Playlist Palate

I open a new songs playlist (in Alt-Rock, my favorite genre), and press shuffle: Twenty One Pilots comes on first. While the song talks about "sipping on straight chlorine", I taste a bittersweet, fruity tea.

Next artist, Foster The People. It's been so long since I've heard them that their sound has changed from peppermint chewing gum to neon 7-Eleven slurpies, both cold yet energizing (if that makes sense).

After that, Billie Eilish. While I've heard her music everywhere and find it quite catchy, I get this sour tang, like cough syrup being poured down my throat, whenever I hear her for too long. I decide that it's best to skip her for now.

Imagine Dragons is the last artist I listen to before getting back to work. Most of their songs are the metallic sharpness of blood on my tongue, with the occasional sea salt beef jerky and stench of something vaguely piney (the most accurate representation of their music compared to the others).

Confused? For me, having a certain "taste in music" is literal, thanks to synesthesia.

It's pretty hard to explain how hearing part of a song in public can cause me to gag or want to try more of it, and it's even worse when a friend shows me a song they like and I get a completely different impression.

But whether you experience the same things as me or not, we can all agree: Lana Del Ray and Halsey really do sound like cigarette smoke, and "Smells like Teen Spirit" tastes like it too (which gives me very mixed emotions as to what that even means).