When you’re searching for the best Spotify playlists, it’s easy to get lost in a sea of generic, boring, AI-recommended options. The artwork and songs on the playlist blur into one another, with titles like “Rainy Day Song” or “90s Rap Workout” betraying a lack of soul and inspiration.
Thankfully, there are better things out there, and there are human curators who are deeply involved in the music world, some of whom are famous musicians in their own right. The best Spotify playlists will expand your musical tastes, delight your ears, and introduce you to songs and artists you’ve never heard of before. Don’t just settle for the first thing that appears on your homepage – listen to these.
The 100 Best Songs of the 2020s So Far (Pitchfork)
No matter what music you like, Pitchfork probably has a huge Spotify playlist to help you dig deeper into it—genre-specific collections, year-end roundups, and selections of albums that have won Pitchfork’s highest honor, “Best New Music.” A recent highlight: The playlist version of Pitchfork’s list of the 100 Best Songs of the 2020s, a typically eclectic list that features everyone from Lana Del Rey to Playboi Carti. It’s a great way to brush up on recent music history and maybe familiarize yourself with a song or two that you missed at the time. Listen here.
Habib Funk
Founded by German DJ Jannis Stürtz, Habibi Funk is a record label dedicated to re-releasing old Arabic pop music that may have been forgotten by time. Its repertoire is always solid, including retro disco, soul, funk and more, but the vocals and melodies have a Middle Eastern flavor that makes them stand out from the usual Anglo-American sound. The label’s Spotify playlist is a great primer for these sounds. Listen here.
