EMMA PIRHALA / MANAGING EDITOR

Before half-swiping on chats and soft launching on Instagram, there was a more intimate way of courtship — one that required a poetic, thoughtful approach. Mixtapes used to be ever-present in dating culture, but became a lost art form as hookup culture perpetuated. Songs became sexts, bands and betrayal; connections drifted and situationships   turned   the norm. 

Amid all the noise, music remained a rare form of honesty. Guilty pleasures, teenage break-up songs and lyrics you scream in the car can divulge your innermost thoughts, fears and emotions. USD first-year Parker Brown agreed that sharing music can be very personal, no matter the artist.

“I don’t think it matters to me the artist, moreso songs that are impactful to me and by sharing the songs that are impactful to me, I feel like I wouldn’t share that with anyone,” Brown said. 

Sharing songs can also show the depth of platonic love between friends. USD junior Samantha Hernandez explained how playlists are important to her friend group. 

“Sometimes, me and my friends will collaborate on playlists and I feel like that is a good  testament to  our friendship and our love,” Hernandez explained. “When you   are  able    to     share  music like that, it’s   something special.”

The advent of streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music have made sharing music much easier. With just a tap, users can send their favorite songs, artists and albums almost instantly — a far cry from burning CDs or passing along scratched-up   mixtapes. Spotify recently     released a chat feature within the app further streamlining the process. Another way that people can test their musical compatibility is Spotify’s “Blend” feature. By creating a blend, users receive a compatibility score based on their recent listens and how they align.

USD junior Yukine Barber shared that compatibility in music taste is important to her in finding relationships. 

When taste in music doesn’t align, relationships can be strained. USD sophomore Annie McElynn explained that some things can be awkward if compatibility doesn’t match. 

“I would say it’s important because if one person hates a certain genre that the other loves, it can be hard to enjoy things like car rides together,” McElynn shared. 

Although the days of standing outside your significant other’s window with a boombox may be over, the importance of music in relationships remains — it just plays through shared playlists, concert dates and the songs that quietly become “ours.”

Pining away with a boombox has turned into creating curated playlists. Photo courtesy of @bond_vivant/Instagram