Mixtapes launch on Crucial Tracks
Happy New Year!
I'm happy to announce the first new feature of 2026: Mixtapes
Mixtapes defined an entire
Welcome to Crucial Tracks
A crucial track is a song that changes the direction of your life or helps you see the world in a different way. The songs that represent relationships or trigger memories. The songs that make you, you.
Whether it's through interviews with interesting people, reviews of new releases, or our amazing music community, Crucial Tracks is here to help you think about the role music plays in shaping your life.
Latest posts
Crucial Releases: January 9
First issue of the new year! Music from Sault, Dry Cleaning, Feels Like Heaven, Zach Bryan, The Cribs, Glom, and Home Star.
Chris' Favorite Albums from 2025
A bonus year end list from Chris Fritton aka The Itinerant Printer.
My plans for Crucial Tracks in 2026
With 2026 coming to an end, I started to take a look back at 2025 and plan where to take the site in the coming year. Thanks so much for joining me on this ride.
Crucial Molina
In the inaugural edition of Crucial Playlists, we focus on Jason Molina, the singer songwriter that was behind Songs: Ohia and Magnolia Electric Co.
My favorite albums from 2025
My top 60 albums from 2025. Indie, folk, hip hop, punk, hardcore, emo records and much more! The list you've been waiting for...
Quitting Spotify, ethics, and pay per stream
My thoughts on quitting Spotify, pay per stream, and the ethics of digital music consumption.
More Albums I Liked in 2025
The ones I liked that didn't make the final list for 2025. Broken down by genre... 53 albums in all!
App Updates
App Updates for November
Announcing design updates, challenges to earn badges, new merch, and recapping the blog.
App Updates for September
Announcing four new features for the Crucial Tracks app: better reminders, prompt explorer, themes, and Bandcamp/YouTube support for entries.
App Updates for August 2025
Email reminders are here! As well as a look at what’s next.
The joy of Crucial Tracks
My favorite thing so far is the slow, serendipitous nature of the Public Tracks feed.
Subscribe to the newsletter
Get the latest interviews and new releases sent right to your inbox.