Play Record Podcast

🎙️ What Songs Are in Your Emotional First Aid Kit?What song do you reach for when you're having a bad day and coffee just isn't doing the trick anymore?🎙️Listen to the playlist here:https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7ydoJqA76BdJVfQR6ouD0d?si=KEioUII7SrCZIt3pdHl2hw&utm_source=copy-link&pi=g6SE_RPFRDuVOInspired by the idea of creating an “emotional first aid kit,” from the NY Times article, "The Best Advice I've Ever Heard for How to Be Happy" by Jancee Dunn (linked below), Jess made a Dose of Dopamine playlist: songs she can count on for a little boost when she needs one. So naturally, we decided to make a mix for Play Record.But what actually belongs on a playlist like this? Can a happy song make you sad because of the memories attached to it? Can you overplay a song until it loses its power? And does a mood-boosting song even have to sound happy?We talk about the strange ways music can change our moods, including the song Tyler saves for the final miles of an ultramarathon and the Adele song he once listened to about 30 times while writing a short story. Then we share some of the songs we'd put in our own musical emergency kits.What song never fails to give you a boost? Tell us what belongs on your emotional emergency playlist in the comments.⏱️ Chapters:00:00 What makes a song your emotional emergency contact?01:02 Building a “Dose of Dopamine” playlist02:11 What disqualifies a song?04:56 Can you intentionally use music to change your mood?07:35 Can you overplay a song until it loses its power?08:48 Tyler's secret weapon for ultramarathons11:36 What does a dopamine boost actually feel like?13:41 Our dopamine playlist picks14:38 Massive Attack — “Teardrop”15:51 The Weakerthans — “Watermark”18:00 Lila Downs — “La Bamba”20:15 Manel — “Al Mar!”21:48 Mariah Carey — “Fantasy”23:57 Cat Stevens — “Tea for the Tillerman”🎶 Songs & Artists MentionedMassive Attack feat. Elizabeth Fraser — “Teardrop”The Weakerthans — “Watermark”Lila Downs — “La Bamba”Manel — “Al Mar!”Mariah Carey — “Fantasy”Cat Stevens — “Tea for the Tillerman”Bon Iver — “Holocene”Adele — “Rolling in the Deep”Stevie Wonder — “I Just Called to Say I Love You”Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers — “Islands in the Stream”Link to NY Times article: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/04/28/magazine/how-to-be-happy.html🎧 Listen to Play Record▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PlayRecordPodcast🍎 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/play-record-podcast/id6783468122🎙️ Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/63224d90-334e-4339-a7f8-bdcc7ddabe9f/play-record-podcast📱 Follow Play Record📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/playrecordpod/🎤 About Play RecordPlay Record is a music podcast hosted by Jess and Tyler, where every episode starts with a theme and turns into stories, debates, nostalgia, and the songs that shaped our lives.Whether we're talking about mixtapes, guilty pleasures, forgotten albums, heartbreak songs, or the perfect soundtrack for a night swim, every episode celebrates the memories behind the music.❤️ If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and leave a comment. We'd love to hear your picks!🎵 What's in your emotional first aid kit?#MusicPodcast #Playlists #Mixtapes #MusicLovers #NowPlaying

What song do you wish you could go back in time and give to your 16-year-old self?🟢 Listen to the Spotify playlist here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6yfsIeyiKMZP9HUOQXzube?si=8c39fed4dc5e45a8This week, we're building a playlist for the teenagers we used to be: songs we somehow missed when we were young, along with newer music we think our teenage selves needed to hear.We talk about discovering The Replacements years too late, whether Jess's teenage self would have actually appreciated Neko Case, the strange pressure of high school romance, sitting alone in your bedroom with headphones on, and the music that might have made growing up feel a little less confusing. And we confront an important question: would our teenage selves really have loved these songs, or are we just projecting our current tastes backward?Our picks include Cat Power, Jets to Brazil, 10,000 Maniacs, The Replacements, Neko Case and Burial, plus a bonus round where we choose a song to give to each other's 16-year-old selves.What song or band would you go back and give to your teenage self? And do you think they would actually listen to you?Songs on the playlist:🎧 Liquid Swords - GZA🎧 Walkabout - The Slits🎧 Answering Machine - The Replacements🎧 Like the Weather - 10,000 Maniacs🎧 Sea Anemone - Jets to Brazil🎧 An Ice Age - Neko Case🎧 Naked if I want to - Cat Power🎧 Imitation of Christ - The Pschedelic Furs🎧1952 Vincent Black Lightning - Richard Thompson🎧 Come Down to Us - Burial🎧 Listen to Play Record▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PlayRecordPodcast🟢 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033DtFWQBaLPMiNYgykjdD?si=9c33ee347d174619🍎 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/play-record-podcast/id6783468122🎙️ Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/63224d90-334e-4339-a7f8-bdcc7ddabe9f/play-record-podcast📱 Follow Play Record📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/playrecordpod/🎤 About Play RecordPlay Record is a music podcast hosted by Jess and Tyler, where every episode starts with a theme and turns into stories, debates, nostalgia, and the songs that shaped our lives.Whether we're talking about mixtapes, guilty pleasures, forgotten albums, heartbreak songs, or the perfect soundtrack for a night swim, every episode celebrates the memories behind the music.❤️ If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and leave a comment. We'd love to hear your picks!🎵 What's on your playlist?#MusicPodcast #90sMusic #GenX #Mixtapes #MusicLovers

