New Music, New Adventures 2025 #7
Gotta do things my own way
New Music, New Adventures #7
My husband was out of town for most of this past week and I was still in Palm Springs which gave me a chance to make my own independent decisions on how I’d spend my free time. This led to some truly great independent experiences. Last Thursday was spent mostly as a spa day at Agua Caliente in Rancho Mirage. This location was much smaller than the previous one I visited in Palm Springs, but I managed to chill there for almost six hours. The men’s hot tub, steam room, and relaxation area were mostly empty giving me plenty of time to contemplate the moment. A ninety-minute massage and a fifteen-minute “salt bath” were both heavenly highlights. The latter took place in a small booth-sized space which became filled with salted air pumped in through a small cylinder hole. It definitely cleared up the lingering effects of the chest cold I’d had for a few weeks.
Afterwards I went to the Rancho Mirage Library and Observatory to look at the stars. After some militant but informed docents explained what was going to happen, we headed into the outdoor structure. The experience there was a bit disappointing since they only let a small number of people in at a time which made our time there feel rushed. We peered through a few telescopes to see Jupiter and a constellation or two. It was over in about ten minutes.
The next day I had one of the true highlight days of the week (and month) with a visit to the Art District Walk in Cathedral City. I met some really interesting artists and saw some very creative art pieces. I surprised myself by conversing on this relatively small block for three hours. Everyone was so welcoming and willing to chat that I felt I’d made some quick new friends.
The rest of the weekend was filled with award shows (the Indie Spirit Awards – which I voted for, and the Screen Actors Guild Awards) and a fun dinner with several friends in town.
Frank arrived back on Monday to some pretty hot weather (temps in the 80s and 90s this week.) E-bike rides were also on the menu and felt quite exhilarating.
These experiences were important to me as they were all my choices, and I enjoyed every one of them. Prior to this my crazy brain worried about being alone and wanting to be back home in the Chicago area. That was ultimately silly as these events helped confirm that I could do things on my own and feel completely fulfilled during them. But that’s the way my mind works.
Some of the new music that accompanied me included three songs by artists who were relatively new to me until very recently.
New Music from Contemporary Artists that Everyone Should Check Out:
UPWARDS – Ela Minus
Minus is a Colombian born electronic dance/pop artist who now lives in New York City. Her Wikipedia page reports that she was highly influenced by Kraftwerk and early Daft Punk. I can definitely hear those inspirations in this track. I really like its upbeat and synthesized sounds. The recurring line is “I’d love to save you but you’ve got to save yourself. I’d love to save you but I’ve got to save myself first.” I hadn’t thought about the relevance of those lyrics to me this week, but I really did save myself this week by taking charge of my own days and nights.
Do Things My Own Way – Sparks
This one was a bit more obviously related to my recent experiences so I knew it would make my Top Ten this week. The repetitive refrain and somewhat deadpan delivery by lead vocalist Russell Mael feels Devo-like to me, which isn’t surprising given that both groups came on the scene around the same time. This track is high octane but not in an obnoxious way. Art pop brother duo Sparks have been around for decades. They most recently wrote the music for the avant-garde Adam Driver film Annette in 2021 and were the subject of a documentary about their careers called, of course, The Sparks Brothers. They’ve said their upcoming album features “Our mantra since 1972, amplified in 2025. Okay! Sounds cool to me!
Speed Freak – Youth Lagoon
I’ve seen other writers mention this song and artist lately and they were twirling around my radar for the past few weeks. Youth Lagoon is the stage name for Trevor Powers who was born in Boise, Idaho. His music is electronic, psychedelic, and experimental which you can hear in the single Speed Freak. It’s always great to hear an artist that “does things his own way” without the trappings of conventional songwriting or production techniques.
All three of these songs are proof of the right music’s ability to grab hold at just the perfect time.
Link to my 2025 playlist:
Glad things went well while I was gone. Of course, except for the spa stuff, I would have enjoyed all the rest. The Sparks song is definitely Devo-like. Good stuff!
Sounds like a delightful way to spend time with yourself!