#it gives the same vibe as how george says nancy's turn

[seeinganewlight]

thinking about how when they're on the phone before the aglaeca comes to them and they're talking about regrets/confessions in 2x05, ace confesses to hacking into the federal database to find grant's number, bess confesses to her kleptomania (which i mean they all kinda knew anyway), nick confesses his regret over not using tiffany's drive to take down the hudsons, and that he just wants to rebuild his life, and george says she has no regrets. then george says "nancy's turn" (i also hate the way she says it bc it's so like "gee what will nancy pick, so has so many things to apologize for"

ace, bess and nick all talk about things specific to them, but nancy says "i regret ever hurting any of you. you trusted me when i made mistakes. and i never wanted anybody to get hurt. even though i am a hudson, and my genes don't exactly do me any favors in the leadership department"

nancy doesn't give a shit about things she wasn't able to do, or even mention not getting to make up with carson. her biggest regret is that she unintentionally hurt them and i just…god i know we talk about it all the time, but this episode is just so hard to watch for so many reasons. no, nancy is not perfect, but she did not drag them kicking and screaming into this mess with the aglaeca. in fact, she told them she didn't want them involved and instead of walking away, they dove in head first because that's what they do. they're there for each other no matter what. and the fact that they try to rewrite history pisses me off

(again, i know they're scared and they don't want to die, which is very valid and that fear makes you react in ways that you probably wouldn't otherwise, but it makes me upset that they just kinda double down on it instead of apologizing)

[queen-jeyne-stark]

The whisper box is clearly an episode where Nancy is still in love with Nick and yet all I can see are the clues that Nick and George & Nancy and Ace are meant to be.

It made me laugh that in her perfect life she had Nick and George as exes who didn’t get along. Even in her dream world she has to explain away their vibes bc she’s too much of a realist and too observant for them not to have any.

In her perfect life, Ace is the same. But also Nick is the one most drawn to the mystery and while I’m not saying he isn’t in real life, it’s interesting that in real life he’s talking about how The Claw is giving him his sense of purpose. In juxtaposition, Ace is the one who eventually states that the mysteries give him a purpose.

Also noted that when the letters come into the perfect world bc they’re talking to Nancy in the real world, she turns to Nick and says he saved her. But it was actually Ace’s idea on how to get through to her.

[derekmorganscrocs]

Last Summer: Ace x Reader (OneShot)

Here’s an adorable Ace gif for you because I love him.

Word Count: 2, 064

Summary: You and Ace are best friends but it turns into something more.

Quick Note: This is the first thing I’ve written that I’ve fully finished and am posting so I’m like freakin our right now. Also this isn’t my usual style but I’m super happy with how it turned out and I hope you (anyone who reads this) likes it! I’m considering a series but I also have several other things in the works, so it might not be soon. Anyways, let’s get this show on the road!

Ace and Y/n. Best friends since they could walk. Inseparable through elementary, middle, and high school. Where do we start?

To be honest, there’s not a lot to explain. You and Ace kind of just... were. It made sense. Best friends, always had the other’s back. You both work at the Claw, you’re both a little burnt out and worn down, but still clever and funny. Everything always made sense.

You always joke, laugh, and do stupid shit together. You’ve bailed him out of trouble more times than you can count. He’s done the same for you. He’s your favourite person, you’re his.

And you’ve been in love with each other forever. Except neither one of you can tell that the other loves you back. So we’re at a roadblock.

You got weird when Ace dated Laura back in the day.

Ace got weird when you dated James, the biker dude in high school.

You got weird when Ace started crushing on Bess.

Ace got weird when you mentioned that Ryan Hudson was hot in a douchebag kind of way.

Summer was different though. Had you known it’d be your last summer before you spotted Dead Lucy, saw Tiffany Hudson’s ghost, were introduced to the spirit world, and started doing seances and rituals every other day, you may have appreciated it more. But oh well, right?

