Every Monday, Spotify updates its “Discover Weekly” playlist, a model the company describes as, “your weekly mixtape of fresh music,” featuring “new discoveries and deep cuts chosen just for you.” The playlist does not recycle songs, instead replacing each track once a week based on the user’s current listening patterns. Through a combination of algorithms that monitor personal music taste, Spotify connects its users to songs that they may have never heard before, but will potentially enjoy. With approximately 232 million people streaming music from Spotify this month, there were presumably 232 million Discover Weekly playlists created this week, and with that, countless new songs to enjoy.
Of course, not all Spotify users listen to their Discover Weekly playlist, myself included. Often I would rather stick to the comfort of a well-known song than listen to something new, as if there is no room for more music in my catalogue. When I finally do connect to my Discover Weekly, I hear singers that I love, opening up entirely new avenues for myself. Almost two years ago, when the song “My Thoughts on You,” by The Band CAMINO played from this recommended playlist, I had no idea that in a couple of years I would know all of its lyrics. I never expected to sing every word back to the band’s members as they performed to a crowd of 1,200 people in Boston.
Discover Weekly did not inspire me to be an instant super fan of The Band CAMINO. My embrace of the group was slow, but by listening to that one recommended song, my Discover Weekly soon featured another The Band CAMINO song. This one, “I Spend Too Much Time in my Room,” is another slow, bittersweet track, yet I wouldn’t make the connection that it was by the same band for months. When I finally did, I fell in love with The Band CAMINO’s magnetic rhythms, motivated by upbeat guitar riffs and grounding drum patterns. The alternating vocalists for the band, Jeffrey Jordan and Spencer Stewart, each sing in a different way. Stewart’s breathy sound floats over the music, and Jordan’s hyper-enunciated tone is almost conversational. Every song is different, but these differences feel intentional, proof that the group can come up with any idea and execute it completely, making a song that stays exciting no matter how many times it’s been played.
I thought I understood this excitement as I listened to the band’s songs at home. Still the experience changed as it was shared with a room full of people. Packed towards the front of the venue, countless strangers all shared the same air, the same spot on the floor. Somehow, even from the stage, the band shared the moment with us too. Jordan and Spencer played to the crowd, the audience stealing the words from their mouths as we all sang along, moving heads and arms to the beat. They played to each other, meeting in the middle with their guitars, playing back to drummer Garrison Burgess, inviting bassist Graham Rowell forward. During the song, “The Black and White,” the crowd sang the chorus, Jordan just watching, covering his face as he was overcome with emotion. It was the kind of moment that Spotify could never replicate, but if the streaming platform had not exposed me to the music, this moment could never have existed.
As my friend Samantha explained, it’s strange to think that the noise of these songs exists solely because of The Band CAMINO. If they had stopped playing during that concert, there would have been no music to hear. They are the life force behind this sound, not an iPhone or a computer repeating soundwaves, but four human beings to tell the story firsthand. I’m thankful that Spotify put this song on my Discover Weekly, but I don’t think I’ll ever be able to listen to it the same way now that I know how it sounds live.
In between some of the songs, Jordan reminded of a concert’s unifying power, the common ground the band extends to the crowd, one that, no matter how far back listeners are in the venue, they can stand upon. It’s like when the group finally played “My Thoughts on You,” my first and ultimate favorite Band CAMINO song. As the chorus hit, it felt as if everyone in the entire room was singing along to these words, relating them to their own lives while simultaneously getting lost in the music. In fact, lots of people just listened, my friend next to me barely knowing any words . Still, we stand together, 1,200 people packed into one echoing room, looking ahead towards these singers who are real, not just an album cover on a screen. And I think back to when I first heard these songs, before I knew who The Band CAMINO was, when it really was just a title on a playlist. I’m glad I pressed play.