You Just Reminded Me...

If being a twentysomething means you’re old enough to know better but young enough not to care, then being in your 30s is all about self-awareness. I cringe whenever I unconsciously utter the phrase “back in my day” (it isn’t that much, promise!), but it’s become harder to ignore how the brain contextualizes everything as you age, from the food you eat to details gleaned from people-watching on the train, from the dankest corners of memory. Don’t get it twisted—there’s still plenty of discovery and newness at my big age, especially in music. But the degrees of separation between eras, styles, and cadence are clearer than ever, and not just because of the hours I’ve logged as a participant in music culture. It’s not about feeling old or grappling with mortality, either—it’s about recognizing my place within the cultural ecosystem and how my life and perspective brought me to where I am today.