First day of summer 2026, oh boy! Spring really always goes by fast but sheesh I don’t even know where to start recapping this busy, busy season. Thank God for music.

The first part of Spring felt like the glimpse into my future that kicked off from Winter. And then at some point, it turned into the reality hit coupled with a metaphorical seed planting of that future in some really practical ways. Stick around for the playlist as I tell you about that process through this month’s playlist.

The majority of Winter was spent getting a picture of my future life in London. It was a dream and I literally loved every second of it. When I came back to LA at the beginning of Spring, I was sad — but I knew it wouldn’t be for long because Luke was coming to visit for a significant time in April. Aka my second favorite month of the year.

And sure enough, that was a continuation of the dream. Something about having Luke here to meet my friends and family and see my day to day felt just so grounding in a way that I didn’t expect. It’s as if everyone had now witnessed the changes in me since this relationship started. It was especially healing to have him here in April since I was wrestling with some grief from that month. Luke walked with me in all of it. He said it best when he said “I mean I’m starting to see LA as a second home because it’s where you came from and where your family/friends are.” It’s like he spilled glitter over LA again and suddenly I wasn’t as sour about this place as I had been for the past couple years.

And then of course, he had to go back to London. But somewhere between the spring in bloom and the busyness of work, I started to finally process the gap between the dream and the life right in front of me. It dawned on me that somehow we had seen each other in person every month of this year so far except for May (and now June of course). It was a blessing that we had the means to make that happen even in our respective transitional phases. Slowly, I came to a place of taking the much needed space to slow down and wrestle with God about the idea that there’s a reason why I’m not there yet.

In so many ways, I started taking inventory and assessing my goals and even coming up with new goals for the next few months and the next few years even. I was kind of pendulum swinging between trying to make the present as tolerable and fun as possible vs. daydreaming and planning for the future with Luke. Let’s just say I leveled up my spreadsheet capabilities lol.

But in that process of feeling my way in this middle space (and namely because of the Olivia Rodrigo album…will talk about that one soon I promise), I discovered that the grief I’ve been walking through is still here. My life doesn’t look like it did 3-4 years ago and while that was such a rosy time, I wasn’t as evolved as I thought myself to be.

Luke and I celebrated our anniversary of knowing each other on June 1st and this past Friday June 19th was the anniversary of when we first said “I love you”. I sent him a poem I had started writing after that first “I love you” and then finished recently. He said he could tell the version of me now is so much more mature. And he’s right. I feel like I’m suddenly moving into this really calm space where my priorities feel right for the first time in my life.

I find myself more and more daydreaming about living in London with Luke, happily married. And realizing that’s gonna be here sooner than I can really process.

Spring was so much more of a transitional space than I thought but it’s leading me to a summer full of exciting things and time that I need to use to invest in myself with. Of course, culminating with a new London adventure in September. Which is where I’ll write the summer recap from…sure to be a helluva time. So, here’s the soundtrack of Spring 2026.

Highlights

terre haute by little luna

“Since that at drive I’ve been living my life, hеad high, open minded and ready to fight, arms widе and I blame it on you…”

This song really defined the energy I came back to LA from London with. I felt inspired and ready to start processing all that I experienced in London for the first part of this year. This song is just such a movie moment. I was addicted to the rush of inspiration coming from the chorus in this song. I felt like I was just so sweetly carrying all the memories from the winter in London and channelling my resolve to build towards that dream life in this song. Also just have to say little luna is the sweetest person! She saw my little IG story posting this song and she was so sweet to talk to!

GROWING PAINS! by Never Ending Fall

“I guess I’m living with the growing pains baby…”

This song was my anchor as I locked in on a busy season of work. I found myself in this in-between stage of leveling up my organizational skills and it was tough, not gonna lie. I was balancing two jobs and working 10-12 hour days Monday through Friday. It got to a point where I was just mentally exhausted a lot of mid-March-early April. And I couldn’t quite relax from it. I welcomed the challenge but I felt like I had to fight extra hard to be present. And this song is a BIG reason why MOMENTUM! by Never Ending Fall is my early contender for Album of My Year.

