The Plug’n Play: August (‘25)
September 3, 2025
Illustration by Malaaya Adams
You can listen to the full playlist on Apple Music or Spotify
On the Cover: Isaia Huron is a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer from Greenville, SC. Huron grew up playing drums in his father’s church where his mother was the choir director. A Gen Z artist, he spent his early years uploading music to SoundCloud, and counts the likes of Bryson Tiller, PARTYNEXTDOOR, and Fleet Foxes influences. On August 8th, Huron released his debut album, CONCUBANIA.
The Plug’n Play is a monthly playlist highlighting new music. Each month, my friend, Kevin, and I select some of our favorite songs from the past month, compiling them into one playlist (usually around 30 songs). While our tastes overlap in a lot of ways, they also diverge. These songs represent what has drawn us in, made us curious, or feel something. We hope these songs serve as an entry point for you, and that you feel something, too!
Songs 1 - 16 were selected by Kevin. Songs 17 - 29 were selected by me, Stanley. We hope you find a song you like and check out the larger body of work, whether it’s an EP or an album. Below are a few words on some of my favorite songs from the month:
THE EVERYTHING SONG — Isaia Huron
CONCUBANIA stopped me in my tracks. Kevin sent me the title-song shortly after its release, but I never got a chance to listen to it (for reasons I explain in the newsletter, which you should sign up for in the box at the top of this page!). Then, one day while in the gym, I was scrolling through Apple Music and, unknowingly, selected the album he’d sent me. On CONCUBANIA!, the first track on the album, I was struck by how sparse the song’s intro was; the sound of hand-played percussion, a voice in the distance counting the rest of the instruments in. Then, the creeping, ominous, yet groovy synth bass, followed by the vocals. (Stevie Wonder’s synth bass work on Music Of My Mind comes to mind as an apt comparison.) Later, there’s an acoustic guitar, set against the synthesizers. This collection of sounds is my sonic happy place.
THE EVERYTHING SONG — the eighth track on the album — is a late-album sleeper. A “sleeper” because the song feels unassuming: an acoustic guitar oscillates between a BMaj7/DbMaj7/AMaj7/Abmin7 progression. The song’s major key tonal center and repetitive progression has trance-like qualities. As the song’s story progresses, it’s musicality intensifies. THE EVERYTHING SONG is a story about everything told through a series of questions. Did I make the right decision in dating? Why do I keep looking at my phone when no one’s hitting me up? Am I eating the right food(s)? What will the future hold? Will I live long enough to find out? Which way is up or down? Huron never directly addresses any of these questions. In the end, he just says “I feel like wildin’ out…”
To me, THE EVERYTHING SONG accurately depicts a type of anxiety that is unique to this moment; cascading emotions that come from an onslaught of messages we receive. Yet, the song’s musicality, its composition, never feels overwhelming. Oftentimes, songs about anxiety sound like anxiety: harsh and unsettling sounds, intensity, dissonant melodies or chord progressions. Here, Huron doesn’t have any of that; the song feels smooth, calming even. It’s the type of production decision that shows a manner of maturity as a composer and songwriter.
