There are only so many ways to force others to listen to your music. Whether it's guarding the aux when others are in your car, curating the perfect playlist for the pregame at your place, or burning a good ole fashion mix CD for your crush; we are slowly running out of opportunities to casually force our music tastes onto our friends and loved ones. Sure, you can post a song onto your Instagram story, but is anybody really listening? This is our solution: a Music Book Club. Each of us holds a treasure chest of good music in their hearts, minds, and libraries, and sometimes all it takes is a central theme to get everybody mutually invested.

Welcome to Music Book Club. It's like a book club, but for music!

When the lights are flashing, drinks are flowing, and bodies are moving, what song would you play next if you were behind the board? What song do you think deserves its moment under the disco ball, even if you're the only one dancing to it?

This Week: Songs the DJ Denies Your Request For

Don't Delete the Kisses

Wolf Alice

song

artist

contributer

Alica

Disko Crew's Picks

Speed

Atari Teenage Riot

Pyschedlic Switch

Carly Rae Jepson

Boyfriend (Repeat)

Memory Box

Confidence Man

Peter Cat Recording Co.

If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know)

The 1975

Tallon

Andrew

Spencer

Kay

Mandi

Butterfly

@malfrenza

Community Highlight

Smile.dk

DON'T DELETE THE KISSES - WOLF ALICE

Alicia's Pick:

ANDREW'S THOUGHTS:

This song is so up my alley I cannot believe I’ve never heard it before. It’s like if Cocteau Twins and The Sundays got married and invited Alvvays to be their third. I love songs that balance being danceable with having vulnerable, heart-on-your-sleeve lyrics.

KAY'S THOUGHTS:

This is not a sound/genre I listen to often, but it really put me in such a dreamy space. This totally has bedroom dance energy, but I think this would feel amazing to hear at the club at the end of a long, crazy night. While it’s wistful and atmospheric, those big chorus swells are so delicious and definitely make me want to dance!

MANDI'S THOUGHTS:

I love this kind of 80s-inspired, synth-based rock, and I find it very nostalgic for being a song I’ve never listened to before. I love the feeling this evokes, it expels this sense of longing that is easy to place yourself into. Wolf Alice has such a soft and floating vocal tone; it’s carried out in a lovely way through parts of the song yet still brings a lot of weight to the ending chorus when she punches in the lines “Me and You were Meant to Be”. I can totally see Alicia in my mind’s eye swirling around to this in her room, I can hear it playing at 80’s night at Barbs, and I think I see myself adding this to a playlist of songs I would play on a roadtrip with the windows down in the Texas summer.

REMINDS ME OF: Japanese Breakfast, Caroline Polachek

As much as I love to go to the club and dance, there is a certain unparalleled feeling to dancing alone in your room with headphones on. When I’m stressed, depressed, drunk, or anxious (often all of the above) I lean on this 2017 banger. Don’t Delete the Kisses is a racing thrill describing romantic uncertainty punctuated by roaring choruses and contrasting soft-spoken segments. Perfectly pop yet layered with introspection, the track creates a rose-colored aura while Ellie Roswell’s intimate vocals explore themes of self-doubt and fear in the face of falling in love. Despite its vulnerability, Don’t Delete the Kisses remains exciting, upbeat, bold, and unapologetically girlish. It wouldn’t be fair to how good this song is if it stayed in my room, so I think it’s high time it got to shine under a disco ball for a change!

SPENCER'S THOUGHTS:

God, I love dream pop! I really like the vulnerable spoken word verses and the simple chorus. It’s cool how every time the chorus plays in the song it adds a new element and gets more intense. I enjoy a song that builds like that. At first I wasn’t sure I’d want to hear this in the club but by the end I got it. I think this would also hit on the drive home from the club

REMINDS ME OF: Hatchie, Let's Eat Grandma

TALLON'S THOUGHTS:

Damnnnnn, I’m swaying so hard right now. Going to be captain obvious and say the tone work on this is flawless. Specifically loving the quieter ambient textures lurking behind the instrumentation. The spoken word sections are definitely my favorite part :) Her voice really glides all over the place so smoothly. Are we sure she's a person a not a goddamn theremin??