Hellbent by Naomi Scott

“And now I’m hellbent to find my way back to you…”

I remember getting a message from Luke telling me I HAD to listen to Naomi Scott’s debut album F.I.G. And it was a DELIGHT. This song really spoke to the resolve I was feeling to fight my way through the busy season and make it to the day Luke would come visit LA (and America!) for the first time. I was just digging the vibes on this whole album and you gotta listen to it for some good vibes.

Truth of Pursuit by Sarah Kinsley

“Going against all logic and DNA, but I want the flood of you back in my veins. Turned my life upside down for a face. Destroy my entire world for the chase…”

I was hardcore yearning to this song in the 3-4 weeks that Luke and I were apart. Especially as I processed how we had grown together in the last couple months. Coming back to LA to do admin things like file my taxes and set up my new health insurance felt so boring even though I needed to do that stuff. I remember driving around doing the mundane LA life stuff and just screaming this song. Because I did feel more alive in the London winter than the LA spring, I’ll tell ya that.

Cruel World by Holly Humberstone

“Wherever you are is my favourite place and it’s a cruel world without you, baby…”

This song seriously came to me at the right time. I was very quickly losing my mind without Luke. We had spent a month away before. Heck, we had spent FOUR months apart. Yet this shorter time was killing me. I will say though, also quickly growing was my excitement to show Luke around LA. And that was tiding me over.

Do You Really Love Her by Spacey Jane

“It’s a favorite turn about-face, west coast to west coast. I’m in love with a ghost…”

I kept getting a TikTok ad for this song and I remember kicking myself for not finding this song before it found me. Spacey Jane have been putting out such amazing vibey music lately and I’ve been eating it up. The haziness of this song was meeting me in the weird in-between space of me being in LA, neck deep in work and life admin stuff and catching up with friends and reminiscing on what had just happened in London.

Bitter Fruit by Young the Giant

“I wanna feel alive again, I wanna laugh and cry just like a child again…”

I was so digging the vibes of the new songs coming from Young the Giant. This song was the defiant scream into the void for me to stay present. If you haven’t noticed yet, that seems to be a common thread in the songs I’ve talked about lol. I WAS FIGHTING FOR MY LIFE Y’ALL. And I was glad these songs were helping me do that. I mean that’s what music is all about for me.

RADIO SILENCE by Quarters

“I’m tired of the way it was, I’m tired of the way it is…”

This song was really speaking to my typical LA angst, specifically of the inertia I tend to feel with my current life in LA. I feel really trapped and caged here with my car, my parents, the higher cost of living, the disconnected life, the fact that I have to drive everywhere, the list goes on. It honestly astounded me how quickly the glow from my time in London was overtaken by the normal out-of-place angst I feel being in my hometown. This song in its just gorgeous angst kept me fed.

The Waiting Game by Harry Styles

“You found someone to put your arms around, playing the waiting game…”

If there was something I was doing from mid-March to early April, it was playing the waiting game. This song felt a little like it was taunting me. I was kind of using it to work through my doubts about what my life was becoming. It was me thinking through the idea that my dream life in London could backfire. But I kept going back to the idea that too much had felt so divinely orchestrated and I needed to just trust it.

I Will Overcome by RAYE

“When this wicked world wants to whisper, ‘You cannot, you won’t be, you will not, so go home and shut up, and go sleep’. This is a song to remind me, since I needed one, I will overcome…”

Holy crap the RAYE album. A damn MASTERPIECE. I was absolutely entranced by this ride of my album. She CAPTURED THAT WHOLE HEALING PROCESS. This song was so helpful in those times of doubt where I felt kind of miserable fighting by myself to get to April 10th when Luke was to visit. This album just felt like such a refreshing concept album and I was so stopped in my tracks to listen to it. WHICH IS HOW ALBUMS SHOULD AFFECT US.

Click Clack Symphony. ft. Hans Zimmer by RAYE

“I eat, sleep, scroll, and work, but there has to be more than just merely existing…”

I couldn’t stop listening to this song as I click-clacked my way through this busy season I was in. There were a couple times that I did get out the house to see my girls and it was in fact exactly what I needed. But it just didn’t feel like it was enough a lot of the times, if I’m honest. Listening to this song did help me in those times that I felt on the verge of a spiral and I wasn’t seeing my girls.

