This is the last time I will be acknowledging my sporadic posting tendencies. A newsletter that is equal parts parenting and partying, I’m doing the best I can and, frankly, starting every newsletter with an apology is both boring and disingenuous.

Last week was spent in Texas with family, and it was nice and fun, but also not entirely interesting to a bunch of people who either A.) Don’t know my family B.) See their family regularly or C.) Some combo of A and B. Just know that we were tired when we got there, tired when we left, but also rejuvenated from seeing Jack continue to build relationships with his cousins.

We’re a family who flies fairly frequently (we’ll do at least 8 flights this year with the potential for more), and it’s always one of the most clear-cut ways to see how quickly Jack is growing. Reagan is an absolute creative mastermind when it comes to preparing for flights, and when Jack was younger, that was a late-night affair. Homemade games, new snacks, a full library of shows to stream, a sticker collection that would truly shock Lisa Frank herself. But now that Jack’s well into his 4’s, the process is so much different. I even found myself wondering if we still need to bring his stroller (we do) and he can really just chill, look at planes, and buy a bag of $9 Sour Patch Kids and be good to go.

We always knew travel was going to be a big part of our lives, and to be blessed with a kid who likes the process and is excited to be trying new things is one of our biggest flexes (that we really had nothing to do with). So I guess my tip (“tip”) is don’t wait to get going. The more places they see now, the more places you can see later.

Reagan and Jack are heading on a ten day trip to an Alaskan Cruise in a couple weeks, and truth be told, we’re all more worried about me being by myself than Jack going to live on a boat and watch whales. That’s an amazing feeling, and one I don’t take for granted.

Oh, and if you have any tips on what I should do with myself for 10 days, please hit reply and let me know.

MGK - “Cliche” (2025)

TBH (and probably not surprisingly), I’ve never heard an MGK song before. I hate his name and he seems like the type of guy who would date his high school English Teacher as a sophomore. But that aside, this is 100% my song of the summer. It was probably written by AI, but whatever they used to prompt it was perfect. What I’m saying is: don’t think too much and let’s have some fun for once.

Haim - “Relationships” (2025)

On the opposite end of the spectrum, we have this single from Haim, who are about to release their long-awaited new album, I Quit. What I’m maybe most ashamed of from my musical youth is how few female-fronted bands I listened to. Haim were a big part of breaking that cycle for me. In fact, seeing them live about 10 years ago is still one of the best concerts I’ve ever seen (the concert was on Mother’s Day and their mom was there and let’s just say it was the only rock show I’ve cried at).

As is now their calling card, there are impeccable harmonies, super in-your-face lyrics, and a groove that infuses everything with feel-good vibes despite the doom-and-relationship-gloom of the lyrics. Roll the windows down, or rot in bed with the curtains drawn, either way this song will work for you.

Yellowcard - “Better Days” (2025)

It’s been a big week for people who listened to music in 2003, as Yellowcard released this new song and The Starting Line announced their first full-length album since 2007 (did you know this will be only their 4th album? That seems nuts).

Yellowcard have been quite a bit more prolific than TSL, but they’ve been mostly touring on old material for the last decade, so this is a nice surprise. And as some of the poster boys for Major Label Fuckery, these guys are also releasing this album completely independently. That’s probably why this song sounds like something from 15 years ago but also right at home on pop radio.

I have complicated feelings about my generation’s obsession over nostalgia (or, rather, mass media’s obsession with making us obsessed with nostalgia), but if I push that to the side, this is just about the catchiest pop-punk song you’ll hear this year. Excited to see how they follow it up.

Charli xcx - “Claws” (2020)

The most spectacular comedy we’ve watched this year is a show on Amazon called Overcompensating. A good friend described it as this: The first 4 episodes are good, the last 4 are mind-blowing. And I’d agree with that.

It’s a classic coming-of-age/coming-out college story with actors who are all in their 30s, and the whole thing is just Pitch Perfect (reference very much intended). I think you’d like it, so I won’t say much more. But the music is almost exclusively Charli xcx songs, and this one is used in perhaps the most pivotal moment of the show. I’d heard it before, but never felt it until watching it in the context of Overcompensating.

It’s a relentless song, a catchy song, a happy song, and a rave song, all rolled into a couple minutes of dance-pop insanity. Have fun.

Are They JackJams?

You better believe it. All three of these are certified car jams (CCJs), and I’d say right now it’s a tie between “Claws” and “Cliche” as to which gets requested the most.

What I’m loving about this playlist is that we can go back-to-back-to-back with bands like Death Cab For Cutie rolling into MGK rolling into third wave emo bands like Modern Baseball or Tiny Moving Parts. It’s a roadmap for Jack to see all that’s out there, and an amazing way for me to mark all the different parts of my life. Remember driving around with a gigantic CD case? This is better.

Ok, roundup over (although I also recommend “Lovers Rock” by TV Girl for something a little dream pop-ish and early 2000s Euro-tinged).

I hope something in here gets you excited, whether it’s the music or sitting down to binge Overcompensating this weekend. I recently told Reagan one of the things I take the most pride in is, unfortunately, picking super good Youtube videos. There’s nothing like putting something on that just hits.

I get the same feeling putting this together each week, and I hope you connect with something in this issue.

If not, there’s always next week. See you then,

BLAKE