Opinion | A Spotify Daylist lookover and why I think it is a great addition to Spotify

Spotify Daylists might be one of my favorite features on the app, minus the Spotify Wrapped at the end of the year. It’s a feature feature where a playlist is made for you depending on what kind of music you listen to during that time of day, and it changes depending on the time of day. 

As an experiment, I decided that it might be fun to check out my Daylist at random points of the day and see how they compare and change depending on the day of the week and the time I listen. 

One of my favorite things about the Spotify Daylists are the names. My favorite three Spotify Daylists that I noticed this week were “Coastal Cowgirl Cowboy Wednesday Morning,” “Whiny Dog Friday Late Night” and “Melancholy Chin-Stroking Afternoon.” I don’t know where, why or how Spotify comes up with these names, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t get a kick out of them. 

10/2/24 — Morning

This one was titled “Coastal Cowgirl Cowboy Wednesday Morning.” The little statement below the title was, “You listened to twang and alt-country on Wednesdays in the morning. Here’s some: coastal cowgirl, cowboy, horse, modern country, backroads and mountain.” The first three songs were “The Great American Bar Scene” by Zach Bryan, “Song While You’re Away” by Tyler Childers, and “Jersey Giant,” a cover performed by Evan Honer and Julia DiGrazia. I had another Daylist titled “Roots Female Country Tuesday Night” that was super similar to this one as well, and  I discovered some new artists from these playlists specifically that I am excited to listen to more! I really enjoyed both of these Daylists and they seem to both line up with what I listen to. I find myself listening to country/folk music in the early morning or late night. 

10/4/2024 — Afternoon and Night

Another Daylist that I enjoyed was titled “Introspective Midwest Emo Afternoon.” This was slightly similar to the last couple, although now including bands like Pinegrove; Slaughter Beach, Dog; and Mom Jeans. also made an appearance in this one as well. In the caption, it stated, “You listened to indie and live music in the afternoon. Here’s some: introspective, midwest emo, twang, whiny, suburbia and folksy.” As a reference, Slaughter Beach, Dog can tie in with the folksy and introspective aspect — this band has songs that are very much about day-to-day life and storytelling, and they are a very relaxing band to me. I also got a Daylist titled “Whiny Dog Friday Late Night” at around 2:39 a.m. on Oct. 5. This was the most interesting name to me, and if you can recognize the title and what band it may relate to, Slaughter Beach, Dog was in fact in this Daylist as well. 

10/6/2024 — Afternoon

This one is my favorite title out of the others — “Melancholy Chin-Stroking Afternoon.” Spotify tells me that I listen to “alt-country and western in the afternoon.” They described it as “chin-stroking, melancholy, art rock, 90s indie, solitude and moody.” This is such a silly name, but the songs and bands in this Daylist are phenomenal. Spotify actually seemed to describe it perfectly. The first three songs were “Bodysnatchers” by Radiohead; “The Place Where He Inserted the Blade” by Black Country, New Road; and “Ballad of Big Nothing” by Elliott Smith. There were also mentions of Jeff Buckley, The Smashing Pumpkins, Modest Mouse and The Microphones on this Daylist. I enjoyed all of the bands and artists in this playlist — I’ve been on a major Jeff Buckley kick lately, so it was really nice to see his songs in here. All the specific songs by these bands had a great flow and definitely worked together in one playlist.

Getting past these few playlists, I started noticing a little pattern of the type of music I listen to during specific times of the day. The algorithm that is put into these Daylists is so fascinating. When Spotify added this feature, I was especially excited to be able to analyze the accuracy, but honestly, it is hard to remember exactly what kind of music you listen to at specific times of the day. The Daylists help me recall my music taste as the day goes on.

Not only are Spotify Daylists a fun and silly feature, but they actually allow users to find new music. In the Daylists I talked about and others I didn’t mention, I found so many new bands that I now listen to all the time. I highly recommend checking out your Spotify Daylists more if you do not already. 

Sometimes the titles I am given make me giggle, but the music and the flow of them are always spot on. In terms of small artists or bands, my Daylists have given me so many fantastic suggestions. I’ve always believed that diversifying your music is a great thing to do, and Spotify Daylists helps us to do just that.

Ever since Spotify added this feature, my music taste has expanded and grown. I always enjoy discovering new artists/bands through friends/family, small shows and more, but being able to have it right on my music streaming app makes it even simpler.

I never had done such an in-depth dive into Daylists prior to writing this column, so it was fascinating noticing the changes throughout the day in the morning, afternoon and night. Some days I forgot to check, but all the Daylists I mentioned represent some decent switches in my music taste, accurately predicting what music I crave listening to during each part of the day. 

Do you enjoy your Spotify Daylists? You can talk to Irene about them at inm24@pitt.edu.