August

What came first—the chaotic playlist or the recognition that August in the midwest is just life refusing to pick a lane? You've got 90 degrees one day, 60 the next, thunderstorms at 3pm, and somehow it's sweater weather by sunset. This playlist gets it. Fourteen tracks that swing from Angels & Airwaves space-rock to riot grrrl fury, Enter Shikari's genre-bending chaos to whatever Otha's doing (I'm still figuring that out, honestly). It's not curated. It's not cohesive. It's real.

Top 5 Reasons This Playlist Refuses to Make Sense (And Why That's the Point):

1. Angels & Airwaves opens with "The Adventure"—Tom DeLonge's post-Blink grand ambition—right before Enter Shikari drops "thē kĭñg" like a bomb. Space-rock to post-hardcore in 8 minutes. That's August.

2. "Radiate" (Enter Shikari) and "Tired and Sick" back-to-back = synth-driven optimism crashing into exhausted punk. Your first two miles exactly.

3. The mid-playlist riot grrrl energy with tracks like "Back Foot" and "Special"—raw, unapologetic, loud. This is when August stops apologizing for the heat.

4. Machine Gun Kelly's "bloody valentine" shows up at track 11 like pop-punk never died. (Barry would fight me on MGK. I don't care. The song works.)

5. "See You Later Fuckface" closes it. Because of course it does. August doesn't ease you out—it slams the door.

I've been running to this for three weeks now, and every time I think I've figured out the logic, mile four proves me wrong. "The Adventure" starts big—DeLonge left Blink-182 in 2005 to chase U2-sized ambition with Angels & Airwaves. It's earnest, sweeping, the kind of song that makes you believe in new beginnings. Then Enter Shikari shows up with electronics and screaming, and suddenly you're not jogging through inspiration—you're surviving.

That's August. You start the month thinking, "This'll be great, I'll get in shape, I'll finally nail a consistent schedule." Then humidity hits 80% and your lungs feel like you're breathing soup. The playlist doesn't lie to you. It knows.

The middle stretch is where it gets interesting. "Cassiopeia" and "LALA" create this weird pocket of groove—Otha's doing something between indie punk and... I don't know, honestly, experimental bedroom chaos? Dick would know the exact Bandcamp tag. I just know it works at mile three when your brain stops fighting and starts floating. Then "Back Foot" kicks in with that riot grrrl snarl—Bikini Kill energy, all teeth and volume—and you remember why you're out here. Not to feel good. To feel something.

Here's what I can't stop thinking about: this playlist doesn't try to pace you. It doesn't build to a crescendo or ease you into a cool-down. It's just... alive. Pop-punk to metalcore to ska undertones (I hear it in "Bubble," don't argue with me). August doesn't care about your training plan. This playlist gets that.

"See You Later Fuckface" at the end is perfect. I don't know who needs to hear this song title at mile five, but it's me. It's everyone. August leaves like that—no goodbye, just gone, and suddenly it's September and you're wondering what just happened.