Five Obsessions (May 2025)
Five Obsessions covers five of my favorite songs or albums each month. Some new, some old. Some new to me, some revisited. Published in the middle of every month (typically on the second Saturday).
You can listen to the running list of Applied Science favorites in the Spotify playlist below and read about this week’s specific picks below that.
Q - “b with ya”
The sound of almost summer time.
Rod Wave - “Never Mind”
Behind Nirvana, perhaps the second best never mind.
Black party - “distant lover”
May the TikTok gods take the alluring lilt of Malik Flint’s latest to the moon.
4batz - “n da morning”
I have been working on a joke format that incorporates the Count from Sesame Street saying a certain number of bats and 4batz’s name since he first dropped. Still not there, but this song is great and a reminder that viral masked guy is really talented.
2hollis - “nice”
I have a headache and I love it.
Bonus: TV On the Radio - “Happy Idiot”
Song title that best describes what I wish I was in times like these.
Bonus Pt. 2: Katy Perry - “Roar”
My 2 1/2 year old is currently obsessed with Katy Perry’s “Roar.”
So obsessed he requests it daily. Multiple times a day. In the car. In the bath. While he’s eating.
So obsessed he burst into his toddler dance class last month, demanding “Play Katy Perry!” (much to the joy of a bunch of L.A. parents no doubt aware of her recent space shenanigans, which would make my astronaut-loving son only that much more of a Katy fan).
So obsessed he started referring to one of his grandmothers as Katy Perry. None of us know why. And he won’t let her perform “Roar.”
Praying he gets back into Sinatra again soon.
Even though so much of Los Angeles has returned to a sense of eerie normalcy, the loss from January’s fires remains immeasurable and many people still need help. As usual, please see a list of resources for fire recovery below.
LA Country has launched an exhaustive website with resources for preparedness and recovery (including links for debris removal and right of entry forms). The site is updated regularly (most recently on 3/10/25).
Mutual Aid Network of Los Angeles’s provides an expansive number of funds, organizations, and aid types across the expanse of the city. Additionally, it provides a powerful tool for finding specific aid types. A great place to start for anyone looking to do some good or in need of assistance.
A book/PDF written for parents to help explain the enormity of wildfire to their children.
PBS SoCal’s resources for how to talk to children about wildfires.
A U.S. government fact sheet on protecting children from wildfire smoke and ash.
A spreadsheet of GoFundme’s for Black families from Altadena who have been displaced or lost their homes. Altadena is one of Los Angeles’ historically Black centers, a place where generations of hard-earned wealth and equity in the land were decimated in a matter of days. (first seen via Saul Williams)