Not right. The start of summer was when you started realizing you couldn’t go on the way you were, but that you also couldn’t live without Ace. So how do you confess? You don’t.

A couple weeks go by before you start to notice the way Ace looks at you, how he always stands just a little closer than anyone else does. How he puts himself between you and the guys that ogle you as the two of you walk to the pier. The way his jaw clenches when someone cute hits on you. His hand always right beside yours, and you wonder if he gets the urge to grab your hand like you do his.

And by the end of June, you’re this weird something. Not just friends, you’ve both seen the way the other stares. But it’s unspoken. You don’t know if you can bring yourself to tell him. He doesn’t know if he can bear the risk of losing you.

Don’t get it twisted, despite the buried feelings you and Ace are the best pair of best friends anyone in Horseshoe Bay has ever seen. Constantly laughing and cracking jokes, seeing who can get more tips in a day. Ace is always the one you turn to, you’re the one Ace turns to. For pretty much anything.

When July rolls around, you both get more time off. The fourth comes quickly, and you make plans to watch the fireworks from the roof of the claw. Upon climbing up at sunset, you decide to just hang out for a few hours until it’s actually time for the fireworks. You talk and joke, and you and Ace carve your initials into one of the shingles. Laying against the shingles, he only carves an A, and you ask if you’ll ever find out what his last name is.

“Maybe when you take it.”

Those are the five words that change everything. He looks up from his knife, startled at his own words. You’re frozen in place as the sky finally reaches its full darkness. And the first boom grabs your attention. You look over in the direction of the beach, and see red sparkles in the sky. Turning back, Ace is sitting up now, both of you still shell-shocked at his joke. Was it a joke?

His knife is long gone, tucked safely in his pocket, and he grabs your face and kisses you. You kiss him back, obviously. He kisses you passionately, slowly but strongly, and fireworks erupt. Both metaphorically and literally. You both end up laying side by side on the roof, kissing and watching the fireworks. It’s the best night ever.

But it’s never made official. There’s still no blurted out confessions, and it never happens again. His eyes still dart to your lips when you speak to him, you still imagine his arms around your waist, and you both still stare longingly at the other whenever their back is turned.

Until August rolls around, a month filled with storms and fog. And death. Ryan Hudson and his goons pull up for dinner. You and Ace serve them when all the others bail, make jokes about insufferable rich people and stare at each other’s mouths, both trying to not get caught as you wish you could just have what you want.

Then the lights go out. Screaming outside from Nancy, and Tiffany Hudson is dead. You and Ace are pretty much free to go, alibis confirmed. The next day Nancy comes to you with evidence that Tiffany Hudson was killed by Lucy Sable. Dead Lucy. Oh god.

The case unfolds and you’re wrapped up in a supernatural mystery. All the while trying to figure out your very natural mystery. What the hell is going on between you and Ace? It’s normal but not, and you don’t want to lose him, but you can feel the drift starting. It’s so uncertain. For once in your life, nothing makes sense.

You cover well though. Burying your feelings is a lot easier than it should be, and you and Ace still joke and pull stupid shit all the time. George and Bess are tired of being caught in the crossfire of your pranks, Nancy would be, but the only time she’s actually noticed anything is when you shot her with a nerf gun because Ace dodged. Nick, the guy from the garage, makes his way into your crew, and takes immense amusement from you and Ace. It’s fine. Great, even.

Then in September, after Tiffany Hudson’s funeral, you go to the Claw to talk to Ace. But he’s beyond talking. He’s got his tongue in Laura Tandy’s throat. And you knew she was back in town, hell, that’s what pushed you to finally talk to Ace. Only you’re too late. You’ve wasted the summer, your summer, being afraid of losing him. Just to lose him anyways.

