Well, folks, we’re finally back after a seasonal hiatus. Instead of featuring just the Men’s Folio team’s weekly playlists (you can catch up here), however, we’ve opened up the column to friends, industry mates, and people who we think have the right groove.
Here, we have illustrator and visual artist Tobyato’s Nostalgic Retro Pop Playlist.
Living a Lie’ — LEW, Kevin Chung
At the point of me writing this, this song hasn’t even been released yet. But I’ve already pre-saved it and replayed the preview multiple times. LEW is hands down one of my favourite local singer songwriters, everything he puts out sounds amazing, and I’m glad to call him a friend. (LEW if you’re seeing this, yes, our catchup is long overdue.)
Until We Die — Gentle Bones
I’ve never been big on concerts (crowds are a big boo for me), but I fought my hatred for crowds and bought tickets to Joel’s “Geniuses and Thieves” show many years ago just to hear him sing live. Many of his original songs like “Settle Down” and “Elusive” are still songs I listen and sing along to. And yes, I know he’s retiring “Gentle Bones” by the end of this year. It’s bittersweet, I’ll miss Gentle Bones, but I also can’t wait to see what amazing stuff he continues to do.
Step — Vampire Weekend
This song got me through art school, and that’s not even an exaggeration. Sitting in the studio, biting off more than I could chew between school and outside freelance work, I would play this song on loop. Some songs just calm you down and this is the song that does it for me. Even now, at the back of my mind, I believe that an in-the-zone Toby, at night, with no distractions and this song, can get through (almost) anything.
Happiest Year — Jaymes Young
For the longest time, this song was stuck in my head, and I couldn’t for the life of me find it despite my best attempts at googling (with the wrong lyrics) and my lousy ass singing into Soundhound. I found it recently and despite its very mainstream appeal, it’s a hyper mellow song that reminds me to be thankful for the happiest years of my life while I’m living them before I need a time machine to turn back time.
Once you’re done with Tobyato’s playlist, click here to catch up with our August 2022 issue!
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