On Changing Your Mind, Evolving Taste, and Letting Music In
From songs that didn’t land at first to ones that mean everything now, Mitch’s picks reflect a listener who trusts feeling over first impressions.
Mitch (nostalgia.lane_) takes on the April 15 to 19 prompts as someone whose relationship with music is constantly evolving. Guided by an openness to possibility that allows him to be taken to new places as his taste continues to take shape. His selections move from an album that completely changed his perspective on an artist to an underrated band he believes deserves far more recognition, and into songs and artists that carry nostalgia and a sense of personal connection.
The prompts offer a window into how Mitch experiences music over time. One looks at minimalist artwork, where his answer shows how a single song can reshape your perspective on an entire artist. Another turns to the idea of an underrated act, highlighting a band from his home country whose consistency and growth deserve more recognition. A different prompt asks for a track older than him, one that has deepened with age and taken on new meaning as his own life experience catches up to it. Another focuses on an opening track that brings him back to where his real journey with music begins, tied to memory and a full circle moment years later. The final prompt, imagining friendship with an artist, reflects a connection that goes beyond music, rooted in presence, influence, and the way someone can bring people together.
Which minimalist album cover do you love?
As soon as I saw the word minimalist there was only one album that springs to mind. It happens to feature a single word in a grainy basic font and a very eye-catching shade of green. Without a doubt it has to be ‘Brat’ by the electronic pop icon Charli xcx.
Admittingly, when this album was announced back in 2024, I wasn’t even a fan of her music, and when I had seen all the discourse online about how boring and lazy the album cover was, I was actually in agreement! At the time I had thought “who would want to buy an album with such a boring cover?” and that was it.
When the first single, ‘Von dutch’, dropped I listened to it once and didn’t connect with it, still in the mindset of not being a fan… Then it all changed when she dropped ‘Club classics’ and ‘B2b’ simultaneously. Although lyrically simple, ‘B2b’ just had this infectious beat that I could not get out of my head, and it fully immersed me into the brat world. This one song made me understand the branding and culture Charli was wanting to create with this new era, and something clicked and I instantly fell in love with the cover.
Brat started a movement, bringing people together and creating a whole new personality for individuals. It claimed a colour to a point where if you saw that green anywhere you knew what energy it was bringing. This cover shows how opinions can change over time, from something I thought was lazy to now a cultural reset, and music has the power to do that!
Which artist feels underrated?
There are so many artists at the moment that I’m loving that kind of go under the radar. Being from the U.K. I have got to stick to my home turf and go with a group that originated here, and Wolf Alice is the one. Having recently switched labels from Dirty Hit to Columbia they are finally getting the commercial push they deserve; however, I still think they could get more credit!
All four studio albums are solid in their own right, each slightly differing in their own unique way. Their debut album ‘My Love Is Cool’ features smash hit ‘Bros’, a nostalgic indie rock anthem perfect for when you want to reminisce about a friend. ‘Visions Of A Life’, their sophomore album, includes ‘Don’t Delete The Kisses’, a recent TikTok trend tune which is currently their most streamed song.
Moving into album three is where I believe they come into their own and really start to show off their talents. ‘Blue Weekend’ is a no skip album for me, back to front masterpieces – my personal favourite being ‘Lipstick On The Glass’, a melancholic soft rock bop that just makes me want to sway in the corner of a dark club acting all mysterious.
This brings me to their most recent release, ‘The Clearing’, which was in my top albums of 2025. This is their first album under new management Columbia Records and boy does it pack a punch. It is like an emotional roller-coaster, you’ll be head banging one minute with ‘Bread Butter Tea Sugar’ then spiraling the next with ‘The Sofa’.
Being underrated doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t well known but you don’t really see many bands these days putting in the hard work like Wolf Alice does. I could go on about how much I love them, but the proof is in the listening, so go give them a spin!
What’s a track older than you that you still love?
Where do I begin with this song? Before I delve into it too much, I firstly have to mention how much love I have for Billy Joel as an artist. One of the best in the industry, and an inspiration for many artists that we love today, such as Olivia Rodrigo who name drops him twice in her second single from the SOUR era ‘déjà vu’.
