ANNE MARIE TO STEPHEN:

AM: What is your favorite song?

SB: This one is hands down Huggin & Kissin by Big Black Delta and it's all your fault. Thanks to you turning me onto the amazing mini series "The Sinner" in which this song is featured in a horrifying way, this song will forever hold a special place in my heart. Pretending I hadn't seen the show, it would be Other Lover because that song is dope AF.

AM: Have you heard any of these tracks before?

SB: While I've heard music from Big Black Delta, I had never heard Huggin & Kissin and since you sent it to me prior to the mini series, I'm going to say that all of the songs on your playlist are first listens. Well done!

AM: You can only listen to one artist on here - this track + the rest of their work (if you want) - for the rest of your life. Who do you pick and why?

SB: Simply by process of elimination, this is a fairly easy question when you remove the emotion of the moment. Considering that 80% of the songs you featured are from first singles, EPs or freshman albums from these artists, I'd have to eliminate them just because there's no guarantee they don't disband and I'm stuck listening to 4 songs for the rest of my life. And while I'm really tempted to say Big Black Delta since they have a really strong body of work and make some really nice beats that would last me a very long time, their tone tends to be darker and I'm guessing that in my old age I'd want more uplifting stuff. That leaves me with Ricky Nelson - a guy that brings 30 albums to the table that have already stood the test of time.

STEPHEN TO ANNE MARIE:

SB: What is your favorite song?

AM: You start me off with my favorite track this month. Kim Petras / I Don't Want It At All. I especially love that it's first because it makes me think about how when I'm making my own playlists, I try to save my best track for the finale or throw it in the middle just to trip you up or surprise you but now you're making me re-think this strategy. You go for the jugular and then manage to perform for 15 more songs. It's a high stakes way to live. Very slick.

SB: Have you heard any of these tracks before?

AM:  ODESZA, Alvvays (as of 3 weeks ago), C. Gainsbourg, TWOD

SB: You're driving along the sunny California coast and get a flat tire. As you're changing it (because of course you can), a dashing young man drives up in an old Mustang and offers to help. Which one of these songs is he listening to and what is your reaction? 

AM: I hope he swerves up, lets the dust storm settle to Terence Ryan's 'Hindsight' and stares at me for a few seconds before he says anything at all. The suspense of the "moment just before" something (great) happens always thrills me and a good-looking guy pulling off the road to lend a hand definitely falls into that category. 

He's thinking: She ain't no damsel, so what should I say here? I'm thinking: Even non-damsels need help sometimes, I hope he knows that.

He goes with something classic. "Need a hand?" I reply, "That'd be great." He gets out, I get up and he goes to work. He's impressive. So impressive that I pretend to check the oil but really cut the coolant line until he finishes and then break the news that we're going to have to spend 6 more hours together.