The importance of having a sound stash

As we approach the holidays and the options for travel have gone from, “Should I go see my family?” to, “I wonder how far I should walk in this cold?” the pressure on our ability to build marathon playlists also eased by a lot. There are no 20-hour flights (guess who has to cross two whole continents to get home?) or even roadtrips to contend with anymore– at least, not for the remainder of 2020. 

Travel limitations mean that nothing can stand between us and that constant background music to act out our cinematic fantasies. It would be nice to walk down the riverbank in a remote part of the park in the freezing, gray cold with some appropriate pensive music in the background. Put on a serious thinking face, let your eyebrows do all the work for you: conflicted, contemplative, resigned, resolute. 

Until cell reception gets cut, then you’re stuck with silence. This is the fastest way to go from cinematic art-noir film to silent psychological thriller. Way to ruin the vibe.

We should know by now that nothing is super reliable: internet connections fluctuate, phone minutes run out. Sometimes your favorite walk route (or man, even just the subway) just doesn’t get the best cell reception. No one’s fault. But a little insurance can’t hurt. 

This is a PSA: if you already know the mood you’re going for, or if you know that there’s a podcast episode you’re dying to listen to, there’s really no reason to not download it for offline use. Storage space becomes your only limitation, and if you do run out, it’s much easier to delete files to find again later. If you’re on Deezer, the whole process is really easy, but as with most good things, doesn’t really come free. Don’t get caught in the blinding silence; keep some of your music stash on reserve.