In partnership with Warner Bros. UK
Ever since the invention of ‘repeat’ buttons, around the time CD players started to appear in the late 1980s, music fans have ruined their favourite songs by looping them into monotonous oblivion. Not content with a single play of your favourite pop jam? Well, mash that little plastic square enough times and you soon will be.
But what if you could do the same thing with a human life? Well, Bong Joon-ho’s new movie Mickey 17 imagines something similar. Set in the future, this hotly anticipated new sci-fi follows Robert Pattinson’s titular character, who unwisely signs up to become an ‘expendable’ – meaning he’ll be shipped off to space and tasked with all kinds of dangerous jobs that normal people wouldn’t ever consider. The danger doesn’t really matter though, because if Mickey dies he’ll be ‘re-printed’ in a new body with all his memories intact. Basically, science has given him a repeat button for the physical self.
Now, eternal existence could get quite dull – so we here at NME have put together a banger-stuffed playlist for Mickey to help him pass the time. It’s filled with tunes that are impossible to get bored of – from skull-rattling metal moshers to earworm indie anthems. Stick it on repeat, Mick.
Tool – ‘Pneuma’
On their profound 2019 single, Tool did exactly what they do best: combine unmatched instrumental ability with emotional songwriting chops to create pure metal magic. With each listen, the nearly-12-minute masterpiece reveals yet another layer of nuance, another of frontman Maynard James Keenan’s lyrics to dissect, another of Danny Carey’s furious drum patterns to keep up with. While it isn’t the most lighthearted choice to have on repeat, it could end up being one of the most fruitful. Top of the playlist, please.
Liberty Dunworth, Staff Writer
Kraftwerk – ‘The Robots’
From those first curious beeps, you’re pulled into the world of Kraftwerk – a universe which remains as alien as it did when ‘The Robots’ was first released in 1978. And yet, so much of this song is simple pop perfection, from its insatiable, clanging riff to the jagged bass that’s since been interpolated by LCD Soundsystem. The first listen puts you in a flow state, marvelling at the brave new world these German electro-punks have concocted. Then, after 16 more listens, you’ll realise their mystical world might be closer than you realised.
Alex Rigotti, Contributing Editor (Radar)
The Kooks – ‘Naïve’
The Kooks’ ‘Naïve’ has been around nearly 20 years, but it somehow feels even older. From the crisp opening guitar riff to its pounding drums and funky bassline, the south coast quartet’s signature track has cemented its place as an indie rock essential. The anthemic and iconic chorus has always been the highlight: “I know she knows that I’m not fond of asking / True or false, it may be, well, she’s still out to get me”, Luke Pritchard’s smokey croon sounding like an old friend hyping you up to scream along with him – whether that’s in a field with thousands of festival-goers or in your head while riding the Tube. Who could get bored of that?
Anagricel Duran, Staff Writer
Mariah Carey – ‘We Belong Together’
If there is such a thing as a perfect song, Mariah Carey’s eternal ballad ‘We Belong Together’ would qualify. The chart success of this 2005 single helped cement her album ‘The Emancipation Of Mimi’ as a true comeback after those career doldrums of the early noughties – but its power can’t be captured in records and plaques. Every single element fits snugly, from the trilling piano to Jermaine Dupri’s clever production to Carey’s characterful, plainspoken lyrics (the callouts to Bobby Womack and Babyface) to her stunning vocal runs. Listen to this 17 times and then some more.
Karen Gwee, Managing Editor (Music)
Clairo – ‘Amoeba’
When Atlanta-born songwriter Claire Cottrill sings “Aren’t you glad that you reside in a hell and in disguise?”, she might as well be talking to Robert Pattinson’s Mickey, such is the eternally upbeat human punchbag’s unhappy situation throughout Bong Joon-ho’s new film. Hopefully this soothing and upbeat bedroom pop masterpiece, all Metronomy-style nu-disco sprinkled with Supertramp’s catchy keyboard riffs, will help him sustain a positive mindset – even while his current ‘expendable’ corpse is being heaved into the incinerator. If Mickey, somehow, fails to vibe with Clairo’s best track, the live version recorded at Electric Lady Studios in 2023 – with added sax and piano – is even better.
Alex Flood, Managing Editor (Entertainment + Partnerships)
’Mickey 17’ is in UK cinemas March 7