Now onto the song itself – ‘Vienna’. My first ever memory of hearing this song comes from endless times watching my favourite childhood film ‘13 Going On 30’. The moment in question is when main character Jenna Rink is reminiscing on her younger self, seeing young girls on the train ride and walking around her childhood home.
Listening to it as a child myself I never really connected with it but now I’m an adult it hits extremely hard emotionally. The song reminds me of a time when life was carefree and I had no worries or responsibilities, with the overall message of just to slow down. Stop trying to rush and wish your life away.
Billy used Vienna as the metaphor for the song due to him reconnecting with his father in the city after 15 years due to him abandoning him when he was 8. Delving in more, Billy has openly said not to cram your whole life into your 20s and 30s which comes full circle back to my point of living in the moment more. If you don’t know the song, I recommend anyone to listen to it, in fact listen to the album it’s on, ‘The Stranger’, as that is a masterpiece!
Which album has your favorite opening track?
Out of all the questions given for the guest spot over these 5 days, I have to say this one was the hardest to choose. I think as my music taste is very eclectic, I love so many albums and so it was tough to pick just one! However, I thought of a way to narrow it down and picked the opening track from the very first album I ever bought on CD and that is ‘Born To Die’ by the alt legend Lana Del Rey.
Growing up I listened to music but never really embraced it, that all changed back in 2012 when I was 11 years old and I played ‘Born To Die’ for the first time. As soon as you hear those strings followed up by melancholic beats you just know you’re in for a good time. Being young at the time, I remember family members asking me why I was listening to “depressing” music, but I never saw it as that, it was my escape into this new world of music and little did I know Lana would become one of my favourite artists of all time.
I can proudly say she is the only artist that I have followed from the beginning of their career, through every album cycle and era. I was lucky enough to see Lana perform at Hyde Park back in 2023 when I was 22, and when she performed ‘Born To Die’ it took me back to my 11-year-old self and it felt like a full circle moment for me. She will always have a special place in my heart.
Which artist could you see yourself being friends with?
There is only one answer for this, and I know she will have popped up so many times in the past and in future guest spots too, but it has got to be the music industry herself Miss Taylor Swift. I cannot express enough how much I love this lady; she has helped me through some of the highest and lowest points across my life.
Although I was late to being a Swiftie, she is still my number 1, having fully committed myself to the fandom back in 2020 when I heard ‘cardigan’ being played on the radio. Obviously I had heard all the big hits previous to this like ‘Love Story’, ‘I Knew You Were Trouble’ and ‘Shake It Off’, but I never delved deeper into her discography. She has an album for everyone, and even if you aren’t a Swift fan I can guarantee you know the words to ’22’.
It’s not the fact that I love her music that we’d be friends, but it’s just her down-to-earth friendly aura. I’ve seen first-hand what she can do to a group of strangers when she enters a room or stadium – she brings people together.
In recent years she’s helped and pushed artists to the forefront, such as Sabrina Carpenter and Gracie Abrams due to them being openers on the Eras Tour, and I am all for being the hype man.
Swift just has cultural impact and there really isn’t anyone like her. Hardworking, generous and kind are just some of the words that spring to mind, and I like to surround myself with likeminded people. Taylor if you see this be my pal and I’ll be waiting for my sourdough in the post.
For someone as eclectic as Mitch, treating music like a sampler dish feels natural, an opportunity to try a bit of everything. No limits on genre, time, or place. The world of music is his oyster, and he believes it should be yours too. There’s simply too much out there to be reduced to a select few.
The openness with which he allows himself to be taken to new places doesn’t come with pressure. Liking what you like is enough, and it doesn’t need justification. His approach is less about forcing yourself into new sounds, and more about not closing yourself off to them before they have had a chance to be heard. It’s that balance that defines how he listens: freedom to stay with what feels right, and just as much freedom to wander.
An eclectic listener who keeps his taste from ever feeling stagnant, always open to new sounds and new directions. Guided by feeling rather than rules.
