Photo editor Vikrum Singh is not like other girls. I half-expected most of his iEdit playlist to be filled with pop punk music from the mid- to late-2000s, but I was delightfully surprised to find a wide variety of alternative and pop-like music fit for any creative type.
The Band CAMINO’s “Underneath My Skin” and Alvvays’ “Saved By A Waif,” which open the playlist, are perfect examples of the exact type of music I’ve come to associate with Vikrum—classic and fun with a splash of someone you’ve never heard of. Alvvays is the kind of band that I would listen to on the radio and scramble to pull out Shazam because I needed to hear more of it right that instant.
The half-alternative, half-pop tone continues with “She Way Out” by The 1975 and “Taken” by MUNA as Vikrum continues to sprinkle in a little bit of the old with a little bit of the new. These two, alongside Hozier’s “Would That I” complete what I would consider to be the perfect trifecta of alternative music: some electronic from The 1975, a little bit of pop with MUNA, and the folk tones characteristic of Hozier.
“Shy” by Melt brings the mood back up, injecting the playlist with a bit of intoxicating jazz that I didn’t know I needed in my life. This upbeat tone provides the perfect setting for the vocal shift to Future Teens’ “Bizarre Affection” as the song evokes feelings of that early 2000s pop punk music in a more acoustic, laid-back production.
In my research, which involved stalking Vikrum’s public Spotify playlists, I found he often dumps songs together as he adds them, likely to put them on shuffle later. That is the only explanation I can find to explain the severe whiplash I experienced going from the mellow tone of “Bizarre Affection” to Jordana and TV Girl’s eclectic song “Better in the Dark,” which seemed to stand out among its companions.
Though he may not appear like Taylor Swift’s target audience, Vikrum is a Swiftie through and through. His choice of “Delicate” off of Swift’s reputation album—the live-recorded version of the song—further solidifies that fact. This specific recording of the song, while not too different from the original production, fits so seamlessly with the rest of the playlist.
The closing track, “Dark Blue” by Jack’s Mannequin, gave me the “thanks for watching, have a safe trip home” feeling I sometimes get at the end of seeing a movie. It gives the whole playlist a sense of finality, wrapping the entire experience up with a little bow.
Vikrum’s well-curated playlist comes at the perfect time for the fall season, giving me the best playlist to walk around campus listening to and act like I’m the main character in my very own coming-of-age story.
