\u201cThere\u2019s really only two things you can count on in this world: songs and dogs. Those are the two things that never will let you down.\u201d<\/p>\n
This is the central belief of comedian and lifelong music fan Christian Finnegan. However, he also knows the \u201csongs\u201d half of this equation is complicated by one of life\u2019s nigh-guarantees: The older you get, the harder it is to keep up with new music. \u201cObviously there are tactile reasons why someone my age\u2014uh, 52\u2014might not be absorbing a lot of music,\u201d admits Finnegan, \u201cThey have children, jobs, lives<\/em>\u2014it just isn\u2019t part of their weekly practice to seek things out. But sometimes they also just feel that there\u2019s just so much out there, where do you even start?\u201d<\/p>\n To combat that, Finnegan started a bi-weekly-ish Substack titled New Music For Olds<\/em>. In each of the 86 newsletters he\u2019s put out since 2022, Finnegan finds and recommends at least three artists who are probably\/hopefully new to casual music fans. However, what separates his picks from, say, an established site\u2019s new release list is that Finnegan then puts what he likes about each artist into terms that his (and\u2014full disclosure\u2014my own) fellow Generation Xers can understand.\u00a0<\/p>\n For example, he sells recent pick \u201cAndromeda\u201d by Preoccupations with \u201cthat romantic-but-jittery sound that would fit snugly into an early episode of 120 Minutes<\/em>, sandwiched between the Church and Peter Murphy.\u201d Each write-up also gets a Voltage ranking (think volume; the Precoccupations gets a 6), a Pairing Suggestion (think activity; here it\u2019s \u201cEyes closed, swaying in a vaguely rhythmic fashion\u201d), and a final meme-like visual punchline (this one ending with MTV\u2019s Dave Kendall in jean shorts). All together, the recommendations are succinct, clear, and funny, like when you\u2019d talk music with friends back in college.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the spirit I\u2019ve tried to bring to the newsletter. This isn\u2019t me going through a bio of every artist, and it\u2019s not me trying to throw in as many rock writer cliches\u2014 you know, \u2018shimmering guitars\u2019 and all that stuff that drives me batshit,\u201d chuckles Finnegan. His goal is to talk about music the way he and his friends would\u2019ve when driving around in high school, looking for the feelings it creates and what sticks out. \u201cAnd if that means, \u2018oh, I like this song because it reminds me of my third grade gym teacher,\u2019 then that\u2019s fine,\u201d he continues. \u201cThat\u2019s the way people experience music in their actual lives. Sometimes it\u2019s, \u2018I really love the way the vocals are stacked,\u2019 or \u2018I really love that guitar tone.\u2019 But sometimes it\u2019s like, \u2018Oh my God, this sounds like something you\u2019d hear at an amusement park when you were a kid.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n But how does he actually discover the music he shares? Turns out there wasn\u2019t much for Finnegan to demystify: \u201cIt\u2019s not really any more laborious than just going through the new release section and just clicking on stuff.\u201d That\u2019s right. While Finnegan does also follow certain music writers he likes on social media, the majority of what he recommends comes from sampling new releases on Apple Music. \u201cWe live now in an endless food court of music. There\u2019s no barrier for entry for just clicking on an album because, \u2018This cover looks interesting,\u2019 or \u2018So and so told me they enjoyed this.\u2019 I\u2019m just gonna click on it and if I don\u2019t like it in 90 seconds, I move on with my life.\u201d And to all the busy people asking when he does this, Finnegan goes back to the second thing you can always count on: \u201cHaving a dog helps. Like, dog walks are great for that.\u201d<\/p>\n His one note: Go in without the pressure of hearing what is cool or important. He explains, \u201cI tell friends of mine who ask about this that if you\u2019re trying to be aware of what\u2019s cool, then you\u2019re always going to be frustrated. Because the stuff that\u2019s cool is not for you and you liking it will make it less cool.\u201d Instead, Finnegan\u2019s mantra is: \u201cIf I stick to what feels good between my ears, that\u2019s a much better metric than, \u2018What am I supposed to be listening to right now?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n While this sampling process wasn\u2019t possible back in the days of hitting Tower Records on a Tuesday, Finnegan also feels streaming services are part of the problem in finding new music. \u201cThe algorithms trap you,\u201d he says. \u201cThey know what you want. They feed you. It\u2019s kind of like you have crappy frozen turkey burgers in your freezer. They\u2019re there, you know what they are, so when you get hungry, you simply say, \u2018Screw it. I\u2019m just going to eat another turkey burger.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Instead, Finnegan\u2019s eating well these days, consistently finding new artists to love. Some of his recent faves\u2014whom he admits, \u201cIf you\u2019re under 30, you\u2019re probably well aware of them\u201d\u2014are Magdalena Bay (\u201cThey\u2019re retro, contemporary, and futuristic at the same time\u201d), Die Spitz (\u201cThey have this song called \u201cThrow Yourself to the Sword,\u201d which I\u2019ve probably listened to about 40,000 times this week.\u201d), and the Beths (\u201cNot just their songs, which I love, but I love how much they all seem to like each other.\u201d).<\/p>\n But on top of the music, writing New Music For Olds<\/em> brings Finnegan joy. It allows him to write the niche music jokes he never gets to make in his stand-up set, even though he does concede to having the goal of \u201cI always wanted to be like the Nada Surf of comedy, those people who feel like they have exactly the career they\u2019re trying to have.\u201d Listening to new music also lets him feel \u201cYounger, alive, engaged,\u201d as his brain makes new connections, forms new paths. It\u2019s a feeling that he hopes to share with his readers, saying, \u201cI promise that your life\u2014for that next week or two when you find a song or an album that you really love\u2014will have that new car smell that is increasingly rare as you get older.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"(Credit:](\"https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/07\/CFinnegan-acting-Large.jpg\")
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