Spotify stalked us for a decade to come up with our top songs, artists and genres, so it’s no surprise that sharing these stats became a hot social media trend.

So, why not follow suit?

My journey with Spotify began in 2012, so my breakdown is not for a true full decade, and I have dabbled in other streaming services in recent years, but I would also be lying if I said my artist(s) of the decade wasn’t still accurate.

Just as a side note, while I appreciate the ease of streaming, I do buy albums that I enjoy as I feel it is important to give money to artists for their art, even if they have plenty of money to go around.

My musical tastes have not evolved much since I was a teenager, which is apparent. Spotify deemed my top artist of the decade to be Death Cab for Cutie. However, if you look at my yearly breakdown, both Death Cab for Cutie and The Used had an equal number of years as my “top artist” so let’s just consider both to be my artist of the decade.

Both are bands that I, and basically everyone else I know in my age bracket, found in late middle school/early high school.

To be fair, Death Cab for Cutie has been around far longer than that with their first demo released in 1997 and full album release in 1998. Over this recent decade, they released “Codes and Keys,” “Kitsugi” and “Thank You For Today” along with a few live albums and EPs, so it’s no surprise that I spent a large bit of streaming time listening in. When people ask about my love of Death Cab for Cutie, I always say that they are the band I listen to when I need to feel more calm, which is a solid 85% of my life.

The Used released their first self-titled album in 2002, which wasn’t long before I discovered them. From 2012 to today, they released “Vulnerable,” “Imaginary Enemy,” “The Canyon” and “Live & Acoustic at the Palace.”

To be fair, I did a meet and greet with The Used in 2016 and saw them again live in 2018. That’s important because, prior to seeing them, I listened to them non-stop. Aside from that, I listen to The Used on a pretty regular basis because, although they are still making new music, the band as a whole is nostalgic for me. They remind me of a time when I thought the problems I was having in my teenage years were the worst things I’d ever experience. Spoiler alert: they were not and adulthood is way harder.

Do I wish I’d been a bit more diverse over the years? Maybe even have a lesser known artist as my top? Absolutely. Am I ashamed that my top two bands are the exact same band they would have been in 2010? Nope.

I will say Spotify Wrapped has taught me that I should possibly be more conscious of what I’m listening to on repeat, maybe try to branch out, and that the internet is always watching. 

Desiree Carver is a reporter at the Valdosta Daily Times. She can be reached at (229) 244-3400 ext. 1215.