calling all the Spotify Vampires
It’s that magical time of year again! No, not Christmas, Spotify Wrapped season. A time where we not-so-subtly get to brag on IG Stories about how unique and eclectic we are whilst reflecting on our year through the universal medium of music. Looking through my Wrapped story felt like the peaks and troughs of my year had been chronicled so accurately it was almost scary. As a big data girlie, I couldn’t help but ask myself, what does this simple music summary say about not just us as individuals but society as a whole?
Now this is of course purely anecdotal but, everyone I know is getting the ‘Vampire’ archetype (myself included). It’s an archetype that is interestingly characterised by a desire to ‘embrace a little… darkness’. The Vampire enjoys listening to ‘emotional, atmospheric music more than most’.
Is it just a Spotify glitch that everyone is getting this? Could it simply be a reflection of what’s currently popular in music with artists like The Weeknd, SZA and Lana Del Rey making Spotify’s Top 10? Or is this perhaps a deeper reflection of a melancholy generation that just needs an escape? If we were to do a World Wrapped 2023 I think we could all probably list a few reasons for life feeling a little dark lately.
From living with the daily strain of a polycrisis to navigating the struggles of being part of The Loneliest Generation, it’s not exactly a mystery that we’re all turning to music that evokes how we feel. In that way, sharing our Spotify Wrapped almost feels like a call-out to find our people amidst the chaos.
There’s a shorthand to music that somehow allows you to skip the small talk and get straight to the signature of who a person is. It’s that notion that, if we have the same music taste, we’ll definitely get along. It’s likely why most dating and relationship apps allow you to connect your Spotify account, pick a song for your profile and showcase your most played artists. It makes me wonder if we’d all be more successful at connecting if, instead of our strategically chosen thirst traps, wild night out videos and cute dog pics, our profiles were only allowed to include our fave musicians, lyrics that speak to us and our dream gig to attend - a Love Is Blind style experiment. Apparently such apps do exist, (a recent one being Vinylly) and although they might not be as popular as the usual culprits, the growing fatigue with traditional swipe and match platforms might just make this the new norm one day.
Spotify Wrapped isn’t the only shorthand we use to construct our online identities and connect with others. We choose emojis in our bios to reflect our vibe and personality, spend meticulous hours training our TikTok and Pinterest algos to truly know us and find community in aesthetics like coquette and tomato girl.
Agus Panzoni (Head of Trends at Death To Stock) and TikTok account @thealgorythm discusses a similar idea with Spotify HQ, exploring an interesting phenomenon where listeners are moving away from playlists based on genre curation (indie, pop, rock etc) in favour of those based on aesthetic/mood curation (e.g. villain mode, cosy girl winter, my life is a movie etc), pulling from all genres to create a desired vibe.
As somewhat of a playlist enthusiast, It’s something I’ve been exploring a lot myself this year. It wasn’t enough to just make the usual monthly playlist; 2023 was all about creating a vibe (themes, concepts and a curated Pinterest included).
Each vibe was so niche that I feel like anyone who understood my aesthetic language and vibe automatically felt like a potential best friend. When I would hear people talk about ‘finding your tribe’ I never understood what they meant until I found those people who got my vibe down to this niche level.
‘I know the influence, I know the impact and I know the vibes, and the girlies love the vibes and that’s just what it’s about’ -Julia Fox
But in the midst of this loneliness epidemic with the annual return of seasonal depression hot on our heels, how do you actually find those people and make connections? Here’s a few things I’ve found that have actually helped me make genuine connections for the first time in my life this year:
Your Pinterest board actually has to make it off the internet - shocker, I know but spending countless NYE’s pinning photos on my vision board of fun activities with no intention of actually doing them was never going to give what I needed it to. Going to Pilates, trying a dance class, attending local gigs or a writing workshop; following your interests is pretty much a cheat code to finding people you connect with.
Finding your ‘third place’ - I love the concept of third places - somewhere other than home (1st place) and work (2nd place) where you can socialise as a regular, foster a sense of identity and form IRL community. My third place of choice this year has been Feel Good Club: a warm and inviting, Millennial-pink coded, lesbian-owned, dog-friendly café in the heart of Manchester’s city centre. It’s become the ultimate haven; from remote working days when I need to get out of the house to poetry nights and L Word-themed parties, not to mention some of the best seasonal cosy drinks in the city. Third places are also an amazing way to support local businesses, something that has become increasingly important in a time where large corporations continue to let us down.
Joining social groups - I can’t be the only one that has been targeted on TikTok and Instagram by a bunch of niche social groups advertising their new communities. From the sporty-ish girl who enjoys the occasional hot girl walk to coffee & mood board meets and more! These are the types of spaces that in my loneliest days, I had always dreamed of. From speaking to other friends I’ve met along the way, I know I’m not the only one.
It’s hard putting yourself out there and making friends as an adult in a post-internet world. So I guess what I’m tryna say is, wanna be friends?
