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Greetings fromNeuphoria!
So your 2025 Spotify Listening Age was >40? How about a Neu Year’s resolution to let
Neuphoria give you younger ears for 2026!
Heck, even the Davos Posse joined in, having Jon Batiste play the opening concert last
Monday. Rumors that he played an adaptation of the old Kermit the Frog favorite “It’s Not Easy
Bein’ Green(land)” are unfounded……
The Playlist direct links are:
If you wish to vote on the January Playlist, please submit your votes by EOD Sunday,
February 8th PT (Monday, February 9th for the Europeans, Aussies and South Americans).
For voting instructions scroll to the bottom of the site landing page: https://www.neuphorians.com/
Happy listening,
D
Harry Styles, Aperture (Pop??)- It’s been a busy week for Harry Styles. Not only has he announced the March 2026 release of his 1st LP in 4 years, including releasing the single, “Aperture”, but that he will be playing a 30-show residency at Madison Square Garden in NYC. At first blush, “Aperture” would seem a strange choice for 1st single, but it’s a slow-burner, and a “joyous, quietly radical track made for hugging strangers on a dance floor” per The Guardian.
Baby Nova, Dodge (Pop/Alternative)- Nova Scotia’s Kayleigh O’Connor, aka “Baby Nova” released her debut LP, “Shhugar” on January 16- and critics are duly impressed. Sounding like Dusty Springfield crossed with Lana Del Rey (simile courtesy of the CBC), Baby’s songwriting and phrasing show great maturity, yet with a de rigueur Gen Z-ish oversharing candor. Listening to “Shhugar” in its entirety is recommended.
Zach Bryan, Plastic Cigarette (Folk/Country)- Navy Veteran Bryan released the 25 song “With Heaven on Top” on January 9- and like his previous 2 LP’s, it didn’t take long for it to become the US’s #1 album. “Plastic Cigarette” is the most streamed song from “With Heaven on Top” peaking at #5 in US and #1 in Canada- while Zach vividly brings us to the scene of a bygone love, singing “I saw you on the river’s edge/ draggin’ on a plastic cigarette/ with your swim top still wet.”
Mon Rovia, Heavy Foot (Folk)- On his January LP, “Bloodlines”, African refugee, Mon Rovia (Janjay Lowe), reflects on his complex upbringing, including coming face-to-face with AK-47 toting child soldiers in Liberia’s Civil Wars and then being adopted into a white family in Appalachia. Mr. Lowe’s pseudonym refers to the capital of Liberia, Monrovia, whereas his music leans heavily on his Appalachian roots.
Atwood Magazine said that “Heavy Foot is a protest song that feels warm, inviting….and cathartic even as it stares down the fractures of a country in crisis”; so prescient given the recent events in Minneapolis.
Ella Langley, Choosin’ Texas (Country)- Given that Ms. Langley is frequently on Neuphoria, I overcorrected by replacing her “Choosin’ Texas” with Cody Johnson’s “Travelin’ Soldier” in the November playlist at the last moment. I should have recognized that “Choosin’ Texas’s” radio friendly guitar intro would launch it to #1 Apple Music US streaming.
Aerosmith and YUNGBLUD, My Only Angel (Rock)- While YUNGBLUD has had a string of #1 pop/EMO LP’s in the UK, in an unusual twist of fate in 2025, he became the anointed standard bearer for classic rock. Before his friend and mentor, Ozzy Osbourne passed in July 2025, YUNGBLUD was asked by Ozzy to perform the Black Sabbath ballad “Changes” at Ozzy’s hometown farewell concert. Facing an unfamiliar classic rock audience of 40,000, YUNGBLUD brought down the house in a spine-tingling performance that has since gone viral https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJZmO5mByVY.
Since then, YUNGBLUD has recorded songs with Aerosmith and the Smashing Pumpkins and a collab with Eddie Vedder/Pearl Jam is rumored.
Bruno Mars, I Just Might (Pop)- Bruno was the first popstar out of the gate in 2026 with “I Just Might”, which has already hit #1 in Spotify US Streaming. Those with a higher Listening Age may recognize that the retro “I Just Might’s” verse sounds like a non-falsetto “You Make Me Feel Like Dancing” (by Leo Sayer) and the chorus bears an uncanny resemblance to “Move Your Feet” by Danish popsters, Junior Senior. In fact, the NY Times said about "I Just Might", "Who Needs AI Music When We Have Bruno Mars?" Then again, originality has never been Bruno’s strong suit.