You and I by Juice

“Only for a moment in time, only ’cause it’s you and I…”

Good God Juice knows how to craft a good vibe. I found myself getting so lost in the groovy chorus of this song often and it was subconsciously getting me excited for Luke’s visit to LA. Juice is so underrated. If you have taste, you’ll listen to everything they do.

Do you miss me at all by Bedelia

“I could never hate you…”

I had been wanting to listen to this EP from Bedelia for weeks and when I finally did this song lingered like a really nice perfume. I’m just in love with the sonic direction here and the way you’re just transported into a 90s shoegazey-rock end credits of a movie vibe. I had to give them a listen after knowing Miles from Bad Suns was part of this band and I dug it.

So What by MUNA

“It’s alright, it all worked out, lots of people love me now, lots of people…”

As I sat down to listen this new song from MUNA, I felt myself start to sit with a sadness I’d been quietly dealing with for a few months. This sadness was related to this perceived dissolution of one of my closest friendships. I was really feeling heartbroken about it for months and this song just sort of lit it up for me that I wasn’t handling it well. I felt really broken about it because it revealed to me that April would have a tinge of sadness to it since I wouldn’t be able to have this friend meet Luke. Heck, she didn’t know a thing about him because the last time we had talked was before I met him. I knew she was handling a lot in her personal life and even though I’d reached out a couple times, it just seemed like I wasn’t as close to her as I thought. This song really helped me get lost in processing the idea that our friendship was maybe not as stable as I thought it had been.

Blue Dream by Holly Humberstone

“You brought flowers in from the rain, if you put your guard down, then I’ll do the same…”

This album came out the night before Luke got to LA and this song just lit up the blue April sky when I picked him up from the airport. It really felt like in an instant, LA got its glow back. This song really injected the dreamy, romantic vibe we always have together into the LA skyline and I felt 100% happier. Also, this album was really a good backdrop for a lot of the emotions I felt for most of spring and for that I have to say thank you Holly Humberstone.

Back in Love by Suki Waterhouse

“’Back to beaches, away we go, taking the long way home, back in love again…”

This song was really the VIBE having Luke in LA. It was a bit of a form of whiplash realizing how much I was losing my mind without him to now having him as my passenger prince for most of April. Literally he even made going to a work event and hanging out with my parents fun. Love is a helluva drug.

Casual Lady by Flowerovlove

“Now I wanna kiss you, have a baby or two…”

My favorite thing about having Luke visit me in LA was that it no longer felt like me having a boyfriend was like me telling everyone about my imaginary friend. HE’S REAL YOU GUYS I PROMISE lol. But for real though, we got to do so many couple-y things in LA and it was so cute. I felt so vindicated because all of the ideas I’d been saving for a special someone I was now able to with him. And sheesh we did so much. This song felt like the little realizations of “omg this is so real, this is the love of my life and I want to be next to him forever.” It was really fun and special.

Post Sex Clarity by Lola Young

“You’re a sweet baby, I’m a sad, sad lady. But somehow you always make me feel at home…”

I was back to listening to Lola Young all over again and this song really hit us like a movie moment when I dropped Luke off where he was staying for the first part of the trip and we couldn’t stop kissing to this song. I had been getting sad about something and kissing him to this song really felt like a cathartic thing. I had been sad about a lot of things even with him around but I was glad to realize he wasn’t the reason for it. In fact, he was the most stable thing in my life and he was only here in April for 20 days.

badman by nomi.

“Let him be the gun, my baby tried to shoot me down…”

I remember listening to this song with Luke for the first time and both of us going “oh damn, this is a good song”. That moment of music discovery felt so special to share IRL with him. I’m just a fan of the sonic vibes in this song.