So you spend a miserable month pretending you’re fine and fake gagging every time him and Laura have their backs turned on you. You bitch to Bess, who’s all too keen on the drama. Nancy’s so wrapped up in the paranormal and her own love life that she’s barely bothered to notice that you’re drowning. George on the other hand... she’s supportive. Well as supportive as George can be. Mostly threatening Laura and saying she’ll fire Ace if you want her to. But you can’t do that. He may only be a dishwasher at the Claw, but he loves it. He loves being part of the team.

And then you walk in on Laura asking Ace to go to Paris with her. You nearly lose it, but manage to keep it together, hiding around the corner with a hand clamped over your mouth as tears threaten to finally spill free. When they’re out of sight, you call Bess, then George, then Nancy, all to no avail. And so you’re hyperventilating and alone, sitting on the front porch of the Claw when Nick swoops in to save you.

Of course it was Nick. The only one who doesn’t know about the whole mess with Ace. So he makes you explain and watches in horror as you refuse to let tears fall and successfully convince yourself to just not be sad. Over the next few days he turns into a brotherly figure, managing to help you realize that feelings are okay to have.

So the garage is your new hangout, and you don’t realize that Ace is actually missing you. Because the only one he wants to ask about going to France was you. Nick sends you back to work on the fourth day, you don’t want to go but he forces you. He says ‘mixing shitty Caesars is the best remedy for any amount of pain.’ It’s the first time he’d seen you laugh in a while. Actually, the first time you’d laughed in a while.

The first person you see when you walk in the diner, of course, was Ace. Sitting at the bar, staring into the wall’s soul. You manage a quiet ‘hey’, and when he turns to see you looking mostly back to normal, he nearly tackles you into a hug. He manages to restrain himself though, not sure what to do. You two never fight. Is this even a fight? How do you make up from a not-fight-fight? Instead he asks you to sit with him. You do, reluctantly, but only because he insists and you can never say no to him.

“Say the word and I’ll stay. Say you want me here and I won’t go.”

And there he goes, changing everything again. You freeze, just like on the Fourth of July, and stare at him in shock. This time though, he isn’t surprised, it’s just you who’s shell-shocked. It takes you a while to understand that he is actually saying what he’s saying, and you kind of just stare at him for a minute. Then you make your decision.

“I can’t tell you what to do. You need to make this call on your own.”

And then, you mix Caesars. And more Caesars, and more Caesars. The restaurant could be supplied for a week if it weren’t a festival day. You would’ve kept going, but what’s left in the bottom of the vodka bottle looked pretty delicious, so you down it instead. Still mostly sober, but tipsy enough to manage a smile, you patted George on the back and said goodbye before heading to the garage.

Nick makes you crash on his couch in the loft, and after a power nap and a glass of water you’re back to completely sober. Good as new. The only thing that’s missing is... your phone. You left it at the Claw earlier. Which means you have to go back. And probably see Ace again.

So back you go. You get the phone without running into anyone, but pause at the sound of voices in the dining area. Frozen in the kitchen, you watch as Ace tells Laura he’s staying. That he has a ‘purpose here. And a person.’ She tells him to miss her, which gives you mixed vibes, and leaves.

“Ace?”

“Jesus! Oh, Y/n! You’re-you’re here. Oh that’s great, you saw that. How much did you hear?”

“That you have a purpose here. And a person.”

A smile finally appears on your lips, and he reciprocates. You walk into the dining room, toward Ace. He watches your every move intently, as if he’s entranced with you. He is, because he hasn’t seen you smile since Laura came to town. And even though he’s been playing it happy, he’s been miserable. He loves Laura, he really does, but it’s more of the ‘maybe in another world’ kind of relationship.

You and Ace. That’s the ‘perfectly perfect, made for each other, soulmates, in any world’ type of relationship. Best friends to something more, with ups and down. Real. Not some whisk you off to Paris and live in a movie. Horseshoe Bay’s ugly, scary, haunted, real life.

Sitting on a barstool, back to the kitchen, you lean against the bar and look at Ace. You think about what to say. There’s so many things you could do. That you want to do.

Slap him.

