Playlists
when you said you’d be ready for a relationship in Q3 and you realize Q3 starts in July
I have a motto for June 2023: be smart, be sexy, and most of all, have fun. Why the motto? Well, I’ve been busy understanding “my pull” lately — which is a fancy way of saying that I’ve been dating. And contrary to past experiences, I’ve actually been having a…
Songs That Helped Heal My Inner Child
Folks, the new year is settling in. Normally, this is the time of the month when everything starts to go to shit. But this year’s feeling different. If you’ve been around here, you may recall my 10 year long January sucks curse I talked about last year. Well, I think…
Spooky Songs Vol. 3
Well ghosts and ghouls, it’s time for my annual spooky songs playlist. And I know it’s been a while since I’ve been brutally honest on here, so why not lean into the messy. Scorpio season kinda demands it. This year — because being in a full year of therapy has…
Lindsey Buckingham: The Best Guitarist of All Time
Alrighty folks, I’m long overdue for a Fleetwood Mac rant and after an insane recent concert, I have decided it’s time to rant about the incredible talent that is Lindsey Buckingham. I had the privilege of seeing The Killers in concert last Saturday and when I say it was a…
Summer Fruits
Summer is by far the best time for fruit. We got watermelon, peaches, all the berries, cherries, passion fruit, apricots, and so much more just sitting perfectly to be harvested and eaten right away. As someone who’s kind of enamored with idea of eating seasonally, it totally makes sense why…
Songs to Fall Madly in Love with Me To
It’s been some time since I posted on a Friday huh? Well, we’ve been in busy times to say the least: going to my friend Kyle’s wedding, getting and recovering from COVID, my sister and her babies in town, Roe vs. Wade getting overturned, starting with a new therapist, me…
Hot Girl Bass Grooves
Look, I’m not saying the new Harry Styles album had everything to do with this week’s playlist…but he had at least something to do with this week’s playlist. The clear influence of slinky disco over a few Harry’s House tracks got me realizing that I’ve really been vibing with what…
Going on a Clear Your Mind Drive
Do you ever get so stuck on a feeling that you realize you need a way to ground yourself? I know I do and while I rely on songwriting, prayer, and just plain venting to someone I trust, that doesn’t always help. Sometimes you just need an escape to just…
2022 Festival Season Forecast
This is Kelly Rodriguez reporting live from her bedroom and this is your 2022 festival season forecast. Ok formalities aside: Weekend 1 of Coachella officially kicks off festival season and as much as I love the idea of a music festival, it is simply not possible for me to go…
tHeY jUsT dOn’T mAkE mUsIc LiKe tHeY uSed To (aka On Musical Snobbery)
Not gonna lie to y’all, I’ve been dreading writing this post and exposing this stupid elitist attitude I had in high school. But in the spirit of April Fool’s Day, I’m gonna talk about how much of a fool I was when I was a musical “pick me” girl. So…
SOUNDS LIKE: Celebrating Black History Month
To celebrate Black history month, let’s take a dive into past and present Black composers whose art is powerful, breathtaking, and food for the soul. Curating this playlist and discovering the magnificent beauty in this music has been one of the best things I’ve done all week. With the help…
Vibing with Japanese City Pop
Tokyo, Japan is one of my favorite places on earth. I visited for a four day-weekend back in March 2016 and I’ve spent so much time daydreaming about going back to visit the one city I’ve been to that actually overwhelmed me. (In the best way possible of course, four…
To All the Songs Called Boyfriend I’ve Ever Loved
It is HILARIOUS to me how many songs there are out there named “Boyfriend.” As someone who’s never officially had someone they can call their boyfriend and is not in a rush for that either, I have no choice but to laugh. I mean, I guess there really is so…
Kelly’s Musical Birth Chart
Hi, if you’ve read my last few posts, you might be concerned with the state of my mental health. And you would be right, it’s been shit. However, we are finally moving out of January’s shadow and I refuse to let that energy define the next year of my life.…
New Music Crush: Krzysztof Penderecki
What do atomic bombs, horror movies, and classical music have in common? This Guy. Let me first start out by saying it feels awesome to be writing again. Those final months of last year really threw me for a loop but we did it. Whoop Whoop! In my time huddled…
Oh, You Have a Savior Complex Too?
