Playlist of the Month: March 2026

The last few days of the month, I have absolutely cram-packed full of things to do, which does mean that as I sit down to write this, not only am I completely drained of all energies, but it also feels like the month lasted at least six weeks. Whoops. A pretty long playlist, to match that feeling, brought to you by my catching up on the backlog of things I’d queued up in February.

As usual, you can listen to the whole thing, or see below for my commentary.

Oklahoma Smokeshow – Zach Bryan on Summertime Blues – EP

Hotel Bible – Max McNown on Night Diving

Azalea Place – Max McNown on Night Diving

Flicker – Yoste on Flicker – Single

American Trail – Dylan Gossett on Westward

Normal Day – Brendan Walter on Normal Day – Single

The Barn – Landon Smith on The Barn – Single

Loud and Heavy – Cody Jinks on Adobe Sessions

Did What You Did – Noah Brigden on Bad Habits – EP

Life’s Worth Living – Nick Folwarczny on Life’s Worth Living – Single

Life Behind Bars – Zach John King & Bayker Blankenship on Life Behind Bars – Single

Man of the Year – Sam Barber on Man of the Year – Single

Bowery (feat. Kings of Leon) – Zach Bryan on Bowery (feat. Kings of Leon) – Single

Space – Zach John King on Space – Single

Music for the Soul – Sam Barber on Music for the Soul

American Vintage – Aidan Canfield on American Vintage – Single

Oh! The Anxiety – Joe Jordan on Oh! The Anxiety – EP

Baptized By Rain – Dylan Gossett on Westward

Undone (The Bonfire Sessions) – Sons of Habit on The Sticks (The Bonfire Sessions) – EP

We’re Onto Something (feat. Zach Bryan) – Kings of Leon on We’re Onto Something (feat. Zach Bryan) – Single

Foolish Pride – Slater Nalley on Foolish Pride – Single

My Side Of Town – Josh Ross on Later Tonight

Got It All Wrong – Peech. on Small Town America (Vol. 1) – EP

Atchafalaya (feat. Noah Cyrus) – Orville Peck on Appaloosa

My Side of the Mountain – Orville Peck on Appaloosa

Pipe Dream – Brendan Walter on Disappearing Days

S.S.R.I – Jason Skynet on S.S.R.I – Single

A War With Time – Brandi Carlile on Returning To Myself (Commentary Album)

Oh My Days – Orville Peck on Appaloosa

Back On Deseret – Brendan Walter on Disappearing Days

Teenage Dirtbag – Brendan Walter on Teenage Dirtbag – Single

Pikito – Ozuna & Beéle on Stendhal

Window In The Wall – Max McNown on Both Sides of the Blade

Songs I’d Rather Not Sing – The Fray on Songs I’d Rather Not Sing – Single

Home Used To Be – Joe Jordan on Home Used To Be – Single

Caroline (feat. Belle Plaine) – Colter Wall on Imaginary Appalachia

Sleeping on the Blacktop – Colter Wall on Imaginary Appalachia

No One Knows Us – Brandi Carlile on Returning To Myself (Commentary Album)

26 – Christian Hayes on 26 – EP

Dreaded Sundown – Orville Peck on Appaloosa

No One’s Gonna Do It for You – Brendan Walter on Disappearing Days

It’s the End of the World – Orville Peck on Appaloosa

Bible Belt – Chris Housman on Bible Belt – Single

Pink Skies – Noah James on Pink Skies – Single

Jane – Amber Run on Jane – Single

Johnny Boy’s Bones (feat. The Dead South) – Colter Wall on Imaginary Appalachia

Ale – Ozuna & Beéle on Stendhal

You Deserve Better – Joe Jordan on You Deserve Better – Single

How I Got My Name – honestav on How I Got My Name – Single

LE COSE NON DETTE (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) – Mahmood on LE COSE NON DETTE (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) – Single

Ballad of a Law Abiding Sophisticate – Colter Wall on Imaginary Appalachia

Ride On – Coleman Jennings on Ride On – EP

Hell If I Know – Tyler Nance on Hell If I Know – Single

These Streets I Know – Jenny on Holiday on Quicksand Heart

Bound – Darren Kiely on Bound – Single

Graveyard Whistling – Morgan Wallen on Graveyard Whistling – Single

Connection – Majik on Connection – Single

A Light That Waits – The Fray on A Light That Waits

Left Or Right – Ethan Miller on Wealthy

Monsters – Majik on Monsters – Single

Can’t Take It With You – Ole 60 on Can’t Take It With You – Single

Withdrawals – Ethan Miller on Withdrawals – Single

World Change Me – Max McNown on World Change Me – Single

American Spirit – Vincent Mason on There I Go

Street People – Fabrizio, Hogslop String Band & Kalen Nash on Street People – Single

Eleni – Norra & Ethnic Lounge on Eleni – EP

The Roses – Amber Run on Sunflower – EP

Liberal – Ozuna & Beéle on Stendhal

Talk To Johnny – Noah James on Talk To Johnny – Single

Zombie – The Cranberries on Stars: The Best of the Cranberries 1992-2002

BAILE INoLVIDABLE – Bad Bunny on DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS

So, yes, I did watch the half-time show, and basically immediately went “this slaps, no wonder he’s the most popular artist in the world” and added a bunch of his stuff.

Double Days – Aidan Canfield on Double Days – Single

Neverender – Justice & Tame Impala on Neverender (Remixes) – EP

The Peddler – Mythborne on The Peddler – Single

Something absolutely delightful about going from Bad Bunny to country to synthwave to… whatever this is. Classic folk-tale?

