190. Song Nos. 2,885 and 2,886: “Earthquakes and Sharks,” Brandtson
Hello, Control, 2006

I’ve already been meaning to give the two Brandtson albums I own a keener listen since, like, the C’s reintroduced me to a band I’ve always liked enough but only really listened to in short-lived fits and bursts before distractedly moving onto something else. “Earthquakes and Sharks” is a freaking excellent reminder to actually follow through with reacquainting myself with this band on sturdier, more receptive footing.

This is by far Brandtson’s most-played song on Spotify and, after calling this one as a strong contender for 2022’s top Wrapped track before the first half of January was even over, I totally understand why. It is one of the first songs of not only the E’s but also the year that got immovably, gleefully stuck in my head.

Which is fine: I’ve obviously never met an infinite-repeat opportunity I don’t like, and I am super enjoying the happenstance of a friend throwing this track on a mix that’s had a place in my music library since 2015 and is now treating me to a double-dose of warnings about Pacific dangers every time I restart the E’s in general (it’s been at least three now because I keep getting too into work to pay much attention to music and then all of a sudden it’s the end of the day and almost 100 songs went in and out of my earballs completely undetected) or it specifically. It’s also a blast casting a region I’ve barely seen in a whole different, significantly less blithely flattering light than the extremely limited perspective I err toward (though, holy shit, I got stuck in its traffic jams on multiple occasions and they are absolutely beyond compare).

It’s catchy. It’s fun. It is ruled by chaos. It name-drops El Chupacabra, the plurality of which isn’t even the most unbelievable element of this song (that’d be affording rapid-succession hospital trips in this country, plus ambulance transport). I cannot cannot cannot stop from alternately singing it to myself and hitting the dopamine-release button by playing it a few more times, and I might not be ready to let this one go for a while.