REMINDS ME OF: Julee Cruise

SPEED - ATARI TEENAGE RIOT

Tallon's Pick:

ANDREW'S THOUGHTS:

I was close to picking Collapse of History by Atari Teenage Riot as my song this week for very similar, very politically motivated reasons. I remember you putting this album on one night when we were playing smash bros and I think those were the sweatiest, most intense one-on-ones we’ve ever played. Anyways, this group rules. Speed has been a key player in my workout mix for awhile now but it’s taken me until this moment to realize how badly I need to hear it blaring out of a speaker in a warehouse full of sweaty eco-goths.

KAY'S THOUGHTS:

Amazinggg pick, Tallon. I’ve been having a growing affection for metal / techno / hardstyle and adjacent genres (broadly the harder, faster, grimy-er shit) over the last few years. I have been meaning to dive deeper into older tracks and artists that have set the scene, so pointing to this with some added context is awesome. :)) So much raw and unbridled energy on this track, they do it so different in Germany.

As much as I am a total whore for the groove and the boogie, the other dog in me loves to get down and dirty in the pit. (Once again reminding y’all I have tickets to see Poppy at Emo’s in April. Will be moshing.) Once I’m in Austin, would love to hit some more techno / underground / stuff that sounds like this!! I’m tryna be on that rave scene in Babygirl type shit

MANDI'S THOUGHTS:

This is such a fun mix of punk and techno, it’s a club banger for the tunnel raves!! This is the kind of song/artist that I would have an asthma attack in the pit for. This is a track that would also go crazy in a video game or a song to play while speeding like I’m in Speed Racer so that I’m not late to work. I love a female vocalist in punk music, and the rotation between vocalists works to create a powerful energy that makes you want to join in and thrash around. This isn’t my typical genre that I listen to, but it’s so engaging and surprising in the way that, as the listener, I have no idea what to expect next. 10/10 would love to rave to this.

SPENCER'S THOUGHTS:

When I hear this I just imagine being shoved around in a smokey sweaty crowd of scary looking goths while lights are flashing, and then waking up the next day with my entire body aching. I am completely unfamiliar with this subgenre of music so this is a cool introduction point. Great write up T, the context makes me appreciate it more.

REMINDS ME OF: Death Grips (specifically I Break Mirrors With My Face In The United States), Machine Girl

Alicia'S THOUGHTS:

Holy shit! This song screams “Tallon”! I’m constantly impressed by your ability to find such niche and interesting music. I can see people getting just absolutely swept up in this song in a dark Berlin nightclub. Perhaps maybe WE should be those people! Badass pick, T!

REMINDS ME OF: A very angry version of Kraftwerk

PSYCHEDELIC SWITCH - CARLY RAE JEPSEN

Andrew's Pick:

ALICIA'S THOUGHTS:

Front to back The Loveliest Time goes so hard! It’s a perfectly paced album and you just can’t help but move and groove the second you hear Psychadellic Switch. It’s been a staple of getting ready playlist since the album came out. 10/10!

KAY'S THOUGHTS:

WTH this bangs!! You are not the first person in my life to sing Carly’s praises about how underrated she is as an artist, and I can’t believe that I have generally been brushing her off. So I went back and also listened to the album in its entirety, and now I’m flipping through the rest of her discography…. she really does have pop nailed in a way I haven’t heard anyone do this consistently or earnestly. You’ve Carly-pilled me, congrats

I think this track is my favorite off the album, solid choice. I’d throw ass to this in a heartbeat. Putting this one in the library so we can be the DJs we wish to see in the world

MANDI'S THOUGHTS:

Oh, Andrew…… if there’s one thing I know you to have great taste in, it’s funky, synth-pop perfection……

This is a first listen for me and it’s delicious, it sounds exactly like the music Kay adds to our joint playlists. Kay has been my musical guide from traditional pop to electronic, house, and techno techno-adjacent styles, and this would fall into the list of songs she brought to me right when that shift in taste started to click in my brain. It’s funky, sparkling, and feels like it was made to be played at a club in outer space that we would listen to while taking ecstasy. Carly Rae Jepsen has a sort of knack for that specific flavor from what I have listened to of her; there is a certain shimmering quality in her production methods, the drum patterns, synth tones, and bubblegum voice that make her truly other-worldly. Hearing this in the club would make me ascend.