🎙️ Are We Too Old to Discover New Music?There was a time when discovering new music meant mixtapes from friends, trusted radio DJs, flipping through Spin or Rolling Stone, or taking a chance on an entire album because you liked one song. Now we have Spotify algorithms, Shazam, YouTube, social media, and a seemingly endless supply of music at our fingertips.But does having access to more music actually mean we're discovering more of it?In this episode, we talk about how our relationship with new music (and new to us) has changed as we've gotten older, why 30 seems to be the dreaded age when people supposedly stop seeking out new artists, and the very different ways we find music now. We also share some of our favorite recent discoveries and how we found them, from Spotify autoplay and Shazam to friends, concert apps, music magazines, and random YouTube rabbit holes.How do you discover new music now? And what's the best artist or song you've discovered lately? Let us know in the comments!

Tori Amos has been making music for more than three decades. So why do we still compare every new Tori Amos record to Little Earthquakes, Under the Pink, and Boys for Pele? For this edition of What’s on the Turntable, Jess brings Tori Amos’s new album In Times of Dragons, a record about power, patriarchy, aging, change, and finding a way forward in a world that can feel increasingly threatening.We talk about the story behind the album, Jess’s favorite tracks “Shush” and “23 Peaks,” the apparent Courtney Love olive branch hidden in one of the songs, and Tori’s evolution as both a songwriter and live performer.We also get into Pitchfork’s review of the album and a bigger question: Is it fair to judge an artist in their 60s against the music they made in their 20s? Sometimes being a fan means accepting that the artist you fell in love with isn’t that person anymore. Maybe that’s the point.💬 What do you want from an artist you’ve followed for decades? Do you want them to evolve, or is there a part of you that still wants another version of the album that made you love them?Link to the Pitchfork article mentioned: https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/tori-amos-in-times-of-dragons/⏱️ Chapters:00:36 The story behind In Times of Dragons02:01 “Shush” & the Courtney Love connection04:01 Is In Times of Dragons a hopeful album?05:09 “23 Peaks” & accepting change06:11 The problem with Pitchfork’s review09:01 Should we compare artists to their earlier work?10:35 Learning to accept Tori Amos’ evolution12:41 How Tori has changed her live shows17:21 In Times of Dragons vinyl & artwork18:32 Still a Tori fan from the ’90s? Follow Play Record📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/playrecordpod/🎤 About Play RecordPlay Record is a music podcast hosted by Jess and Tyler, where every episode starts with music and turns into stories, debates, nostalgia, and the songs that shaped our lives.Whether we're talking about mixtapes, guilty pleasures, forgotten albums, heartbreak songs, or what's currently spinning on our turntable, every episode celebrates the memories and stories behind the music.❤️ If you enjoyed this video, be sure to like, subscribe, and leave a comment. We'd love to hear what you're listening to.#ToriAmos #InTimesOfDragons #PlayRecordPodcast #EWF #ITOD #earswithfeet

Have you ever heard a song you've loved for years...only to realize it means something completely different now?In this episode of Play Record, we're talking about the songs that changed because we changed. Some took on new meaning after growing older. Others hit harder because of life experiences, relationships, parenthood, or simply paying closer attention to the lyrics.From Cat Stevens and David Bowie to Rod Stewart, Pulp, Against Me!, and New Order, we share the songs that stopped us in our tracks years later, and why they feel completely different today.Because sometimes the lyrics don't change. We do.👇 What song means something completely different to you now than it did when you first heard it?

🎙️ The Best Road Trips Aren't Really About the DestinationWhat makes the perfect road trip playlist, and who gets control of the music?In this episode of Play Record, Jess and Tyler look back at the music that soundtracked their most memorable drives, from Tyler’s late-night trips across the desert between Southern California and Las Vegas to the scenic coastal drives they later took together through Monterey and along Highway 1.They talk about the albums permanently tied to old relationships, the road-trip discovery that became inseparable from an exploding semi-truck, and the music that can make even the most boring stretch of highway feel cinematic.Then, they settle some important road-trip debates: Are show tunes allowed? Can passengers skip songs? Is silence ever acceptable? Should you introduce everyone to an entire album they’ve never heard? And when is it okay to surrender control to the AI DJ?What song has to be on your road trip playlist? And which of our road-trip rules do you completely disagree with? Let us know in the comments!⏱️ Chapters00:00 The giant CD books we kept in our cars01:53 Music, driving, and road trips02:15 What’s on the Turntable: Maggie Rogers’ Surrender04:10 Albums connected to college and breakups06:49 Why even great music gets monotonous08:18 The screaming ranchera road trip10:45 Our official road-trip music rules15:15 Tyler’s road trip mix18:36 Jess’s road trip mix25:44 Musical Excursions: Tom Waits and Massive Attack27:03 A toast to Taylor of Wool Needles Hands📱 Follow Play Record📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/playrecordpod/🎤 About Play RecordPlay Record is a music podcast hosted by Jess and Tyler, where every episode starts with a theme and turns into stories, debates, nostalgia, and the songs that shaped our lives.Whether we're talking about mixtapes, guilty pleasures, forgotten albums, heartbreak songs, or the perfect road trip playlist, every episode celebrates the memories behind the music.❤️ If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and leave a comment. We'd love to hear your road trip stories!🎵 What's on your playlist?#MusicPodcast #RoadTrip #RoadTripPlaylist #Mixtapes #MusicMemories #90sMusic #Playlists #Nostalgia #PlayRecord #MusicLovers

