This is a Rebel Post. Rebel Posts are off-topic posts about anything I feel like writing about. Please enjoy.
After getting into vinyl records, I had thirst for collecting vinyl. I was visiting the Newbury Comics near me almost every weekend for a new record. It got so bad I was visiting my local store almost three times a week. I created a Discogs account and started buying records off of there. I wanted every album I ever loved on record.
Then I found VNYL, a subscription service that used your Spotify, Last.FM and other accounts to hand-pick and deliver you three records a month. Honestly, I thought this was too good to be true at first. Would I actually get records that I love, or will I get records that sort of sound like what I would want but I don’t really like? Read my VNYL subscription review down below (with bonus YouTube video!)
VNYL costs $39 a month, but you can choose to purchase a longer plan and save money. Luckily I was able to purchase a trial membership where I got two months for the price of one. This was such a perfect way to try out this service. At first I thought $39 was a lot of money for a monthly subscription, but after doing the math, I save a bit of money. Depending on the artist, quality of the pressing and other factors, new records can cost anywhere between $25-$40. When I broke that down by cost per record, each record in this subscription would only cost me around $13. I’ll take it!
When you first sign up, you fill out a profile asking you to connect your social media accounts and fill out your music preferences. This will help the person curating your box get a better idea of the kind of music you like AND dislike. I like that this little survey asked your to write out the artists and genres that you don’t like. I like that I won’t get some random metal or country album when I don’t listen to those genres. The survey also asks you to fill out your favorite artists, albums you’ve been wanting and what kind of turntable you own.
After you fill out the survey, you pick a vibe for the month. Think of vibes as the mood of your box that month. Each vibe has a playlist letting you know what kind of music you may get when you select that vibe. There are curated and pre-selected vibes. Curated vibes use your music preferences to choose your records. With pre-selected vibes you’ll know the exact records you’ll be receiving in your order. I chose the #SPRINGiton vibe for May.
Here are the records I received in my May box:
- Real Friends – The Home Inside My Head (clear with black splatter)
I’ve heard of Real Friends and was excited to receive this record. They toured with The Maine back in 2015 but I never got into them. This is a typical pop-punk record, but the lyrics are more sad and the guitars a little more mellow. When I first listened to this record, I wasn’t a fan. For the most part, I’ve moved on from pop-punk. But on second listen, I like this a lot! Real Friends kind of remind me of The Wonder Years. I love the lyrics, but the singer’s voice gets on my nerves sometimes. In terms of quality, this record sounds pretty great! I get no pops during silences in the songs and I’ve never experienced any skipping. Bonus: it’s colored vinyl! Who doesn’t love colored vinyl? - Paramore – Riot!
When I saw this record in my order, I flipped out. This is one of my favorite albums! Paramore is one of my favorite bands and I was excited to listen to this. If you haven’t listened to this album, what are you doing – go listen to it! Riot! has essential Paramore songs like “Misery Business” and “crushcrushcrush.” This was on standard black vinyl and the quality is great. - The Story So Far – What You Don’t See (translucent purple)
This is another band I’ve heard of but never listened to. If Real Friends was typical pop-punk, then this is true-to-the-genre pop-punk. It’s an ok record. It’s not that it’s awful, it’s just not my taste. Plus, when I found out that the singer literally kicked a female fan off of a stage, I lost interest in the band. It’s cool that it’s on translucent purple, though. The quality is pretty good, no skips or pops.
Overall, I’m happy with my box. I got two stellar records and one ok record. I don’t hate anything in my box, and I consider that a win! I’ll be getting my June box soon and I cannot wait!
Here is a video for my VNYL Subscription Review:
You purchase a VNYL subscription here or through Amazon Subscription here.
What do you think of this VNYL subscription review? Do you want to subscribe? Let me know down below!
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