POPSTAR! by Never Ending Fall

“Ooh, I don’t ever wanna let go, tongue tied, yearning for you baby…”

As we got to the end of Luke’s stay, I was feeling so many things. To be honest, I feel like I still haven’t processed it. I was surprised at how chill my parents were about having him here and it’s like they could tell I was so much more at peace having him with me. I was overwhelmed with work amidst everything so I did continue fighting to be present. I was sad because his trip was coming to an end. I was excited because I was once again reclaiming and rewriting the end of April with new memories from a still standing pain from my ex. And I was just so excited to know that Luke was still 100% all-in after the whirlwind trip. On April 28th (poetic), we went to see my pals in Never Ending Fall play and it was just MAGIC. Luke got in the mosh pit. And we spent a good part of the show being that couple lol. And to cap it off, we got the BEST pictures from NEF band photographer Kylen…like we need these framed for our house one day. So yeah, say it with me – Steven could NEVERRRR.

White Noise by Holly Humberstone

“Since I lost my baby, all I wanna do is cry, and cry…”

I don’t have to say how sad I was to leave Luke at the airport. Almost immediately, I turned on this song and tried to snap back into the reality of my life in LA. I remember going to do a little work and then to a friend’s show that night and I felt just so depressed. This song is definitely more breakup than “my long distance boyfriend has to go back” but it spoke to a similar enough feeling for me. I’m also just the most in love with the sonic direction of this song. It’s probably my favorite from Holly Humberstone’s Cruel World album.

Princess by Isaac Dunbar

“He hates girls, but he wanna be a princess…”

When I tell y’all I was OBSESSED with all of the clips I was hearing on TikTok from this song, I was so excited to listen to this song. Literally just infectious melody line after infectious melody line while calling out the most toxic kind of men. I blasted it everywhere I went.

Evergreen by Young the Giant

“Tend your garden, watch it bloom in the night. Don’t blink or you might miss it, ‘Life is a garden’, you said…”

Something that really hit me as I listened to Young the Giant’s Victory Garden album was just how much I was once again in a garden metaphor mood. I always thought that I would return to my love of garden metaphors mood when I found the love of my life and well, Luke makes music as Luke the Gardener so I guess we’re in it. So…this song really came swinging at me. As I was trying to pick myself up from the crash of having him visit me, I found myself starting to really think about my future. Of course I spiraled about all the money I’d need to make everything happen. But then I felt God telling me to slow down (a theme this year for real). The lyric about tending my garden really jumped out at me as I started to wrestle about what was coming next. I interpreted it as needing to figure out how to still invest in myself in this in-between season. Because I knew being depressed like I had been in the last in-between London trips was not gonna fly. So, I did my best to figure out how to take care of myself by making to-do lists and goal lists. Also I made the executive decision to get tickets to see Young the Giant in the summertime.

Everyone’s A Star! by 5SOS

“Everything is better when you’re lying next to me…”

I also made the executive decision to get tickets to see 5SOS because my obsession with their music was seemingly only getting worse. They kicked off what feels like the most chaotic fever dream of a tour and after seeing like 5 TikToks I decided I needed to be at their LA show. I am so behind on their lore but sheesh do I love the music and crazy antics they’ve been getting up to. I honestly feel insane trying to recount some of the hilarious things I’ve seen from them on this album/tour campaign. My fangirl obsession has been activated and yeah, it does feel a little like nature is healing. Also can we just thank Luke (Griffiths not Hemmings) for putting up with me in this lol.

Lucy by Holly Humberstone

“Lucy, don’t you know? Behind every rain cloud, there is a promise that flowers will grow, mmm, let’s watch them grow…”

This song felt like the sweetest spring song, especially around Mother’s Day for me since that’s my mom’s name. Something weird I’ve been sitting with lately is realizing that all moms are still just girls. Some moms are easier to see the girls in. Others, like my mom, are a bit harder. It’s definitely been a change in how I perceive my mom lately, especially in how much my walls towards her have softened knowing that my time living in her house is coming to an end soon. I like to be hopeful about how me moving to the UK will influence her. I do wonder what she’ll think of London when she inevitably visits.

Abilene by Kacey Musgraves

“They always say there ain’t no place like your home…”

I was really digging the Kacey Musgraves album Middle of Nowhere. It felt like a really accessible country record for a non-country girlie like myself. The storytelling in this album really transported me to Texas in a good way. I just love Kacey’s fun approach to lyric writing.

