Music Roundup: BCN Edition

As a music lover, my tastes often fluctuate between various genres. Sometimes it changes based on the season, if I'm traveling, or the dominant experiences in my life at the time. Since I'm in Barcelona, I wanted to take the opportunity to actually document some of my recently most listened to before my taste changes again. So! Here are the top 5 songs that have been in constant rotation lately.

I can't be high around you anymore - FLO

From their sophomore album, the UK girl group delivers a delicious track about doomed love under the influence. The production is amazing. It's full, glossy, and reworks that classic early 2000s feel to a more modern sound. The lyrics detail the narrator's inner turmoil over a guy who's only affectionate when intoxicated. They really resonated with me due to an experience I had earlier this year. And as that hurt recently resurfaced, this song has made me realize that I deserve someone's sober love over another's drunken affection.

When they said music is therapy, they meant that shit. Whew.

Is Your Love Enough? - Little Mix

Another UK girl group! Coincidence? I think NOT! In all seriousness, Little Mix is one of my favorite musicians. I grew up with their music and they've left an indelible mark on me. Glory Days is one of my favorite albums. It explores themes of female sexuality, solitude, friendship. And it's just plain fun. This song has stuck on me due to its Spanish influence (guitar, production, etc.). And since I'm in Barcelona, the Mediterranean stylings are apt. The song is just so sexy and perfectly encapsulates the kind of fun I'm hoping to have over here. They were really one of the best to do it.

I Hope It's You - Donell Jones

I recently discovered this song from some video on Instagram a month or so ago. I absolutely adore that honey-smooth sound old R&B slow jams used to have. One of my favorite characteristics of this song is its opening. The first notes twinkle across the instrumentals, like audible glitter. Jones' voice glides across the track, serenading the audience with questions of how deep their devotion runs. The song feels brown. Soft lighting, blurred polaroids taken at night. I just adore it.

Baby Boy - Beyoncé feat. Sean Paul

A list of my favorite songs would never be complete without at least one Beyoncé song. I absolute LOVE this one. The production is full-bodied with Arabic scales and dancehall, painting a moment in time. Hot, sweaty, and wining up on somebody's son. It truly captures those fantasies we play in the back of our minds when we lock eyes with someone cute on the dance floor. Like this is so serious to me. It's a classic for a reason.

Until the End of Time - Justin Timberlake

And now the best for last. I've often said that Mirrors is Timberlake's magnum opus, but this is probably his most romantic song. I discovered it back in May and it's been on repeat ever since. First and foremost, I love the production. The incorporation of classical orchestral stylings with a mellow beat lends it a soothing quality. The lyrics genuinely make my heart burst. I adore when love songs give this emotion larger than life proportions. Imagine that. My love would be enough to sustain you until time itself collapses and ceases to exist. Nothing in this world or universe is more powerful than love itself. The adlibs are also fantastic. They vary in intensity and really capture the intensity of this relationship. The yearning just pours out.

I wanna be loved like that. Until the end of time.

XOXO, Michaela