My Year in Music {2018}

My Year in Music {2018}

• Jan 1, 2019

I always look forward to the end of the year for a variety of reasons – the holidays, the anticipation of the new year, and the habit of looking back on the past twelve months. Since 2015, I've always recapped the year with a series of posts I call "My Year in." From best books to biggest obsessions, they're some of my favorite posts to write. So, for the next week, you'll see what I loved in 2018. I'm kicking it off with music!

Since committing to Spotify Premium in 2016, my music habits have changed so much. I typically listen to album for a few weeks before moving on to something new. Some become ones that I must own, but many are just sounds I love for a specific season. At the end of the year, Spotify summarizes your listening habits. Here's mine:

You know what isn't reflected in the stats above? The fact that my toddler now influences so much of what I listen to. My Top Artists and Songs were skewed because they included so much stuff that I only listen to for my son. Haha! The number of minutes listened to is continuing to climb, though not quite to 2015 levels (when I listened more throughout the day at work). I was bummed Spotify didn't tell me how many artists and tracks I played this year, but I wasn't surprised by my most played artist or album. Mat Kearney's CRAZYTALK is an all-time fave now.

In years past, I sorted my favorite albums by season since that's how I typically consume music. But I listened to more individual songs than entire albums this year, and it wasn't going to work quite the way I wanted. So, I decided to change up the format of this post and highlight my most-played albums, playlists, and songs in 2018.

Somewhere in Between by VÉRITÉ – I started listening to this in December 2017, had it on heavy rotation early in the year, and then kept going back to it throughout the year. The music just begs me to sing along!

Golden Hour by Kacey Musgraves – I've been a fan of Kacey Musgraves since her first album, and she constantly surprises me. This felt like a different sound for her, but I really loved it. Her songs just stick with you.

CRAZYTALK by Mat Kearney – My most-played album of the year is definitely a new all-time favorite for me. From driving in the mountains with the windows down to quietly blogging in bed, this was the soundtrack to 2018 for me.

Electric Light by James Bay – I debated this one because I didn't listen to it as much as the other four albums, but I didn't have a strong contender to replace it so it squeaked into the Top 5. I want it to grow on me more!

Magic by Ben Rector – I've listened to Ben Rector before this year, but I haven't really followed his career or releases. Somehow this album ended up my radar, and it really hit the spot this summer! It felt so nostalgic.

The Winner's Trilogy – Though I've made a few bookish playlists of my own, I didn't realize that other Spotify users might have done the same. What a revelation! This Winner's Trilogy playlist was one of my first and favorite finds.

To All the Boys I've Loved Before – After watching the movie five times the week it was released, it seemed only natural to turn on the soundtrack next. Thank goodness Netflix curated this perfect playlist on Spotify! 

Jane Austen Soundtracks – I love instrumental music while I'm blogging and was so excited to find this playlist that compiled soundtracks from various Austen-inspired movies and mini series. My one complaint? It should be longer!

Disney Hits – This is my token tribute to how much my son influenced what I listened to this year. We've had this playlist on repeat ever since I found it, and he's obsessed. Anything from The Lion King is his favorite.

Throne of Glass: Aelin Galathynius – And one more bookish playlist to finish out the list! After re-reading the entire Throne of Glass series before the release of Kingdom of Ash, I turned to music to keep reliving the feels.

What was your favorite album in 2018? 

Were there any songs that defined your year?