Gauntlet Mixtape Vol. 26: Double Knot Your Shoelaces

By Kabir Singh Bedi, Eda Kamal, Ifeoluwa Akomolede, Jayson Black Kettle, Elena Scantlebury, Dylan Carrasco, Laura Beldor and Dianne Miranda, October 1 2024—

As September comes to a close, campus life is gearing up for another busy season. With schedules filling up and classes calling your name, those treks to get to lecture halls in ten minutes or less are no easy task. That’s where this volume of the Gauntlet mixtape comes in—designed to keep you moving and grooving through the whirlwind of the new school year!

So, lace up, grab your backpack, and let’s hit the ground running with The Gauntlet Mixtape Vol. 26: Double Knot Your Shoelaces playing to keep pace with every step of the new academic journey!

KABIR: VOLUNTEER

• “Back in Black” by AC/DC
  • It is a high energy song, something that gives me the energy and motivation to get up and get going for classes.
• “Feeling Good” by Michael Bublé
  • This song is for those mornings when I get to have my favourite breakfast before going to school, I think it’ll be a good fit to the playlist!
• “Run Boy Run” by Woodkid
  • I think it gives off positive energy to me.

EDA: VOLUNTEER

• “Girl, so confusing featuring lorde” by Charli xcx, Lorde
  • The upbeat tempo combined with the lyrics make for a good quick pondering session about all the “Girl so confusing”-s in my life while on the go
• “The Bolter” by Taylor Swift
  • Skipping is an underrated form of transportation and I find this song nice and light and airy. Why walk to your classes when you could frolic?
• “girl i’ve always been”by Olivia Rodrigo
  • I’m a sucker for dramatically lip syncing every song on my playlist amd this one makes for an Oscar-worthy performance when I’m in a rush.

IFE: VOLUNTEER

• “Sunday Best” by Surfaces
  • Although ironically it is called “Sunday Best”, it is a fun and lighthearted song to help get through the day better and to boost your mood. 
• “I Feel good” by Pink Sweat$
  • A chill song that is meant to motivate, meant to be relaxing, and to have a more positive effect at any time of the day of listening to the song. 
• “Good Days” by SZA
  • It is meant to be a chill song and boost positive vibes and happiness, as well as the positive messages of the song.

JAYSON: VOLUNTEER

• “Next Semester” by Twenty One Pilots
  • I have been listening to this song all summer! As my educational journey is coming to an end, I’m looking forward to lots of fresh starts and Twenty One Pilots perfectly reflects that feeling.
• “Too Cool To Die” by Post Malone
  • Post Malone has dominated my summer playlists. I really have come to love his versatility with music! (Not that I ever hated it)
• “I Had Some Help (Feat. Morgan Wallen)” by Post Malone, Morgan Wallen
  • I’m curious how people feel about Post Malone’s delve into the country genre? Personally I love it but I know tons of people that can not listen to country music at all!

ELENA: VOLUNTEER

• “ABCD” by NAYEON
  • It’s bouncy beat and forward-pushing rhythm is really good for strutting at a decent pace to class.
• “Happiness” by Little Mix
  • It’s a bit of nostalgia but also a very peppy song with undercurrents of strength, great for reminding yourself that you are enough just as you are…. Right as you’re hustling to class.
• “365” by Charli xcx
  • The best is perfect for when you are hurrying but need to forget that you are. I’m in runway mode listening to this song.

DYLAN: VOLUNTEER

• “New Bottega” by Torren Foot, Azealia Banks
  • A fun challenge to strut all the way from kines to the train station before the song ends!
• “Julia” by SZA
  • The sheen of these synths will definitely help you romanticize the struggle of anxiously wandering around to find a nice quiet place to sit.
• “Long Road Home” by Caroline Polachek, Oneohtrix Point Never
  • Your health bar is low, you’re panting with a cold sweat, you just finished the final boss battle (a boring, 50 minute, intro GRST afternoon class). You need to get home before your health runs out, but you end up lost on a path you’ve never seen before. 

LAURA: VOLUNTEER

• “Summer’s Over” by Jordana, TV Girl
  • This song perfectly encapsulates how it feels to come down from the high of summer and settling into fall.
• “Crystal” by Stevie Nicks
  • A favorite from my own study playlist. When I inevitably start to stress about the piles of work, I can trust that Stevie Nicks’ soothing voice will calm me down.
• “July” by Hozier
  • Another song about reminiscing about the summertime, which I predict that I will be doing a lot of as the days begin to get colder.

DIANNE: VOLUNTEER AND OUTREACH COORDINATOR

• “HOT TO GO!” by Chappell Roan
  • Chappell Roan is right, you’re hot and you’ve got to go (to your next class)!
• “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen
  • This song is the perfect anthem while I ignore all of those people that are trying to stop you in MacHall to sign up for something, except that I’m not having a good time as my shins burn up from the fast walking. 
• “Wait Up (Boots of Danger)” by Tokyo Police Club
  • Like Tokyo Police Clubs sings, “so wait up, you never get nervous anymore; so wait up, you never get nervous anymore” cause you’ve got the quickest path to your class memorized by heart — no need for that campus map and constant checking of your watch, questioning if you’ll make it in class in time.