learning isn’t done” was something that really struck a chord with me. Plus it says about keeping your head above the water, so of course it’s gotta be on a HATW playlist.

Everyday – Modern Baseball

Modern Baseball are one of the most inventive and instantly listenable bands I’ve found in the last few years, and they’re great advocates for positive mental health (and friends of ours) so go listen to their whole back catalogue. This particular track is on here for the very ending “waking up every day is all about doing things you don’t want to do, but your reward is you get to wake up”.

Top to Toe – Fenne Lily

I met Fenne Lily on a show in Berlin (did you hear that clang as I dropped that?) and her voice was beautiful – soothing yet haunting at the same time. So I wanted to include a track from her on this playlist too so that a) you become aware of her if you haven’t already and b) so it adds a slightly different feel. It’s not just about posi pop-punk all the time. It’s ok to have slower and introspective moments.

Bowl of Oranges – Bright Eyes

Back to another classic – a band I own most of their studio albums. You might’ve heard the mega cute ‘First Day of My Life’ but this song in particular reminds me of what HATW is all about: “Your eyes must do some raining if you’re ever gonna grow // But when crying don’t help and you can’t compose yourself, it’s best to compose a poem”. It’s ok to not be ok, and that’s a time to channel what you’re feeling into a creative way of coping.

Limerence – Gnarwolves

When we did our interview with Gnarwolves, Thom (guitars/vocals) picked out this song as a particularly cathartic one to write & play – talking of social anxiety, and dealing with life, but ultimately taking a positive spin on it “money or no, I’ve got my head held high and somewhere to go” and being able to look back having got through that time and say “I’m feeling much better now”.

One Step At A Time – Four Year Strong

This one really hits home – a track written about the loss of one of the singers’ brother, and the pain of losing someone you love is close to a lot of us. “One step at a time, one foot in front of the other, I’m gonna get through this one way or another”. I guess to me, it’s about letting yourself go through the emotions that come with loss – it’s ok and very natural to find it hard. But it’s also about finding a positive way to get through it and making them proud.  

The Sadness Will Never End – Bring Me The Horizon

The cheeriest title for a posi playlist. This was from a long time ago when BMTH had a different sound on the go, but still stands out as one of my favourites from them. The hook of “I won’t give up on you, so don’t give up on me” to me speaks of the importance of having support from people around you and being able to offer that support when you’re able to. Be excellent to each other.

Mess – Real Friends

The all round lovely lads in Real Friends have penned a few of our favourite lines that hit the nail on the head when it comes to positive mental wellbeing. And it’s the chorus of ‘Mess’ that keeps up the trend. “I’m letting go so I don’t lose myself” is a reminder that sometimes it’s right and ok to leave negative things, people or places behind to make sure you’re taking care of yourself.

Permanent – Holding Absence

I put this on a playlist not too long ago, but Holding Absence are really a band you need to watch out for in 2018. This song is particularly here because it makes a point I’ve seen made a few times: “suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem” – or in the words of singer Lucas Woodland “you want to die today; you don’t want to die forever”. Ultimately pointing out that however much your current situation is, it won’t always be that way. It can, and it does, get better.

Unknowingly Strong – Make Do And Mend

One of the very first songs that inspired HATW – with a chorus that quite literally talks about keeping your head above the waves. It’s the bridge that I love the most though: “this is the day we all begin to let our fear go and learn to swim”. Keep on swimming and doing what you can to keep your head above whatever waves life throws your way.

Changes – Charles Bradley

Not gonna lie, this is kinda here because it’s a nice laid back vibe, but lyrically talking about feeling low. Going through changes is something that happens to us all, and can be hard to deal with. It was also the title music for “Big Mouth” on Netflix, which I binged through in a weekend, so makes me think about a show that made me laugh, and sometimes watching something that’ll make you laugh is a good distraction if only for a short while.