Eastside Girls by MUNA

“I wanna be your Eastside girl…”

I loved this love letter to east side of LA. One of my toxic traits as a native Angeleno is shitting on the west side. The east side of LA is all about art and culture and community and cultures mixing together. It’s gritty and it annoys me, but I defend it because it’s where I grew up. The west side of LA is where you find influencers and all those Erewhon worshippers. I have never identified with those folks. I know some people love that…I vehemently don’t. It’s really a funny feeling to be so “I don’t wanna live here in LA anymore” but the second someone tries to tell me that the west side is better, I will start barking lol. Anyway, I also loved “Big Stick” and “On Call” from the new MUNA album.

IT MIGHT BE LOVE by Stephen Sanchez

“If you want to love her, you can give her all your time…”

I loved the Mr. Blue Sky by ELO vibe to this song. I was happy to listen to Stephen Sanchez’s newest album for the way I knew he’d have some love songs for me to sit with among my post-Luke visit busy season. And I’m glad that this song sat in the sunshine with me as I reminisced about all the good things from his trip.

Fool by Bay Ledges

“Why can’t I fly away like a bird out in the wind…”

I think I stumbled upon this song through a TikTok ad. But either way, I loved the guitar sounds in this song. It felt like such a good breezy spring vibe. Dare I say filling a COIN-sized void in my heart? Maybe.

highway robbery by DE’WAYNE and Lenny Kravitz

“In such a short time, you made me, yeah, grow into what I couldn’t see…”

This song really got me in a good rock n roll mood. I think DE’WAYNE is incredibly underrated and I need more people to listen to him. Because getting Lenny Kravitz on this song? Nothing short of ICONIC.

SINK by Sophie Truax

“Don’t want to hеar when you fall off your high horse and sink…”

I love Sophie Truax and her puppets so much. But her music? I’M OBSESSED WITH HER MIND. The songwriting in this song is just so clever and catchy and she just has such a way with creating artful pop songs about really specific universal feelings. The feeling of being underestimated and angry about it is so well-communicated here. I just need more people to see her genius.

the cure by Olivia Rodrigo

“And it feels like medication and it’s good for me, I’m sure. But it don’t matter how your love feels anymore. It’ll never be the cure…”

I remember listening to this song on repeat the weekend it came out. I had been out and about in LA with some friends I’d been meaning to meet up with. And while I was trying to have fun in LA after I hung out with them, I felt the loneliness creep in again. I kept listening to this song as I tried to figure out what it was bringing up in me. And before I knew it, I was realizing the worthiness wound that this song was hinting at. This song only hit me worse when I listened to the entirety of “you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love”. Which now that I think of it, is a really good way to describe spring 2026 for me as a whole. Seriously as much as I want to cover this song, I can’t get through it without crying. Olivia really made a masterpiece of a song AND album. I am still processing this album but I may come back and write a post on it soon because it has been bringing up a lot of thoughts and feelings about my past/present/future.

the van by Bleachers

“I just don’t wanna be lonely…”

I was so excited by this song when I heard it. I love the little spoken rap from Jack Antonoff here. It reminded me of how OBSESSED I was with his Gone Now album in 2017. It almost hit that super nostalgic point for me.

Pieces of My Heart by Bombargo

“‘I don’t care about nothing other than loving. You are the pieces of my heart…”

I have to admit that I was over-caffeinated at one of my favorite coffee shops when I heard this song for the first time. And I swear I left this song on repeat like 10 times in a row just to dance to it as I did some work. I have been working with these guys through my PBF adventures and I am genuinely a new fan of everything Bombargo is about. This song is like everything I love in an indie pop/rock vibe. If this is your first time hearing about Bombargo, you better catch up and listen to everything from them and definitely go see them live. Ok thank u!!

Ripples in a Pond by Paul McCartney

“Sometimes I get the feeling you’re so good for me, I must be blessed…”

I was so excited to see my actual grandfather Paul McCartney release a new album. This album really felt like a sweet reflection on his life and this song felt like it was speaking to me directly as I was processing how my relationship with Luke was growing. As I was talking more and more about the future with him, it was so refreshing that he was excited to talk about it with me too.

