Better late than never? I’ve been a lot busier than expected recently, so not only is this edition later than normal, it’s also a bit shorter. I do think that’s been a positive for my writing though, as I certainly have a tendency to ramble on. Rather than ‘the more in-depth, the better’, I’ve tried to adopt a ‘less is more’ approach. Hopefully that makes for better reading!
Looking back over the songs for this month, there are a few recurring themes – death in particular cropped up quite a lot. I’ve struggled with death anxiety for as long as I can remember, but it’s become slightly more confusing recently. I’ve been changing a lot over the past year or two, one of the biggest changes being that I feel more grounded and connected in the world, like the rumblings of a deep peace as I understand my place a bit more. I find myself in an ‘unstoppable force meets immovable object’ situation, where the release of ego is being obstructed by what feels like the pinnacle of egomania. One positive though is that I’m gradually becoming more comfortable with the idea of death (and I’m even reading a book on death anxiety now!), so that can only be healthy. Like most feelings, it comes in waves, so as much as it was preoccupying me in February (I’m writing this as the final touch before posting the zine), I haven’t really thought about it since then. Anyway, I promise this zine isn’t morbid! Just reflective.
I’ve also slightly changed the must-listens aspect of the zine – I’ve still listed my favourites from the month, but instead of making a must-listens playlist, I’ve made a full playlist of all of the songs in here (with the exception of albums, I’ve just picked a few good ones in their case). That way it should be easier to check out any song you like the sound of, while also giving you easy access to my favourites!
Happy listening!