Justin’s Playlist

Hey, I just want to shout out to 2/3rd of our trio, Trevor & Jeff, the guys who pioneered Hafilax to what it is today, and the new member to the Hafilax crew, Juliet, who’s bringing some fresh new content to the site. It’s awesome to see how it continues to grow strong, throughout the many months that I’ve been gone. And thanks to all the readers, family, and friends who have been supporting us throughout the years. This is kind of a return for me to this site, I don’t know if it’s a permanent thing or temporary, but for me, I always see myself coming back to this. If it’s either my love for the music, my love for checking out the local scene, concert reviews, albums reviews, music photography, or just hanging out with the Hafilax crew, you name it, it’s what brings me back.

So, this is more of personal playlist for me. It’s like a “where I am at in my life” kinda thing. I believe that music is “closer to the heart” when it relates to your life, and when it’s meaningful. When you can remember a point in your life, and you can attach a soundtrack to that time period, a certain song or album, it’s usually something special.

1. My first track for the playlist is from the Deftones‘ latest album, “Gore“, which came out last month. The song is called “Prayers / Triangles“. I’ve been going through a lot of adversity in my life as of late, and it’s sometimes hard to keep your composure. To keep things fun. This is my go-to song for this period of life, to keep fighting, and to keep going no matter how hard life gets. For the Deftones, they lost a member of their band, Chi Cheng, a few years ago, but the band keeps going strong album after album. They aspire to make music. That’s inspiration for me.

2. This song is the latest track from Braids; I believe their new album “Companion” comes out tomorrow. This is called, “Companion” (just like the album). This song is dedicated to my girlfriend who I miss quite a bit. We would play albums from Braids in the car, for those long road trips. Those times when silence is so comfortable, and the music is just filler for words. This is a beautiful song, for a beautiful relationship.

3. Speaking of road trips, when I was driving from Ontario to Nova Scotia not too long ago, when I passed through Halifax, I couldn’t stop playing this song, “Santa Fe” by Wintersleep. It’s off of their latest album, “The Great Attachment“, that came out back in January. There’s something about listening to a hometown band, in your hometown province. For example, when I hear Joel Plaskett mention the town of Dartmouth in his music, and I’m sitting at the Mic Mac Tavern, or the Steak & Stein, that’s something special.

4. My next track is from You Say Party‘s newly-released self-titled album. The song is called “Ignorance“. This band has been on hiatus for awhile, after the passing of Devon Clifford, but they’ve made an amazing comeback with this album. They’ve dropped a bit of their dance-punk signature sound for something so dark, and spiritual. For me, it was my go-to album for many months, especially when I received some unpleasant news back in February. When you feel the need to sulk, this album will sulk with you.

About the author

Justin

Me, I'm an avid music goer, documenting/photographing Halifax's music scene. I like loud shows, and long walks on the beach.