REMINDS ME OF: Got Me Started - Troye Sivan

SPENCER'S THOUGHTS:

This might be too specific, but do you know those cap cut fan edits on Tik Tok where it’s a clip from a show with a song in the background and then when the beat drops it’s clips edited to the beat and there’s a flash in between them? Anyway, this song reminds me of that. I love Carly and am also deeply upset that I’ve never heard this in a club. I’m listening to it at my desk right now and can’t stop myself from dancing to it. Great pick!

REMINDS ME OF: Prizm

TALLON'S THOUGHTS:

This such has such a future-funk vibe which is interesting since it’s written and recorded not sampled! Less punchy in the drums but everything else is right in line. Going to find a way to pump that guitar in the back directly into my bloodstream so I can finally be as happy as butterflies.

REMINDS ME OF: Yung Bae

BOYFRIEND (REPEAT) - CONFIDENCE MAN

Spencer's Pick:

ANDREW'S THOUGHTS:

You introduced this song into my life 5 years ago and honestly it may be the best thing you’ve ever done for me. I’m kidding, but I really don’t think you’d be that upset if I wasn’t. This song is just so good. It's also so cunty. I feel like if one of those men’s rights losers listened to it they would spontaneously combust. Their loss!

KAY'S THOUGHTS:

This is such a fun track!! I was bouncing to it on my commute home from work and I’m doing it again at my desk. The bass line is so intoxicating, I can imagine this being absolutely electric at Barb’s if the DJ would say yes! Bitches love a call and response, this has all the hallmarks of a club classic. This one is going in the library!!

MANDI'S THOUGHTS:

This would be such an awesome song to be in a club mix while out on a Saturday night, I simply love a bouncy bass line! I love the sort of jungle element this song carries, all of the overlapping record scratches, octave wiggles, midi keyboards, vocal ad-libs, looney tunes sounds and tremolo effects bring this song into a delightfully chaotic space. I love the push and pull this song brings with its fade-outs and reprises, it is full of surprises. This one is going straight into my playlists, thank you very much!

REMINDS ME OF: Sofi Tukker, Groove is in The Heart by the Deee-Lites for some reason

TALLON'S THOUGHTS:

Forgetting these guys existed is a mistake I will not make again. I think this album was so incredible that I overplayed it into the dirt and had to take a break. The production on this is BOLD AS SHIT. Doesn’t even give you a break to appreciate the last crazy choice it makes before it moves onto the next one. Can’t even single out a specific instrument I dig, because it would be an insult not to mention the others.

REMINDS ME OF: LCD Soundsystem (duh)

Alicia'S THOUGHTS:

I also think of Ryan every time I hear Confidence Man! To be completely honest I’ve always focused on the chorus and completely missed how much tea gets split during the verses. This was such an exciting and vibrant mini throwback pick that I was thrilled to revisit! I really enjoyed the SICKO off the album they put out last year.

MEMORY BOX - PETER CAT RECORDING CO

Kay's Pick:

ALICIA'S THOUGHTS:

Wowie Kay! I’ve been hearing about Peter Cat Recording Co. for YEARS and have never really dedicated time to investigating them. This track totally stands on it’s own and made me feel like I was in a dream. Incredible pick!

ANDREW'S THOUGHTS:

I absolutely adore a long song that you can get lost in. You are spot on that this is the kinda song you don’t simply dance to but transcend to at the club (which perhaps should be another week’s music book club theme). I thought you were pulling out a funky 70s deep cut the first time I listened and did a double take when I saw it came out a few years ago. I did not know Peter Cat Recording Co. existed 8 minutes ago and I am now their biggest fan.

