Welcome back to The First Bite. In one of my final acts as a 26 year old, I will be breaking my own format for this column, which I’m allowed to do because all of it is made up anyway. This month, I’m hitting you with an Uno Reverse card — instead of asking my friends to give me songs that they think I need to hear, it’s my turn to give you a few of my favorites. I’m not good at listening to new music, but here are two songs I’ve been into in the last year to prove that I do occasionally learn something new.

“Dream Guest” – FRND CRCL

Any song that starts with a sound bite already earns a ton of points from me. When that sound bite is Jojo Siwa talking about the dream guest on her podcast? An instant hit. I spent an embarrassing number of weeks mumbling that line to myself last summer, not to mention that I’ve got a deep, intense history with Dance Moms. (Did I own an ALDC jacket? That’s between me and Abby Lee Miller.) I think the first thing I texted Bekah when I heard this song was, “Jersey pop punk has never been more back,” and I stand by that. It’s very classic, 2000s pop punk, with an earworm of a chorus and the expected “you aren’t shit and I hate your guts” type of lyrics that somehow always work. As a Jersey girl, I have such deep affection for the scene I was brought up in, and I’m so excited to see what FRND CRCL does next. They’ve got an album coming out at the end of this month, and I will certainly be seated for it.

“Nonchalant” – Sophie Truax

Another self proclaimed “diss track” of sorts, though this one has a totally different vibe. Listen, I’m not immune to music I found on TikTok, either, okay? Especially when the music comes from adorable singer-songwriters who make puppets of themselves and their exes. “Nonchalant” is fun and upbeat in ways that make me feel like I need to be walking down the street with the wind in my hair. It’s also incredibly relatable — you’re lucky if you’ve made it this far in life without finding at least one shallow, self obsessed person to be reminded of when you hear this. (I, personally, am not, but few among us are.) Sophie’s other songs are just as good, but this was the one that got me hooked. Her most recent EP, Kissing With a Cavity, came out last November, and I’m really hoping for an album soon.

As I’m expanding my musical palette, I’ll be back here to share it with all of you. What are friends for, anyway? If you have any music recommendations, send ’em my way. 

Until next time…