In a recent column for The Spectator, Whitford details the evolution of a self-described “weird” musical palate, tracing a journey from childhood video game soundtracks to a sprawling, unmanageable Spotify library.
The piece highlights how early digital habits—specifically the “hoarding” of tracks—have created a modern-day curation crisis.
- The author identifies a collection of over 1,600 songs, many of which were added without genuine engagement.
- A transition from YouTube-based discovery to Spotify’s “Discover Weekly” solidified a habit of mass-saving tracks.
- Current efforts to prune the library have reduced the count to 1,300, though sorting continues.
The author’s musical development began in elementary school with video game original soundtracks (OSTs) from titles like Undertale and Pokémon. By middle school, the discovery process shifted toward YouTube, where the author frequented channels like Odysseus to find vaporwave, synthwave, and future funk mixes. This approach was described as an “old-fashioned” method of consumption compared to the streaming-first habits of peers.
The shift to Spotify in 2019, initially spurred by the Stranger Things theme song, introduced a new friction point. The author notes that the PlayStation 4’s Spotify interface made the manual removal of tracks cumbersome. This technical limitation, combined with a habit of adding entire albums after hearing only a single song, led to a rapid accumulation of tracks that the author now admits they have “zero interest” in listening to.
By mid-2021, the author’s “liked” library had ballooned to over a thousand songs. Attempts to organize this clutter—including the creation of a playlist titled “Lo-Fi Hip-Hop and Synthwave”—failed once the lists grew too large to manage. A subsequent effort in 2022, “The Best of the Best,” remains the author’s primary playlist but has struggled to solve the underlying issue of mindless saving.
The author reflects that this behavior has influenced their broader relationship with music. They describe a sense of indecisiveness, noting an inability to name a favorite artist or song. This extends to their live music experience; while they expressed interest in seeing artist Masayoshi Takanaka earlier this year, the high cost of tickets prevented them from attending, leaving the author with no concert experience of their own choosing.
The author’s habit of adding full albums to a library—only to ignore them later—mirrors a common issue where high-volume streaming does not necessarily equate to deep fan engagement or long-term loyalty.
| Phase | Primary Source | Behavioral Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Elementary School | YouTube/Game OSTs | Niche, curiosity-driven discovery |
| Middle School (2019-2020) | Spotify/Discover Weekly | Mass-saving of unvetted tracks |
The author concludes that they are still in the process of sorting through the digital hoard their younger self created. With the playlist currently at 1,300 tracks, filtering the list is a major hurdle. It is unclear whether this curation will lead to a more refined taste or further indecision.