No More Lonely Nights by Paul McCartney

“May I never miss the thrill of being near you. And if it takes a couple of years to turn your tears to laughter, I will do what I feel to be right…”

This song popped in my head as Luke and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary. We hopped on our weekly 3-4 hour FaceTime date and made a whole steakhouse dinner together. It was really cute but it really sucked to be apart for it. I remember listening to this song before we hopped on the call because I felt moved to listen to Breakfast With the Beatles that morning (like I used to as a teenager). It transported me back to being 14 again and just wanting to stop feeling so lonely. That set of lyrics really hit me deeply because I’d been realizing that it is likely gonna take a couple of years for Luke and I to actually start our lives together. I don’t call Paul McCartney my actual grandfather for nothing.

maggots for brains by Olivia Rodrigo

“I’m a sad shell of a woman and I’ve got maggots for brains. But that’s just the thing that happens when my, when my baby goes away…”

Let the record show that I burst out into a sob on my balcony as I listened to this song for the first time because Luke had listened to this song before I got to (bc of the UK time zone) and said that these lyrics were “for me”. I hate him for that actually. Because I have needed this song to explain the “zombie” feeling I get stuck in here in LA. Like “the cure”, I’ve wanted to cover this song but I literally can’t listen to this song and not cry because it is everything I’ve been feeling being away from Luke to a T. I guess I find comfort in knowing he feels a similar way. But still, I would like to stop feeling like this for the rest of my life.

u + me = ❤ by Olivia Rodrigo

“And I got a feeling wounds are healing, talking on the phone. I know everybody changes, but I hope that we don’t…”

I’ve been listening to “you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love” kind of nonstop lately. Even though I’m not seeing it as a 100% a fit for my album of the year, it is a strong contender because it is making me contend with a lot of things. But like I told Luke, “I know how her love story ends and I’m not bringing that energy into what we’ve been building”. This song really speaks to what having Luke in LA was like. I felt like having him here really made me appreciate LA as my hometown.

honeybee by Olivia Rodrigo

“I hope I never see what your face looks like going. A face I swear that I could spend my whole life knowing…”

This song just makes me sob every time. It is so beautifully arranged and honestly tinged with that devastating sadness in the most beautiful way. All the lyrics have been ringing in my head every day since I’ve been listening to this album. This refrain part brings instant tears to my eyes because I have too many pictures in my mind of what it looks like to see Luke’s face going. And I hate it. It breaks me to be apart from him. The longer it goes on, the harder it gets. I can’t wait until going home means going with him.

Already There by Young the Giant

“The days are long. I don’t know when I’ll be home. We’ll run away from the sun all night. I’m already there, it’s not just a dream…”

Now where I diverge from the “you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love” storyline is that Luke and I are dreaming and planning our future together. I love how Young the Giant picks up the sentiment for me in this song. I recently booked my next trip for September and it’s gonna be a big (and fun) time for us. We will be going to a wedding together. And doing what I call “ring investigating” together. It feels a little crazy that we only met a year ago but every single time I start to doubt him, God shows up in such a beautiful way as to say “nope, this is your partner”. And like Young the Giant says it, I’m already there in that life we’re building.

Albums/EPs you gotta listen to: F.I.G. by Naomi Scott; THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE. by RAYE; Never change, love you always – EP by Bedelia; Dancing On The Wall by MUNA; Middle of Nowhere by Kacey Musgraves; Cruel World by Holly Humberstone; Victory Garden by Young the Giant; LOVE, LOVE, LOVE by Stephen Sanchez; everyone for ten minutes by Bleachers; The Boys of Dungeon Lane by Paul McCartney; you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love by Olivia Rodrigo

Really the best way to describe how spring went is “you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love”. And I’m happy to know that my partner is not the reason for that sadness. However, the things that are making me sad are nothing really new, just old wounds that I’m trying to find new solutions for. I can’t say if summer will be any different other than having my sister and her family coming to visit. But we’ll see. Looking forward to going back home to London for September and finding new music to soundtrack my life.

Full Playlist