Monday Mixtape: Shaad D'Souza

Hekt, Belinda Carlisle, the same Drake song three times, and more

Monday Mixtape is another path towards music discovery, featuring people whose taste I admire answering a series of questions and prompts with songs (which might change from time to time).

Shaad D’Souza is one of my most favorite music writers working right now (the list is THIN babe). He’s brilliant, insightful, perfectly droll, and has fabulous taste (an increasingly rare currency these days). He’s also one of two people who consistently puts me on to new music I actually like (the other of course being Patrik Sandberg).

His Shaad Magazine on Instagram is the most inventive use of the medium I’ve seen (annoyed I didn’t think of it!!!), and is honestly way too good to be available for free but that’s between him and god. He’s also one of the rare writers who is also an excellent talker - you might have heard him on an episode of Bandsplain earlier this year about the music we were looking forward to this year. And lastly, we both love “Rock Music” by charli xcx (which is honestly the correct opinion sorry).

I’m extremely pleased to present Shaad’s Monday Mixtape:

Shaad D'Souza
Leo
London, England 

How do you find/discover music?

Through friends, on youtube, from PRs, by trawling nina/bandcamp

What was the first song you put on when you woke up this morning?

“One Fine Day the Sun Admitted She Was Just a Shadow” by Sergeant, and then “Choosin Texas” by Ella Langley

What song have you listened to more than once this past week?

“Someday” by Hekt and Valeria Litvakov (ed note: this song is so fucking good)

What is a recent song you think everyone should know about?

“Life’s A Party” by Prophetic Justice Ministry

A song off your workout playlist:

I don’t work out lmao

What song can you do at karaoke without looking at the tv screens?

“Leave A Light On” by Belinda Carlisle

What’s a song that gets you in your LAD-bag?

I kind of don’t understand the question¹, but I guess I liked “450” by Bad Boy Chiller Crew during their moment, if we’re talking like what I was churning and gurning to in high school it’s “How Deep Is Your Love Chris Lake Remix” by Calvin Harris yassss

Song you associate with being 13 years old:

“It’s Real” Real Estate or “Video Game” by Lana Del Rey

What song do you listen to when you want a lobotomy?

I always want a lobotomy, but I guess “Passionfruit,” which always makes me feel good always (ed note: same re: lobotomy, though not same re: Drake)

What song do you use to indulge your wallowing?

Not much of a wallower, maybe “In Us” by Lexie

What song do you use to renew your spirit?

“Passionfruit”

What is your favorite cover song?

Weird choice but I love Avalon Emerson’s very faithful cover of “Long-Forgotten Fairytale”

What song would you like to hear just before you die?

“Passionfruit” (ed note: never loved anything as much as this man loves this Drake song, respect)

All of the songs on Shaad’s Monday Mixtape live HERE

1. Me neither tbh I just be saying stuff sometimes