Gauntlet Mixtape Vol 23: Spring Serenade

By Valery Perez, Jayson Black Kettle, Tina Pham, Dianne Miranda, Brooklyn Billinghurst, Daman Singh, Jocelyn Hadford and Ansharah Shakil, March 20 2024—

This month, we will see the sun cross the celestial equator, signalling the onset of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and autumn in the Southern and so this Gauntlet Mixtape Vol. 23: Spring Serenade mirrors the harmonious dance of light and darkness, warmth and chill. This playlist is filled with songs that accompany us as we embrace the changing rhythms of the Earth and celebrate the promise of new beginnings.

VALERY: OPINIONS & HUMOUR EDITOR

“Chateau” by Angus & Julia Stone
- This song manages to bring me out of my seasonal depression each year. The dynamic vocals combined with the fun, yet calm, guitar riffs really tickle my brain. The sentiment of adventure and being fearless and willing to go out and explore are the embodiment of spring.
“Juniper” by Katy Kirby
- Spring means plans come back to life, things begin to grow, and everything starts to make its way towards blooming. The easygoing, wistful vibes of this song are reminiscent of spring to me. Just don’t read into the lyrics too much.
“Palmar” by Juan Pablo Vega
- Right about this time of year, I crave home and the beach intensely. This song is about heading to the ocean and never returning to the city. Fitting.

JAYSON: VOLUNTEER

“Home” by Citycreed
- The semester is almost over, and many of us are probably getting ready to return home for a while or move on completely. Something that can’t be understated is how unsure some of us will feel about school or future prospects. This song fits those feelings, yet reminds us that we are still doing okay.
“Remember When” by Wallows
- I just discovered this song. This is the type of music I always look forward to listening to during spring. Its quick yet sombre lyrical output about lost romance helps transition from winter to spring.
“Float On” by Modest Mouse
- It’s important to just relax every once in a while but more so when you’re a student. Spring marks a time when we are finishing up our winter semester — being stressed with assignments, projects or finals. Listening to this Modest Mouse song can help remind us to just calm down for a moment. Everything will be okay!

TINA: VOLUNTEER

“Gabo’s Last Resort” by The South Hill Experiment, Baird, Goldwash
- This song feels like a memory and a longing for the past or someone you once met. I imagine hazy snapshots of dancing in a club with soft blue and purple strobe lights whenever I listen to this.
“Crumbling Together” by Mid-Air Thief
- This song transports you into another world with all its different textures and sounds. This song feels as grand as a shift in the seasons. It starts off softly as life awakens from its slumber and eventually builds as more plants and animals spring to life. This song transforms you and leaves you with a lingering sense of wonder.
“honeydew blue” by 800 cherries
- This is a song of grief and healing. Despite the loss, there on the other side, awaits warmth and a new perspective.

DIANNE: VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR

“Springtime” by Allison Russell
- This song overall reflects on the themes of renewal, hope and the beauty of nature and is the perfect parallel to the transformation and personal growth that spring can bring.
“Juniper” by Begonia
- Spring, bringing with it more sunlight, pulls me out of my inevitable seasonal depression. Much like this song, spring gives me much-needed optimism and hope from the world of coldness and darkness of winter.
“Cicadas and Gulls” by Feist
- The spring season often makes me contemplate and reflect as I watch nature cycle through and see time pass me by with the growth and return of colours outside. This song, with its themes of longing, nostalgia and reflection is a reminder of the summer to soon following spring.

BROOKLYN: VOLUNTEER

“The Shape I’m Takin’” by Red Hot Chili Peppers
- In spring, we’re shedding our dry winter skins and emerging anew, taking a whole new shape.
“Gold Rush” by Death Cab for Cutie
- While renewal and change can be a beautiful, progressive process, this track shows the flipside of change. DCFC appeals to our sense of nostalgia with this song about a gentrified neighbourhood.
“Til I Am Myself Again” by Blue Rodeo
- This funky country-rock track from Canadian music legends is a reflection on what happens when you change to the point of only seeing traces of yourself, and the importance of being you, again.

DAMAN: VISUALS EDITOR

“Sweet Dreams, TN” by The Last Shadow Puppets
- Go find love, or something like that.
“Here Comes The Sun” by The Beatles
- It in fact has been a long cold lonely winter and George Harrison did not die so you could forget that he wrote some of the best songs the Beatles has ever put out.
“Hold My Liquor” by Kanye West
- “I’m back out my coma” is the single greatest way to go into spring, argue with the wall.

JOCELYN: VOLUNTEER

“Spring” by Angel Olsen
- “Don’t take it for granted, love when you have it, you might be looking over from a lonelier shoulder”. This song is a reminder to enjoy the beauty of life while it lasts. Relationships can last years or even just a season, love and hold those around you while you still can.
“Too Good to be True” by Kacey Musgraves
- Fools Spring is upon us, new Kacey music is the solution.
“(You) On My Arm” by Leith Ross
- Spring is the season of yearning, so does anyone want to let me buy you pretty little things and never lie to you?

ANSHARAH: ARTS & SCIENCE EDITOR

“First Love/Late Spring” by Mitski
- One of Mitski’s most perfectly constructed, moving, and sublime songs, “First Love, Late Spring” is fitting for the dawn of spring in more ways than just the title.
“One Line” by PJ Harvey
- Listening to these first 40 seconds is like holding your breath, full of the tentative hope that spring brings.
“South London Forever” by Florence + The Machine
- Nothing encapsulates the highs and lows of spring like this song.