Hi, it’s me again. Eden’s been busy with work and I don’t want her to run herself into the ground. Also, I’m not done being self-deprecating in January. However, I do want to talk about a toxic thought pattern that I’m learning to let go of. If you’ve read any…
What We’ve Been Listening To: Fall 2021
You know you’re heading into winter when you’re ACTIVELY fighting your end of year existential crisis while singing Christmas carols. Well, I just want to collect my hipster/trend predictor badge for calling out sad girl fall before everybody jumped in on it. Thaaaank you. There were so many great releases…
Same Title, Different Song Vol. 2: The Beatles Edition
I’ve been having one of my “dang the Beatles are SO GOOD” moments lately because I’ve been watching Peter Jackson’s Get Back documentary on Disney+ since Thanksgiving. I really appreciate how the documentary has demystified that era for me. I really thought they were at each other’s throats with the…
So You Gotta Leave Your Job…
Wow, I can’t believe that a year ago I bravely broke up with my job. It feels like just yesterday I was diplomatically trying to talk about it when I was obsessed with “Sports Car” by Valley. Y’all, I was so burned out that instead of leaving because I got…
Spooky Songs Vol. 2
You’ve heard of bad and bougie, now get ready for sad and spooky. Halloween is here and idk about y’all but I feel like I’m pulling teeth to try to rally the festive spirit. Like I’m literally hopping on a plane this weekend to visit my niece and nephew with…
As Seen On TV: Commercial Compositions, Vol. 1
Rapping hamsters, lovesick Swiffers, young love blossoming over a stick of gum… Chances are at least one of those things makes you think “Where (and more importantly, WHY) have I seen this before?”. This week, we’re diving deep into our memory — both conscious and subconscious — and talking about…
SOUNDS LIKE: Late Night Oldies
There’s something really magical about the nighttime and the way music just hits different past midnight. One of my favorite things/worst habits I picked up in high school was writing essays throughout an entire night. What I mean by that is I would start brainstorming the structure of an AP…
What We’ve Been Listening To: Summer 2021
Ah yes, Labor Day Weekend, the unofficial end of summer. School’s starting again, the sun is starting to go down sooner, it’s getting colder (or if you’re in LA you’re waiting to smell smoke from a nearby wildfire), but also it’s time to start reflecting on what the heck just…
In Our Own Skin
With National Hispanic Heritage Month on the horizon and An Exploration into identity What am I? It’s one of the many questions we ask ourselves. Being biracial, it’s something I ask myself, too. Am I Mexican? Am I American? I don’t live in Mexico, but I still feel this cultural…
Eden + Kelly: The Playlist
Four score and seven years ago, I met one of my best friends for the first time. She’s always been one of the coolest people I’ve ever known and oh man, I’m so excited to introduce her as a new guest contributor here at SOUNDS LIKE FEELS LIKE. Wow, I…
Same Title, Different Song Vol. 1
One of my favorite music phenomena is how you can like two songs that have the same title but sound totally different. I started working on this playlist because I equally enjoyed listening to two songs called “My Type” by Saint Motel and by Saweetie. It was funny to me…
For A Good Cry
Have you ever just uncontrollably bawled your eyes out listening to a song? Come onnnnnn, I know you have. It’s a pretty common experience. At least for me, I can’t help it sometimes. I’ll hear a song build a chord so magnificently or resolve a particular progression so delicately- I…
I’m Not Bitter Anymore, Just Petty
You know what’s a curse put on the human brain? The fact that we remember people’s birthdays that are no longer relevant in our lives. I have a lot of dear friends whose birthdays are in July. It was really selfish of me to openly tell them last year that…
Summer Dream Pop
Don’t wake me, I’m living in a goddamn day dream, nothing ever lasts as long as you want it to, as long as I’m next to you. I’m feeling like the sun never sets, that summer was endless…- Heaven is a Place in My Head, Bad Suns Guess who no…
SOUNDS LIKE: A Conversation About Classical Music
Ok folks, let’s just take a moment to thank TikTok, because we’ve got a special treat today. I recently connected with an incredibly talented TikTok creator who I’ve been following for a while because of his refreshing take on classical music. Joe Sedarski is a student at Boston University who…
Quintessential Queer Artists Vol. 1
Happy Pride Month everybody! I wanted to make this playlist to make a statement. I consider myself an ally to the LGBTQIA+ community and realize I’ve never been as vocal about it as I should. I didn’t know that the queer community even existed before high school (that’s on living…
AAPI Excellence Vol. 1
Happy AAPI Heritage Month! If you didn’t know, May is Asian-American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. Especially with the rise in violence against AAPI people in America, it is important to learn about the complicated history of AAPI people in America and highlight their contributions to food, culture, and more.…
A Little Space