Kiss him.

Throw him off the roof.

Hug him until he has to peel you off of him.

Throw a bottle at his head.

Jump into his arms, wrap your legs around his waist and stay there forever.

Stick Lucy on him to suck out his soul.

Kiss him until you run out of air.

Maybe you’ll say something instead. There’s lots of things you could say, but you’re not sure how many of them are true.

Did he really betray you by seeing Laura?

Are you grateful for this because you met Nick and gained a brother?

What would’ve happened if Laura never showed?

Are we still us?

Instead, you decide to go with something you know is the truth.

“I’m your person.”

And he smiles like he’s won the lottery.

Tags: @vexfulfun

[henrikvanderswoon]

MURDER AT TURQUOISE INN: A Nancy Drew Story Written by 10-year-old Yours Truly Readthrough

Alright, guys, you asked for it! It’s pouring down rain outside, I’ve grabbed some tea, I have my entire Nancy Drew game music track playlist going, and I’m ready to crack this s nutcase wide open.

Absolute ridiculousness below: 

The fact that this story is titled “Murder at Turquoise Inn” is already sending me, and it has nothing to do with the fact that I spelled it terquoice on the cover page.

I also started this story out with a letter to Ned. God bless. 

Dear Ned, Beth Robertson was murdered! 

As if Ned (or anyone else) even knows who the fuck Beth Robertson is, Nancy. 

I named the owner of the inn Tina Mulberry, and I think that was very sexy of me. 

“I turned to do something, and when I came back, she was dead on the floor! I could tell because her heart wasn’t beating and she wasn’t breathing!”

I mean… that’ll do it, Tina. That’ll do it. 

Oh, but she can’t prove anything now because she ran to get help and when she returned the body was fucking MISSING.

Bess throws a conniption fit every time someone says “Beth.”

“Oh, hello, Nancy,” she greeted.

“Hello,” Nancy greeted back. 

That is some…some god-tier writing right there. 

I really had no concept of space and time in fifth grade.

It was a huge room. Bigger than the cafeteria in Ned’s college.

Oh, was it? 

A message from the author: Hey kiddos, if you’re snooping around in someone’s closet and you come across a completely conspicuous button just chilling on the wall, don’t press it.

The three girls came out of the closet.

Well, there you have it, folks. Nancy, Bess, and George are gay. Everyone’s gay. Even your cat is gay.

Tina has a niece named Lily who calls her Mrs. Mulberry. Also, Tina consistently neglects her work duties in favor of writing a screenplay at the front desk computer and I have no idea why. 

The murderer is walking around leaving stupid messages with the drawing of a knife on them trying to curse everyone and I’m so confused. Where the hell was I going with this? 

“I KNOW YOU SAW BETH DEAD, BUT IF YOU TELL ANYONE, A DEADLY CURSE WILL FALL UPON YOU.”

WHAT DOES THIS EVEN FUCKING MEAN?

The lines in this thing are really just peak writing:

George took off after him at a safe distance to avoid being seen. But BAD LUCK FOR HER, the man jumped into a car and drove off.

 Someone sabotaged the girls’ rental car while they were away from the hotel, and this couple they literally just met are like: “I just remembered, we have an extra car that we don’t use. You could use that.” Who the fuck–?

Uh, oh. They got back to the hotel and found their own curse lying in Bess’ suitcase:

LAY OFF THE CASE, NANCY DREW. YOU MADE MRS. MULBERRY TELL YOU THE MURDER STORY. NOW THE CURSE IS UPON YOU TOO.” 

This sounds like a ten-year-old wrote it… wAiT A MiNutE–

Literally nothing in this story explains what the curse would even do to them. I love myself.

The culprit: *leaves threatening messages warning people not to speak about the murder or they’ll be cursed*

Nancy:

“Oh, hello,” Jackson greeted.

“Hi,” Nancy said. “Say! Have you heard about the murder?”

