Tāmaki Makaurau - it’s been rough. It’s gonna be rough. Right now a lot of us are struggling to see the top of the mountain we’ve been tasked to overcome. Many of us are isolated from our whānau, from our communities and from the physical spaces we usually come together in. Some of us have vulnerable people in our lives that we’re worried about. Some of you are yourselves vulnerable to this virus.
More than ever before, it’s become really important to take care of your mental health and take hold of whatever tools you have to keep your head up. Here at Neck of the Woods, music plays a really vital role in our mental health. It’s why we do what we do. Discovering a new song that immediately gets under your skin can be transformative. Rediscovering a song you forgot you loved so much can transport you. A good song on repeat can be the exact thing to pull your head out from under the water just long enough to remind you to breathe and look up. Breathe out the anxiety in the first bars, breathe in some hope in the following bars.
As a team, we’ve been sharing with each other the songs that have some serotonin producing magic in them. It’s been doing wonders for us so we thought we should share them with you too. Maybe some of them will flood your brain with good feeling and your lungs with oxygen too.
Open a window, get outside if you can, get some sun on your skin and turn this playlist up loud.
Send us the songs that have been lifting your spirit for the next playlist and stay safe out there whānau. We’ll see you all on all on the dance floor again soon x
Creative Director Josh is kicking this list off with his selection absolutely overflowing with serotonin :
Next up, Bar Manager Max picks an iconic recent throwback “I’ve found myself looped back round to wildfire by SBTRKT and Little Dragon” :
Neck of the Woods Consultant/Aunty/Friend Sarin has had Rob Ruha’s great new album on repeat and picked ‘As I Walk’ featuring the Halluci Nation (a First Nations DJ/producer duo from Canada, formerly A Tribe Called Red):
Sarin also gave us this super relevant gem from Fred again :
Neck of the Woods owner Jonah has been rinsing For Those I Love pretty hard over the last few months. A heartfelt tribute to a friend:
Communications Manager Rebekah “had a hard time picking one from the new and beautiful Cleo Sol album but settled on Heart Full of Love, a great pick if you need a cathartic love filled tangi” :
Rebekah has also been going back to a favourite record from her childhood and a song that starts mellow and builds to a hopeful crescendo:
Neck of the Woods Soundman extraordinaire Bob gave us one of the best pop songs of the early 2000s. It’s actually impossible to not feel good after giving this one a spin or three:
Bob then followed it up with a one-two punch and another really great song from the same damn year (what an era for girl groups!) :
We hope you love these songs as much as we do. Send us the songs that are helping you get through the current state of things.
Curated and written by
Rebekah Bristow