By: Timothy O’Brien
We all love finding that new song that becomes our soundtrack for the foreseeable day, week, month, or even year. Maybe part of the reason we enjoy falling in love with this new sound is due to its surprising nature. Not every day, you find that elusive track that slides perfectly into your playlist. Stumbling upon hidden gems for you to add to your library can become more frequent when employing these methods.
We all have our favorite artists, and they have their favorite artists, too! Creatives tend to surround themselves with other creatives and people they deem productive to the creative process. Artists often post content on their pages that may seem like brand deals, simple pictures with friends, or photo dumps from their latest tour. Many times, with a closer look, you may find other artists/producers in these pictures that make similar-sounding music. The company someone keeps is a significant tell of how people view themselves as fitting into the bigger picture. A close scan of the company an artist surrounds themselves with may provide you the first clue to finding your next favorite song.
Memes are a surprisingly good source of discovering new or familiar music. Many are accompanied by a snippet of a song that may not have been as commercially popular as an artist’s other hits. Sometimes, the audio accompanying a meme can be the most memorable part of the experience. Maybe it’s a slightly altered version of a song with the bass blown out or a phrase that’s been edited to repeat repeatedly while a silly video plays. Whatever the format is, it’s important to save the meme to help you later identify the specific song to add to your playlist. Often, these are songs by artists you already knew, but you may be unawaree of a collaboration they did. Something as simple as recognizing the specific song included with an enjoyable meme can lead you back to an artist’s streaming page to help you find that last gem to add to your playlist.