I ALMOST SPAT OUT MY TEA.

Also:

“I’m going to the store to, um, get some stuff. Like food.”

“But there’s foot here.”

“I just want to BUY things, okay? You’re so NOSEY!”

Jackson stormed off, leaving Nancy astonished. That put him on her suspect list FOR SURE.

This is a literary gem.

The way the dialogue sounds in this thing…I mean you can just tell the only written media I had been consuming at that time was the 1930′s books. 

“I think,” Nancy replied. “That tomorrow we should go to the place where I followed Jackson.”

Giving me Scooby-Doo vibes too. 

The number of times Bess says something like, “Why, Nancy!” or “This is horrid!” really makes me want to turn this into a drinking game. Take a shot every time Bess speaks like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. 

“Oh, fiddlesticks,” Bess exclaimed. 

…

No comment. 

Also, Nancy’s unadulterated sass my fifth-grade self gave her is both the worst and the best thing I’ve ever seen: 

“But what if the house isn’t empty?” Bess asked. 

“Bess, please. Ever heard of the word: S-N-E-A-K?”

I want to harpoon myself. 

There’s an elaborate maze of tunnels running underground that connects the hotel to this sketchy house miles away. The characters consistently find themselves back there several times throughout the story and literally nothing about it makes any sense at all, nor is it ever explained.  

“Man, that passageway confuses me,” said George.

Thank you, George, it confuses all of us. 

I’m actually embarrassed about how many times I refer to the group of characters as a “threesome” or a “foursome” in this thing. It’s really just the worst.

The culprit purposefully leaves behind their real initials multiple times in this story and has the audacity to be surprised when they get caught at the end? Iconique™. 

“I’m just a weird ol’ guy, Sweety-Cakes.” 

Ned, are you okay? Was I okay when I wrote this? 

Ned’s coming to visit, and he brings Burt and Dave with him and boy howdy did I forget about those two. 

“This mystery sounds dangerous,” Burt remarked. “Shouldn’t you leave this case to the men?” 

“I’d like to see you try,” Nancy fired back.

Yaaaassss, Queen. Get his ass. 

Also the murderer has now resorted to hitting people with a driverless vehicle and I’m honestly convinced ten-year-old me was on drugs. 

“Good! We were starting to get worried about you.” 

“Oh, don’t worry about me. I…wait…wait, actually, worry about me!” 

The line goes dead here because Lily’s car was uhhhh T-boned. 

My only regret in this story is that the Hardy Boy’s are not here. Although, in hindsight, they’re probably lucky they didn’t get subjected to this shitshow. 

Meanwhile, George thought maybe Bess had made a mistake and walk’s into the men’s bathroom. She walked in but found no one–well, except a bunch of screaming men. 

I don’t even know what to say. 

They went to see Lily in the hospital and Bess got hit by a driverless car in the fucking parking lot. WHAT KIND OF MADWOMAN WOULD WRITE THIS I CAN’T BREATHE.

That night, back at the hotel, Nancy gets lured out of the hotel and into the back forest behind it because someone’ s playing weird music and I’m just now realizing my child self had no idea what kind of theme to run with here (murder, hauntings, curses, GTA) so I just went with all of them at once.

“I could just destroy it,” Ned said as he studied the lock. “Stand back.” Backing up a few yards, he bolted for the cabin door and broke it down with a strong kick. “For Nancy!” he shouted. 

HeR Interactive’s Ned could never.

 So they find Nancy tied up in a cabin in the woods and, lo and behold there’s a trap door that LeADs InTo tHE UnDeRGroUnD TuNnEls. Who’da thunk?

And of course they find a journal written in code, and the code key just happens to have been left in the cabin. 

“I’ve written this journal in code so if anyone finds it, they will not discover my secret. Okay, now that I’ve said that, here is my secret.” 

This is the first line Nancy decodes. I’m…

Naturally, we find out that Beth Robertson was not dead, but just kidnapped (don’t even ask me how the fuck they got her body to appear dead…drugs?) and being held in the underground tunnels. 

