It's a Tuesday afternoon and Barry's arguing with Dick about whether Enter Shikari sold out after Take to the Skies. I'm not listening because I'm staring at this playlist on my phone – "August - Running music" – and the description says it's "all over the place" like Midwest August weather. Barry would call this playlist unfocused. I call it honest.
What's the top 5 things August has ruined for me? The Replacements' "Skyway" because of Rachel. That entire Elliott Smith album because of Alison. Any Cure song from Disintegration because of—you know what, never mind. The point is: August is the month where nothing makes sense and everything ends, which makes it the perfect month for a running playlist that can't decide if it's pop punk, metalcore, or riot grrrl.
Angels & Airwaves opening with "The Adventure" – Tom DeLonge's post-blink project from 2006, all space-rock ambition and earnest romanticism. It's the sound of someone trying to explain themselves perfectly, like if you just get the production right, the reverb exactly so, she'll understand why you had to leave. She won't. But you start the run anyway because what else are you going to do on a Tuesday evening when the store's dead and the Lakefront Trail is right there?
Then Enter Shikari drops three tracks in a row and suddenly you're in a completely different playlist. "thē kĭñg," "{ The Dreamer's Hotel }," "Radiate" – Rou Reynolds' post-hardcore maximalism, all synth breakdowns and screaming about political collapse. This is the band that made metalcore kids tolerate electronica. Ambulo Records put out their early stuff before they went to PIAS. Dick would know the exact pressing dates. I just know that around track four, your easy jog turns into something urgent.
Otha's "Tired and Sick" comes in like a palate cleanser – indie punk brevity, sub-two-minutes, the kind of track that appears on a Blood of the Young Records compilation. Then Dog Party's "Best Friend" and suddenly you're in riot grrrl territory. Two sisters from Sacramento who started the band as teenagers. Z Tapes put this out. It's got that Bratmobile energy but cleaner production. You're five tracks deep and this playlist has been to four different parties.
Here's what I've learned about running: the first mile always lies to you. It tells you this will be easy, sustainable, pleasant even. Then you hit the middle section and realize you're not running to clear your head, you're running because sitting still means thinking about the last person who left and why they were right to go.
Rina Mushonga's "Cassiopeia" is this gorgeous, atmospheric moment – you wouldn't expect it here but August weather doesn't care about your expectations. NOBRO's "LALA" brings back the punk fury. Montreal riot grrrl band on Dine Alone Records. Then Dinosaur Pile-Up's "Back Foot" – that fuzzy British grunge sound that's basically Nirvana worship done well.
Track ten is Simple Creatures, the Alex Gaskarth/Mark Hoppus side project. "Special" sounds like prime Blink-182 but with modern production anxiety. Then MGK's "bloody valentine" shows up and I can hear Barry screaming from the store about pop punk revival sellouts. He's not entirely wrong but he's not entirely right either. Travis Barker produced this. You can tell.
Reuben's "Blamethrower" hits at track twelve and this is your wall breaker moment. UK post-hardcore from a band that broke up in 2008, released on their own label after leaving Xtra Mile. It's got this propulsive energy that makes you forget your legs hurt. The guitar tone is all mid-range crunch and the drums sound like someone actually hitting things instead of samples. You're at 66% through the run and either you push through this or you walk home defeated.
Gender Roles' "Bubble" continues that momentum – that modern emo-punk sound that references The Get Up Kids without copying them. Then The Queers close it out with "See You Later Fuckface" because of course they do. Lookout! Records veterans, Screeching Weasel adjacent, the kind of band that makes you remember punk was supposed to be fun before it became a dissertation topic.
Top 5 songs attached to people who are gone: "The Adventure" because Sarah loved Tom DeLonge's voice even though she hated Blink. "Ruby Soho" which isn't on this playlist but exists in the same emotional space as track twelve. "Between the Bars" because of that autumn in Wicker Park. The entire Get Up Kids' Something to Write Home About album because of Jennifer. And whatever song was playing the last time someone stayed over and actually stayed.
You finish the run. Your legs hurt. Your head isn't clear. The playlist was all over the place. August doesn't apologize and neither does this. Barry would make me defend every track choice. Dick would quietly mention that Enter Shikari's early demos are better. I'd tell them both that sometimes you don't need a playlist to make sense, you need it to match the weather – humid, unpredictable, occasionally beautiful, mostly just trying to get through it without falling apart completely.