🎙️ *Did 90s Music Turn Us Into Slackers?*Were 90s teenagers really slackers, or did the music just make it seem that way?In this episode of Play Record, we explore how the music of the '90s shaped our generation. From grunge and ska to songs that made us feel rebellious, misunderstood, or nostalgic before we even knew what nostalgia was, we ask whether the soundtrack of our teenage years influenced how we saw ourselves and how the world saw us.Along the way, we talk about the "slacker" stereotype, terrible music-inspired haircuts, why Gen X kids could be absolutely ruthless, and the songs we'd hand someone if they wanted to understand what it felt like to be sixteen in the '90s.So...did 90s music actually turn us into slackers? Or was it simply reflecting who we already were?*What song best captures your teenage years? We'd love to hear your picks in the comments!*⏱️ Chapters00:00 Intro00:43 What Song Defines Your Generation?03:43 Were 90s Kids Really Slackers?12:48 How Music Shaped Our Style16:33 Teen Songs Then vs. Now23:03 Jess's Mixtape Picks33:04 Tyler's Mixtape Picks38:48 Musical Excursions: 311 & Matchbox Twenty43:12 Toast of the Week45:40 Outro🎶 Songs & Artists Mentioned (plus many more on the Spotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4FyRNfxRwI78WIrm2KnaE8?si=c83f0e54f4884460Nirvana – Smells Like Teen SpiritThe Smashing Pumpkins – 1979Sonic Youth – Teenage RiotSt. Vincent – Teenage TalkNada Surf – PopularThe Smiths – Hand in GloveSuicidal Tendencies – InstitutionalizedThe Replacements – 16 BlueSay Anything – Yellow Cat (Slash) Red CatX-Ray Spex – Germfree AdolescentsSocial Distortion – Story of My LifeTom WaitsFiona AppleGwen Stefani / No DoubtPearl JamMatchbox Twenty311

We were wrong about these songs, and we're not afraid to admit it. In this episode of Play Record, we take up the question of what creates the cringe factor in certain songs, and what leads us to eventually say, "Actually, this is pretty great."Tyler gets a little fired up about music snobbery and makes some recommendations about feral cats, and Jessica confronts her past self's interest in Limp Bizkit.We also discuss one of our favorite music-related books of all time and provide our very own Cringe Mix. You can listen to it here:⁠https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6FLAHc6Ht9BzUvFjC9vxun?si=STaiJnSkSX2Ic2YWtnowPw&pi=Kz4GaKKlRKer1⁠And if you'd like to watch us on YouTube, here's our channel: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@PlayRecordPodcast⁠What cringey, cheesy songs have you finally learned to love? We'd love to hear your picks.

What makes the perfect nighttime pool party mix? In this episode of Play Record, we dive into the songs we put on the ultimate after-dark pool playlist. Not the loud, chaotic daytime pool party soundtrack, but the songs that hit just right when the sun goes down and the pool lights come on. We share some of our favorite picks, debate what belongs on a nighttime pool mix, and explore the difference between songs that make you want to dance and songs that simply create the perfect summer atmosphere. Along the way, we talk about the music that captures that late-night feeling of floating under the stars and hanging out with friends. Be sure to subscribe and join the conversation! Listen to the mix here:https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1mN26wlh1xTuGRsp6rV9ji?si=65a0b3aa68d44bbcWhat song would you add to a nighttime pool party playlist?

What makes the perfect unrequited love mixtape? Listen to our Unrequited Love Mixtape here:https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5HT...In this episode of Play Record, we dive into the songs that belong on a mix for someone who may never know how you felt, the difference between heartbreaking songs and songs that simply remind you of a person, debate what makes the cut on an unrequited love mix, and share some of our own picks.Along the way, we also discuss the new Jeff Buckley documentary and why his music continues to resonate with anyone who's ever loved, lost, or spent way too much time staring out a window listening to sad songs.Be sure to subscribe to follow along in the conversation!What song would you put on an unrequited love mixtape?It's Never Over, Jeff Buckley movie cover via Wikipedia; SUNBATHER cover art via GoingUndergroundRecords.com.

What was the first album you bought with your own money? And what's worse: getting your heart broken or finding out they never listened to your mixtape? In our debut episode of Play Record, we revisit the albums, mixtapes, and musical moments that helped define who we were, and the emotional baggage that came with them.