How to describe your mood for a better mixtape

Most playlists start from a genre: “indie”, “chill”, “80s”. Mixtape Mood starts from a feeling instead, and feelings are harder to name. “Sad” can mean a dozen different things. The first night after a breakup is a different sadness from a grey Sunday, and both are different again from missing a place you grew up in. The more of that you put into words, the closer the tape gets.

Name the feeling, then the moment

A feeling on its own gives a broad answer. A feeling plus the moment you’re in gives a specific one. Compare “happy” with “happy, cooking for friends with the windows open”. The second tells us the energy (busy but relaxed), the setting (a kitchen, people talking) and even the volume (background, not a concert). Time of day, weather, where you are and who you’re with all change which songs fit.

• “Tired” becomes “tired after a long week, driving home, finally free”.
• “Nostalgic” becomes “summers at my grandparents’ house by the sea”.
• “Calm” becomes “can’t sleep, want to slow my thoughts down”.

Mixed feelings are welcome

Real moods are rarely one thing. “Tired but hopeful”, “happy but a bit homesick” or “angry and I need to let it out” are some of the best prompts, because the songs have to hold both sides. You can also blend up to three mood chips (say, nostalgic and dreamy) if you’d rather tap than type.

Use the map when words run out

The mood map under the text box has two directions: up is more energy, right is a brighter mood. When you type, the dot moves to where we think your words sit, and you can drag it if we guessed wrong. Moving it a little toward the top makes the same feeling livelier; moving it left keeps it more bittersweet. It’s the quickest way to fix a tape that feels “almost right”.

Say what you want to hear, and what you don’t

You can be practical too. Ask for a language, a country, a decade or a style, and the whole tape follows it. You can also set rules, which matters more than it sounds: a dinner party tape works better with “nothing sad or heavy”, and a study tape with “no lyrics”.

• “only Greek songs” or “French rap from the 90s”
• “one song per artist”
• “instrumental only” or “no breakup songs”
• “songs my parents would know too”

Keep it honest, keep it short

You don’t need to write a paragraph. One honest sentence usually beats a long list of adjectives, because the adjectives start pulling in different directions. If the first tape isn’t quite it, use the buttons under the result: More upbeat, Calmer, Deeper cuts, More familiar or Different era. Each one makes a fresh tape from the same mood, so you can steer without starting over.

Your words stay yours

What you write is used to make the tape and isn’t kept afterwards. If you share a tape, your words are only included when you tick the box. So write it the way you’d say it to a friend: that’s the version that gets the best songs.