P.S. if you are afraid of the 8 minute runtime of this song you are a coward.

MANDI'S THOUGHTS:

This feels like a time capsule of a song;, it has me so enamored. This song doesn’t sound the same, but it makes me feel the same way as when you showed me Grind by Les Sins in the way that it is so immersive that it transports you to another dimension. The combination that the Peter Cat Recording Co. uses of live instruments in addition to samples makes this song so dynamic; I initially assumed the song was made almost entirely of samples until I saw the live performance of them playing for KCRW. These guys are on a totally different planet. As a nightlife song, this would need to be played at a sexier club than the nightclubs that we would go to hear Brat at. This would absolutely kill at Sahara Lounge or another club like it; somewhere with low ceilings and an older crowd where we could sip martinis and get the hot moms out on the dance floor with us.

REMINDS ME OF: Grind - Les Sins

I’m pretty sure I stumbled across this band via the Youtube algorithm, and have always been blown away by their sound. Their discography transcends any genre classification, and it’s crazy how they change their sound so successfully. While tracks often feel inspired by a particular era, they have this timeless quality that’s hard to pin down.

The vocalist reminds me a little of Frank Sinatra, and this track is very disco—but it was released in 2019 by this band from New Delhi. Criminally underrated and that’s why the DJ ain’t putting this one on.

I love this track because it echoes that 70s disco sound I’ve always been drawn to, but the intro and outro place it into a more modern, if not indiscernible time. Lyrically, it’s vague enough to be widely relatable to anyone who’s been in a relationship, and visually evocative enough to stick with you. If I heard this in the club I think I’d transcend.

SPENCER'S THOUGHTS:

Kay, this was such a great pick. I’ve literally never heard of this band before in my life and assumed it was a song from the 70’s and was shocked to see it came out in 2019. I think there’s something artificial and hollow about modern bands that try to sound retro. That absolutely does not apply to this, this was such a pure and genuine song. I could see myself dancing to this in a club but not THE CLUB. It’s much more “ladies night at Sahara” than it is “Saturday night at Barbs”.

TALLON'S THOUGHTS:

ALERT!!! PETER CAT RECORDING CO. MENTIONED!!! PREPARE TO THROW YOUR ASS EMOTIONALLY!!! I’ve always loved these guys. His voice really throws me for a loop because it always sounds like it belongs more on a Bossanova track rather than disco, which very much works in their favor. The strings on this are heavenly.

REMINDS ME OF: Dr. Buzzards Original Savannah Band (listen to Sunshower, Kay. You will not regret. OH AND HARD TIMES. Probably the whole album actually)

IF YOU'RE TOO SHY (LET ME KNOW) - THE 1975

Mandi's Pick:

ANDREW'S THOUGHTS:

“I’m trying not to stare down there while she talks about a tough time” is an absolutely unhinged lyric that perfectly encapsulates everything there is to love about this beautiful, terrible band. I feel the same way about The 1975 as I do about Weezer: You don’t get to hate them unless you love them. Whatever your feelings on the band are, though, I do think this song is pretty undeniable. While I can picture the massive eye-roll from any self-respecting DJ if they got asked to play The 1975 during their set, I would be right there on the dance floor with you Mandi, backflips and all.

REMINDS ME OF: Touching Yourself - The Japanese House, for similarly groovy + horny vibes

KAY'S THOUGHTS:

This song definitely tickles my brain, which is a phrase that came to mind before I even read your writeup. There is something in the production that makes me feel like I’m floating. The soft plucking of the intro wakes you up gently, like dust motes being illuminated by first morning light streaming through your bedroom window. And when the drums swing in, it pulls you right out of bed and onto the dance floor. This song has this shimmery, glowing atmosphere like a neon 80s synthwave song, but the chord progression (and that BRASS) makes it feel so much brighter and electric.

I’m surprised it doesn’t immediately make me think of taking grocery trips to Winco in your Kia, or wasn’t on any of our getting ready playlists in college. (Or maybe it was, I was in my Apple Music era for a while LOL)

Once we become the Brockhampton Of DJs we can blast this as loud and often as we want, and put the people ON.