Because this makes perfect sense. 

“You seem different. Your voice doesn’t sound the same and you’re a little shorter than you usually…” Tiffany trailed off. “You are Jackson, aren’t you?”

“No,” Ned said. “Thanks for asking.” 

This is 100 times funnier without context so I’m not giving you any. 

I don’t know about you guys, but if I was arranging a meeting with a colleague and they showed up in a ski mask and a hooded cloak, I’d be a little suspicious.

“But you’ re supposed to be delivering Nancy Drew poisonous flowers from her ‘boyfriend.’”

Oh my god this bitch pulls a gun on Ned and together the rest of the group (you know, the ones who haven’t been hit by a car) fucking go APESHIT on this woman’s ass. I CAN’T BREATHE. 

And of course they find Beth tied up somewhere in the tunnels and get her to safety, and they learn that Bess and Lily are recovering well in the hospital and go to visit them and everything’s all bright and happy. 

THE LAST LINE OF THE STORY HAS ME SCREAMING, THOUGH. To the point where I’m just gonna sign off here and leave you all with it. 

“Man.” Lily looked sad. “I wish I hadn’t missed almost the whole thing.” 

Bess spoke up. “I, on the other hand, am glad.” 

[mudkipthemusical-blog]

Music of the Month: March 2017

This past month has been a crazy one for sure on my end. On the one hand, I survived my round of midterms and a nasty close to another northeast-U.S. winter. On the other hand, it also started off with a bang as far as music releases go, and I found plenty of cool avenues to discover some older stuff. While this month was a little busy and overwhelming, I had plenty of material to balance it all out and smile along to. I wasn’t disappointed with what I was looking forward to since my last MOTM, and I’ve been so excited to finally talk about it, so let’s cut to the chase...

Album of the Month:  ÷ (Deluxe) by Ed Sheeran

When the first two singles from ÷ dropped back in January, I stayed up past midnight, frantically checking Apple Music to listen to them as soon as possible, and I was happy. I did the same for when ÷ dropped as a complete package, and it certainly lived up to the hype. I remember listening as every track started, I thought about just how nice everything sounded. Ed never failed to give a stellar performance, and while a lot of his songs were distinctively Ed, there was just enough experimentation, especially with the Celtic themes to keep my on my toes. That said, I was just excited that it was new Ed and would have listened regardless. On that note, while I mentioned how much I liked "Castle on the Hill" in my January post, the three standout tracks for me besides that were "Dive" and the bonus tracks "Barcelona" and "Nancy Mulligan." The first felt like a darker version of "Thinking Out Loud" with the emotion turned up to 11, while the last was a fun, cute little love story with well-integrated Celtic influences. The one in the middle was, well, in the middle of those: cute and romantic enough to get you smiling, but with an intensity that made me feel like I had to get up and dance along, not just sit and bob my head. I do have to say that none of the tracks could eclipse my top 2 Ed Sheeran songs ("Wake Me Up" and "Sunburn"), but as a complete album, I think this is his best work to date. It may technically be mainline pop music, but it's just the kind of pop I'm into, and I know plenty of people that I could spend time with jamming out to the bangers or crying along with the ballads. I feel like this will be one of the culturally-relevant albums we'll talk about years from now.

5 Great Songs from this Month:

“Green Light” by Lorde

Pure Heroine was one of my favorite albums from my high school years, so imagine my excitement when I saw Lorde teasing a new single. It honestly took me a few listens to get into the feel of "Green Light" because it's a departure from the heavily-synthesized sound of Pure Heroine, but the quintessential Lorde angst was still there, and I got hooked on it soon enough. For a breakup song, it has an insanely catchy dance feel that makes you want to shout along with it, which as I read that over describes most of Lorde's songs actually. It wasn't quite what I was expecting, but I'm glad it wasn't. Now, I'm extremely excited to see what kinds of twists Lorde will pull when Melodrama drops in June. For now, I also have "Liability" to hold me over, but it's clear that this is the big jam of the album.

(tie) “Blame it on Me” and “Barcelona” by George Ezra

I already knew George Ezra from his hit "Budapest" from a few years back, but I only just started looking deeper into his material when I saw "Blame it on Me" featured in an "If You Like James Bay" playlist (and I freaking LOVE James Bay, so it was only natural that I'd give it a listen). Sure enough, I instantly fell in love. It sounds so happy! The rest of Wanted On Voyage was pretty good too, with "Barcelona" sticking out among the rest. In contrast (to "Blame it on Me" and Ed Sheeran's "Barcelona), it's a lot more mellow, so I couldn't really place it above or below "Blame it on Me." Both are so well produced, and George's voice sounds so comforting; while some of the rest of the album gets more intense, I'll appreciate these two tracks for letting me kick back and feel good, even for seven minutes collectively.

“Built for Comfort” by Howlin’ Wolf

This was kind of a funny discovery because while Howlin' Wolf is such a blues icon, I hadn't heard about him until seeing him listed as an influence in George Ezra's Wikipedia bio (shrug). The name intrigued me, and I already had a taste for the blues from my jazz band experience, so I dove in, and I ended up listening to Apple's "Howlin' Wolf Essentials" playlist in full. Interestingly, I found it to be great music to math homework to, but that's beside the point. I liked this recording in particular because, aesthetically, it fits the subject matter pretty well. It's a simple, easy blues about being satisfied with the way things are. Sure, it could be more ambitious or well-polished, but in the end, it's all you need to have a good time. This, by a mile, is an exception to my attempts at finding "new" music, but this, and a lot of Wolf's catalog is so timeless and classic that it was worth making note of.

“Drivin’ My Car” by Monte Selby

Interesting story: Monte Selby recently moved to my hometown and started going to my church, so when my mom suggested we to go a concert he was doing at my church while I was home for spring break, I figured I gave it a shot. It turned out to be a great little concert; he and his family are quite talented, I was very intrigued by Monte's story of being a teacher, going into schools, and doing songwriting workshops with kids. While I can't completely relate to the "parent of teenager" themes in "Drivin' My Car," which was one of my favorites that he played during the concert, as a former teenager, I could smile and laugh and think about how I fit into that scenario. The country-rock style also fit perfectly to the subject matter, and while it's not usually what I go to, I found it very fun. If you're into more story/life-based music, I'd surely recommend you check out some of his material.

“Tribulation” by Matt Maeson

I felt bad after last month's rundown that I left off Matt Maeson's "Cringe," because I'd forgotten about it for most of February, but nonetheless, as I was finishing up that post, I knew there was something about Matt's heavier pop-rock sound I liked. Luckily, I found this new single, and as of posting, it seems like both will be featured on a new EP! It's kind of a downer, but I kinda forgot about that because I was so into the vibe and Matt's tone of voice. Additionally, the structure of the verses is unique, and I think that reflects the complicated state of love that Matt is singing about. It's definitely a heartache song, but one that makes you think at the same time, which to me is a lot better than 3 verses of "You left me and I'm sad." Either way, I was certainly impressed with this as a follow-up to "Cringe" and I'm stoked to see how far Matt can go.

So, overall, my picks for this month were a nice mixed bag, and while ÷ and "Green Light" were shoo-ins since before last month's run-down, I was pleasantly surprised by what actually made the cut. It's also crazy where I'm able to find good new (to me) stuff; I guess just keep your ears open and things will find a way. Aside from the Pentatonix "Classics" EP, I'm not really anticipating anything for the near future (and tbh, mid-writing, I listened to Pentatonix's new "Bohemian Rhapsody" cover and it's almost certainly making the top of April's list). That said, I'm curious to see what I do end up finding. Until next time, friends, happy April and happy listening!