OFFICIAL HIGE DANDISM (OHD), Make Me Wonder (J-Pop/Rock)- “Makes Me Wonder” is an earnestly infectious slapper by OHD, the part J-Pop, part Rock band. And “What is an Official Hige Dandism?”- you say. Well, the literal translation is “Official Manly Mustache-ism”………..
Guapdad 4000, Champagne Showers (Rap/R&B)- Unlike most Oakland rappers Guapdad 4000, wasn’t heavily influenced by his hometown Hyphy sound. Instead, he grew up listening to Pharrell, N.E.R.D. and Kanye- and those influences are readily apparent in “Champagne Showers’” infectious beats, flow and boastfulness. According to one Reddit poster, “Guapdad scratches a particular itch I don’t get from other rappers.”
Gabriel Jacoby, the one (R&B)- Jacoby’s late 2025 debut EP “Gutta Child” has been on my heavy rotation recently, along with Dry Cleaning’s “Secret Love” and Baby Nova’s “Shhhugar”. “Gutta Child” reflects Jacoby’s upbringing in the ghettos of South Carolina and Tampa, effortlessly flowing between Southern influences such as Outkast, Dr. John and Reverend Al Green- and according to Atwood Magazine, “staking his claim with swagger, sweat and southern fire.”
A$AP Rocky, STAY HERE 4 LIFE (feat. Brent Faiyaz)- After an 8-year hiatus, Rhianna’s babydaddy is everywhere recently- Saturday Night Live, Vogue and GQ covers, the Met Gala and Jimmy Fallon and his January LP "Don't Be Dumb" has reached #1 on the US charts. The hypnotic slow jam, “STAY HERE 4 LIFE” is presently in the Top 10 in US streaming, featuring Brett Faiyaz’s sweet vocal juxtaposed against A$AP’s low register rap.
Dry Cleaning, Evil Evil Idiot (Alternative)- Londoners Dry Cleaning released their 5th LP “Secret Love” to glowing reviews in January. Dry Cleaning’s Florence Shaw isn’t much for singing per se- but more for deadpan commentary on “mundanity, social critique and dadaist farce” per Pitchfork. When paired with the band’s Gang of
Four-ish jagged guitar, the result is disquieting…..and fascinating.
Thanks to Neuphorian JoeMo for being a sounding board for which of the many possible Dry Cleaning songs to select.
Spill Tab, Suckerrr (Alternative/Lofi)- Just like her music, Spill Tab (Claire Chicha) is amorphous. Now based in LA, Spill Tab was born in Bangkok to an Algerian father and Korean mother, growing up in Paris and LA.....Sheesh!! And her dreamy sound is, in fact a “spill tab” (see below) of music, mixing Lofi, jazz, R&B, bedroom pop, indie, bossa nova, etc…. as she alternates between singing in English and French.
What is a Spill Tab? It is an inventory term in the bar/restaurant business for spilled drinks, bartender errors, etc.
Sienna Spiro, Die on this Hill (Pop)- If in listening to “Die on this Hill” you were told it was by a dark-haired London alto singer, you would be forgiven for thinking it was Adele. However, this present global #8 hit is by the 20-year-old Sienna Spiro- who, of course made her initial breakthrough by posting songs on social media.
Peter Peter, It’s You (Pop/Ambient)- “It’s You” is from the viral hit TV series from Canada, “Heated Rivalry”, which despite 0 marketing is now the 4th most-watched TV series- and recently hit #1 in viewer engagement. For the uninitiated, “Heated Rivalry” is a critically-acclaimed drama about the rivalry between two elite hockey players, a Russian and a Canadian, who ultimately develop a steamy sexual relationship as their careers develop.
The dreamy “It’s You” likely packs more of an emotional punch per character than any vocal song in history- with a lyric solely comprised of 5 different 3-word phrases. "It's You" is in the global Top 20 for digital song sales and is by Quebec City's Peter Peter.