Life
If you need a change of pace, sometimes all you need is to change your tune — literally. It's cold and miserable out, so you can certainly be forgiven for not having the motivation to do all the running you promised yourself you'd do. I often find that the most effective way to psyche myself up for a run is to play a tune that'll really make me want to move. But sometimes your favourite workout song can get real old real quick. You need something fresh, which is why I'm gifting you the best albums to listen to while running in 2019.
Sure those '80s, old-school jams are a great go-to, but it's time to push them aside for now, and update your running playlist with the best pump-up albums from the past few months. Discovering new music while exercising at the same time? That's right. You're welcome.
Whether you need straight-up motivation from some inspiring musical auteurs or just something to give you a little more pep in your step, this list has got you covered. Run your way through sassy R&B grooves, raps faster than Usain Bolt, and beats that'll make you want to keep moving your feet.
1
'New Breed' by Dawn
Setting the new year off with a bang, Dawn's fifth album New Breed showcases an exercise-inspiring blend of ricocheting beats and cool Orleans tones, as well as a sense of spirit empowering enough to lift the heaviest of feet. Like the rest of the albums in Dawn's back catalogue, New Breed celebrates the marriage between mind and body, but it feels more like a call to move your hips. The 10 tracks on this album are forceful and unstoppable, and it's more than likely that they'll make you feel the same.
2
'Outer Peace' by Toro y Moi
Often, when you're running, you want to forget about what you're doing completely. Let's face it, a lot of the time, running sucks. It's painful, sweaty, and tiring, which is why you need to feel like you've been transported to another world while doing it. Toro y Moi's latest album Outer Peace does just that. These pumped-up bops sort of feel like they're taking place inside of a spaceship, and its synth sound harkens back to some of those '80s workout tunes that you can't help but run to.
3
'Room' 25 by Noname
Noname might have some of the best wordplay in rap right now and I reckon that will help out with your running routine. Although this artist is inspired by the sleepier sounds of musicians like Chance the Rapper, her latest album, Room 25, is designed to wake you up. If you can catch up with Noname's flow, you'll be running faster than a cheetah. Her words come fast and hard, and they'll make you want to keep up the pace.
4
'Be the Cowboy' by Mitski
The album title alone is motivation enough. Mitski invites you to Be The Cowboy, and by that she means you should be the person you always wanted to be right now. Does that mean you're a healthy person that loves running? Sure. This album is an excellent soundtrack to that. Its blustering opener "Geyser" sets the album up with a volcanic amount of energy, which is maintained across these delectable and stirring indie-pop tracks.
5
'Chris' by Christine & the Queens
Every single beat on Christine & the Queens' sophomore album Chris was made to be danced to. Palpably inspired by Michael Jackson and old-school funk, this album is a fresh and deliberately femme take on some of the classic songs that play at the gym. As the Guardian wrote in their review of the best albums of 2018, Christine & the Queens really leans "into a muscular femininity" on Chris, and this collection is just as much a celebration of the body as it is an opportunity to move to some really excellent bops.