In My Head – Dave Thomas Junior on Counting Backwards

DON’T YOU SEE ME TRYING? – Erin LeCount on PAREIDOLIA – EP

CD Player – Majik on CD Player – Single

Lift My Eyes – Thorin Loeks on Lift My Eyes – Single

Must Confess – Tors on Must Confess – Single

Want – Sleeping At Last on Want – Single

“Comfortable but not quite safe/Still so vulnerable at the end of the day.” Sleeping At Last does a great job of getting me to actually notice the lyrics I’m singing along to, and realize that they’re just digging right in.

VOY A LLeVARTE PA PR – Bad Bunny on DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS

Emerald – The Fray on A Light That Waits

Die A Drunk – Evan Honer on Everything I Wanted (& more)

Se Ve – Ozuna & Beéle on Stendhal

Lie to Me – Jake Wells on WELLS

A Month, A Week, A Day – The Jack Wharff Band & Solon Holt on Strange – EP

Playa Marina – Ozuna & Beéle on Stendhal

Talkin’ About Jesus – Jonah Kagen on Talkin’ About Jesus – Single

The track title had this on thin ice, but the actual lyrics being “why are we talkin’ about Jesus, baby, that never helps” brought it right into the playlist.

Break Me – Blake Whiten on Break Me – Single

All the Things She Said – Harrison on All the Things She Said – Single

Why yes, I did enjoy Heated Rivalry, can you tell? (I added both versions of this song, and still absolutely adore the way they did the transition in the show — the sound design overall, like the entire show, was way better than it had any right to be, and for that I am grateful.)

Candy – Doja Cat on Amala (Deluxe Version)

Lost In The Woods – Adriatique & Elderbrook on Lost In The Woods – Single

I do keep expecting this to be the Bon Iver / Kanye “lost in the woods” track, and it just isn’t.

Black Eyed Susie – Buffalo Traffic Jam on Take Me Home – EP

Wealthy – Ethan Miller on Wealthy

Funeral – Dermot Kennedy on The Weight of the Woods

Lies That Bind – Niklas Juritsch on Lies That Bind – Single

Thinkin’ & Drivin’ – Matt Schuster on Thinkin’ & Drivin’ – Single

I do love me my occasional ballad-vibes piece, and the fact that it’s this pun? Delightful.

Heartbreakdown (Mahogany Sessions) – SYML on Heartbreakdown / Better – Single

Hymn of the Holler – American Jackals on Hymn of the Holler – Single

“Wade in the water/hymn of the holler” is a great hook, here.

Tití Me Preguntó – Bad Bunny on Un Verano Sin Ti

My favorite Bad Bunny addition. Just the way that he says “Take a selfie/say cheese” is a cultural artifact that needs to be preserved in a vault so it’s available to future generations.

Lost in Time – sûr faire on Lost in Time – Single

Drive v2 – Norra & Ethnic Lounge on Eleni – EP

The Iron In Her Heart – Mythborne on The Iron In Her Heart – Single

DtMF – Bad Bunny on DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS

Lips – Baxter Dury on It’s a Pleasure

Start all over again – Nathan Ball on Start all over again – Single

Lights Burn Dimmer – Fred again.. & Jamie T on Lights Burn Dimmer – Single

Fred again..’s live series over the last year or so hasn’t caught me as well as his earlier stuff did, but this one I quite enjoyed.

COMO UN BEBÉ (feat. Mr Eazi) – J Balvin, Bad Bunny & Mr Eazi on OASIS

Hill I’d Die On – Thomason on Hill I’d Die On – Single

Call You Back – Evan Honer on Everything I Wanted

Bottle Cap Eyes – Krayton Moore on Everything I Know

No Telling Now – Dawson Anderson on No Telling Now – Single

Leaves of Yggdrasil – Myrkur on Folkesange

Beneath the Same Cold Sun – Domus Made on Beneath the Same Cold Sun – Single

The Great Divide – Noah Kahan on The Great Divide

HEAVENLY FATHER (Live – Mediolanum, Milan, IT. Nov 05 2022) – Bon Iver on VOLUMES: ONE (SELECTIONS FROM MUSIC CONCERTS 2019-2023 BON IVER 6 PIECE BAND)

I actually wasn’t planning on listening to anything off this album until the whole thing was released, but a friend of mine sent this to me specifically, saying she thought I’d like it. In case you’re wondering, she was totally right.

TRUTH – Onelove on TRUTH – Single

FKN Hate You – honestav & JaYy Wick on FKN Hate You – Single

honestav does some really good catchy tunes

Arbitrary Dance – Aika Collins on Arbitrary Dance – Single

Aika continues to be good people!

Be My Love – Benjamin Steer on Be My Love – Single

Let You Go – William Clark Green on Watterson Hall

“What the hell do we think that we’re doing?”

0.0 – Ethan Miller on 0.0 – Single

Hanging on Hope – Buffalo Traffic Jam on Hanging on Hope – Single

Eyes Closed – Jacob Brian on Eyes Closed – Single

Ice Cold Lakes – The Fray on A Light That Waits

Home – Majik on Home – Single

Pacemaker – Jenny on Holiday on Quicksand Heart

Still Got You – The Fray on A Light That Waits

Woman – Matt Schuster on Woman – Single

This has some of that nice genre-bending feel to it, which is really how it snuck in here despite being very heterosexual.

Another Life – Buppy. & Peech. on Another Life – Single

Imaginary Heaven – Jake Wells on WELLS

Lady of the Moon – Fabrizio on Lady of the Moon – Single