In the throes of the pandemic, everyone has looked for some sort of escapism. Whether it was getting the lost in the world of movies or television/streaming shows, regressing to nostalgic obsessions, or just dissociating from reality while in lockdown, we all had our choice to cope. I’ve been particularly…
The Modern Voices of American Music
Hi, so first of all, to quote Phoebe Bridgers, I’m a liar who lies. I wanted to get this post out last week but I didn’t. I was dealing with a really bad migraine on and off all last week and couldn’t muster up the strength to post. Also, not…
The Founders of American Music
Re: the blog post and playlist I made on Juneteenth last year, this is (chronologically) the first in the series. I’ll be focusing on modern legends from the 90s to today next week. The artists I’m featuring here are just a few major artists that have gone on to profoundly…
It’s The Freakin’ Weeknd
I don’t really care for big sports games. But I do like celebrating the Super Bowl. I love the ‘let’s throw the diet out the window’ snacks, friends and family coming together to pretend to care about American football, the outrageous commericals…but mostly, the halftime show. Honestly, the halftime show…
Dancing Through Pain
So LA has been hitting rock bottom when it comes to COVID cases. One out of every six people in LA is dying from COVID. I am absolutely terrified. I do not want to leave my house for anything, even though I committed to volunteering somewhere every Saturday. Literally, my…
this is america
A revolution is upon us. And it is long overdue. America loves Black culture — music, fashion, slang, comedy, food, the list goes on. But at the same time, racially motivated violence and acts of hate continue after generations of abuse. How many more times must a Black person in…
Love In the Time of Corona
We’ve been in quarantine in the US for more than a month now (officially). Getting used to the new normal has been hard for everyone to varying degrees. From missing close friends and our normal lives to losing loved ones to the virus, we’re all feeling a sense of loss.…
Lonely Songs for Lonely People
So, I guess we’re all (unofficially) in quarantine now here in the US. For the record, we’ve already known that there’s a loneliness epidemic but it’s very possible that it’ll be exacerbated by ol’ Corona. As someone who’s struggled with loneliness, now more than ever do I find it important to reach…
Your New Friendly Neighborhood Punk-Ass Kids
Let me provide a visual: so you just moved into a new suburban neighborhood and all of a sudden, some punk-ass kids riding on their skateboards pull up to you. At first, you’re like ‘who do these kids think they are? what do they want? how do I avoid this…
ew it’s valentine’s day
For the record, I’ve always had the mentality that Valentine’s Day should celebrate more than romantic love. Like, I once hosted a live radio show in high school where I took requests and dedications on Valentine’s Day. It was fun, and further proof that I’ve been brimming with the need…
A Beginner’s Guide to: Shakira and JLo
Dearly beloved SOUNDS LIKE FEELS LIKE familia, I’m sure you know that the SuperBowl is this coming Sunday. Oh you didn’t? It’s ok…some of my coworkers thought it was later in Feb. But yeah, it’s this Sunday. And for me, this is probably the most important SuperBowl halftime performance to…
A Little January Optimism
Idk about you all but historically, my Januaries have been trash. I love the energy of a new year but there’s always something that puts a damper on my mood midway through the month. Well you know what January? Not this year!!! Anyways, I made this playlist so we can…
Thanksgiving Songs
I know everyone’s debating whether or not to listen to Christmas music already, but I am NOT HERE FOR THIS SO-CALLED THANKSGIVING ERASURE. Food, people you love, food, and just time to be thankful for what you’ve got. Why erase that? Did I mention the food?? There’s Halloween songs, there’s…
The Ultimate Girls’ Night Playlist 2019
I made this playlist for a purely selfish reason: I’m having a girls’ night out this weekend. I haven’t gone out with my gals in a while and especially heading towards the holiday season, I want to celebrate with them all the things each of us have been through this…
The Comeback Kids
Ok, people who know me personally: No, this is not only gonna be about the Jonas Brothers. (I will put forth my declaration of love to them later because I’m still processing, hold please.) Their comeback was a personal thing for me, however, they’re not the only kids that came back into…
Spooky Songs
Fear is a funny thing because it’s both something that can paralyze you and motivate you. Halloween and the spooky transitional season that it exists in (autumn in lay men’s terms) are a time to reflect on things that scare you, whether you’re going through a tough time or you’re…
80s inspired Alfie Templeman alternative pop alternative rock Ariana Grande bad suns Billie Eilish Carly Rae Jepsen COIN fall out boy family female singer-songwriters fleetwood mac Halsey Harry Styles Hayley Williams indie pop indie rock Jonas Brothers Joseph Sedarski kacey musgraves Kid Bloom Lizzo love Maggie Rogers MUNA nick jonas pandemic mental health Panic! At the Disco paramore phoebe bridgers Rina Sawayama sad music Saint Motel shakira Stevie Nicks SZA Taylor Swift The 1975 the aces the beatles The Killers the marias The Regrettes Young the Giant
SOUNDS LIKE FEELS LIKE 