REMINDS ME OF: Dear Skorpio Magazine — Neon Indian

TALLON'S THOUGHTS:

Holy smokes that intro is so nice. Love the operatic vocals reverberating in the back. Also this guitar tone is DELICIOUS. Sounds like they went back in time to steal the guitar out of Pink Floyd’s hands while they were recording some of the songs of The Wall so they could use it for nefarious pop reasons. GOOD. Would much rather throw ass and boogie than trip balls and think about war. What in the fuck have I not been listening to them for?

Alicia'S THOUGHTS:

UGH! (Pun intended)! The 1975 is a cornerstone of my adolescence and will always be the soundtrack of the most uncertain, shy, and precious memories of my lifetime. The 13-year-old in me trying to understand Head. Cars. Bending screams every time I hear this banger as a wave of memories flood to mind. Thank you for reigniting a long-time love of mine! Xx

SPENCER'S THOUGHTS:

I was not familiar with The 1975’s game, and for that I must apologize. This was great! The production is really rich and full. The drums are so punchy and that sax solo absolutely fucks.

BUTTERFLY - SMILE.DK

Community Highlight:

FROM MALLORY:

I picked Butterfly by Denmark group Smile because my “I’m your little butterfly” song was a staple on Youtube in the early 2000s, especially for any other anime fans. The music video is equally iconic. I’m sure it’s been used in many AMVs, and I wish it would be used in the club because as a techno banger it’s up there for me with Every Time We Touch by Cascada.

THANKS FOR LISTENING WITH US! STAY TUNED TO OUR INSTAGRAM TO FIND OUT THE THEME FOR THE NEXT MUSIC BOOK CLUB ☻

SUBMITTED BY @MALFRENZA

WHAT WE LOVED ABOUT IT:

Eurotrash fans STAND UP! Mindlessly cheesy, disgustingly catchy, and culturally insensitive in a myriad of ways; What more could you possibly want out of your late 90's bubblegum-pop banger? Eurodance (referred to as Eurotrash by some) was a genre of mostly copycat garbage. The same damn drum beat over the same damn synth with the same sounding god damn female vocals. An unstoppable echo chamber of happy-techno-cheese that infected places like Germany and The Netherlands all throughout the 90’s. Each song prayed that it somehow stood apart from the rest, and brought that intangible X-Factor that would propel it towards stardom. Most of these songs never made it that far, because most of these songs fucking sucked. Amongst the many who failed, few prevailed to give us pop sensations like “Barbie Girl” by Aqua. “Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!” by Vengaboys. “Mr. Vain” by Culture Beat. When it works, it really works.

Butterfly most certainly works for us. The production is absolutely sublime. The drums on this definitely pump, but they’re slightly subdued in the mix, making it less aggressive and more pleasant. The synths are undeniably tasty, even if that asian string instrument is in beautifully bad taste. The star of the show, though, is most obviously the insanely catchy vocals. The song really benefits from leaning into the cheese factor, and being unashamedly cutesy.

Its impossible to ignore the obvious racial stereotypes within the song as a whole; Combined with the cover that features two white women in dreadlocks on the cover, there seems to be a lot of questionable cultural choices being made here in general. However, despite (or maybe because of) the stereotypical stock asian synth, the lines about trying to “find my samurai”, and general “kawaii” vibe, this BLEW UP over East Asia. In China they loved it to so much, they even put this song into lots of children’s telephone toys as the ringtone. It was also featured in the first Dance Dance Revolution and is considered by fans of the game as a certified classic of the soundtrack.

This song sent us down a deep YouTube rabbit hole of DDR performances, most notably the freestyle scene where dancers add additional moves to the existing routines. This video in particular from 18 years ago of two men doing a dance to Butterfly in an arcade is a joyful and nostalgic artifact from a subculture that doesn’t really exist anymore. It is a beautiful time capsule of dance, music, and male friendship.

Check out the playlist: