March Music Playlists: Great Spring Awakening Playlists

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In like a lion, out like a lamb, and somewhere in between there’s a perfect playlist for all of it.

March is genuinely my favourite month to think about musically. It’s the most contradictory month of the year. One day it’s bright, and you can feel something warming up. The next day, it’s back to grey skies and a biting wind. March keeps you guessing, and I think that’s actually quite exciting. The music should match that energy. Here are some playlist ideas I’ve been putting together. Some obvious, some less so. All worth trying.

The First Real Signs of Spring Playlist

There’s a specific moment in March when you step outside, and the air smells different. Something earthy and green. It’s not warm exactly, but it’s alive in a way it hasn’t been for months. That moment deserves a playlist immediately.

Indie pop with a bright, jangly quality works perfectly here. Artists like Vampire Weekend, Alvvays, or The Shins have this sunny, slightly restless energy that matches early spring exactly. There’s optimism in the guitar tones without being saccharine. It sounds like it was recorded outdoors.

Also, try Fleet Foxes. Their harmonies have this organic, natural quality that sounds like waking up. Their self-titled debut album and Helplessness Blues are both brilliant for this moment. Similarly, First Aid Kit from Sweden makes this beautiful folk-pop that feels genuinely hopeful without being naive.

If you want something more electronic but still with that fresh quality, try artists like Bonobo or Röyksopp. Their music has space and texture that feels like early morning light. Bonobo’s Spotify page is a great starting point.

The first signs of spring deserve to be celebrated. Put a playlist on, open a window a tiny bit, and let March in.

The St Patrick’s Day Playlist

The 17th of March marks St Patrick’s Day, celebrated with remarkable enthusiasm far beyond Ireland itself. In the US, cities like Chicago, Boston, and New York turn it into a major event. In Australia, Canada, and the UK, there are parades and gatherings too. The music surrounding it is genuinely worth exploring in depth.

Traditional Irish folk music is extraordinary and often underappreciated outside of the obvious drinking songs. The Chieftains are a brilliant starting point. They’ve collaborated with everyone from Van Morrison to the Rolling Stones, and their recordings of traditional tunes are definitive. Similarly, Planxty and The Bothy Band from the 1970s created some of the most vital folk music anywhere in the world.

For something more contemporary, Irish artists like Lankum are doing extraordinary things right now. They take traditional forms and expand them into something almost psychedelic. Their album False Alarm is worth your full attention. Ye Vagabonds are similarly beautiful. More gentle, more introspective.

If you want the more celebratory end of things, The Pogues are always the answer. Shane MacGowan wrote some of the most viscerally alive songs in popular music. It’s rowdy and tender in equal measure. RTÉ, the Irish national broadcaster, has a fantastic music discovery platform that covers both traditional and contemporary Irish music in depth.

The Clocks Change Playlist

In the US, clocks go forward in mid-March. In the UK and Europe, it’s the last Sunday of March. In Australia and New Zealand, clocks go back around this time. Either way, something shifts. That change of rhythm deserves its own musical acknowledgement.

The day the clocks go forward is particularly interesting. You lose an hour, but you gain an evening. Suddenly, it’s light at 7 pm, and something in your mood genuinely lifts. This calls for music with length and space. Music that suits a longer evening.

Progressive rock might sound like an odd suggestion, but hear me out. Artists like Pink Floyd, Yes, or more recently Steven Wilson make music that rewards a long, uninterrupted listen. Dark Side of the Moon plays beautifully on a newly extended spring evening. It’s an experience rather than just background music.

Alternatively, try ambient electronic music that evolves slowly. Artists like Stars of the Lid or William Basinski create music that shifts almost imperceptibly over long periods. It’s deeply immersive. Perfect for that first evening where you suddenly have extra light and don’t quite know what to do with it.

Time Zone resources for clocks changing globally can help you track when your clocks actually change. Useful if you travel or have international friends to call.

The Spring Equinox Playlist

Around the 20th or 21st of March, the spring equinox arrives in the northern hemisphere. Day and night are of equal length. After months of longer nights, that balance feels genuinely significant. Many cultures around the world have celebrated this moment for thousands of years.

Music connected to ritual and ancient practice feels right here. This is another moment for something like Wardruna, whose music draws on Norse traditions and feels genuinely ceremonial. Similarly, Dead Can Dance, despite their rather gothic name, create music that draws on ancient Mediterranean and Eastern traditions. Their album Aion is particularly relevant.

Also worth exploring is Persian classical music, connected to Nowruz, the Persian New Year, which falls on the spring equinox. This is one of the oldest celebrations in the world, observed across Iran, Afghanistan, the Kurdish regions, and among diaspora communities globally. The music is extraordinarily beautiful. Artists like Shajarian or Shahram Nazeri sing in a way that sounds both ancient and completely alive. The Nowruz Foundation has cultural resources, including musical references.

The equinox is a genuinely global moment. It’s a nice reminder that March connects us to something much bigger than our own immediate experience.

The Muddy Boots and Open Spaces Playlist

March weather is wild. One afternoon, it might actually be warm enough to go outside properly. Not just a hurried walk to the car but an actual proper walk somewhere. In the UK, the countryside starts to feel accessible again. In the US, depending on where you are, trails are beginning to open. In parts of Australia, the autumn bush walks are beautiful.

Country music is genuinely perfect for this kind of day. And I mean proper country, not just pop country. Townes Van Zandt, John Prine, and Gillian Welch write about landscape and movement in a way that feels utterly right when you’re outdoors. Their music has mud on its boots. It earns its landscapes.

For something more recent, Tyler Childers and Colter Wall are carrying that torch brilliantly. Tyler Childers especially has this rawness that feels very alive. His album Purgatory is a brilliant listen on a blustery March walk.

If country isn’t your thing, try Americana more broadly. The Avett Brothers, Mandolin Orange (now Watchhouse), and Gregory Alan Isakov all make music that feels enormously well-suited to open spaces and changing skies.

AllTrails is brilliant for finding walks near you globally. Pairing a good trail with a good playlist is honestly one of March’s greatest pleasures.

The Women’s History Month Playlist

March is Women’s History Month in the US, UK, and many other countries, with International Women’s Day on the 8th of March recognised globally. This feels like an important playlist to build thoughtfully rather than just throwing together obvious names.

Start with the pioneers who were often overlooked. Sister Rosetta Tharpe essentially invented rock-and-roll guitar and rarely gets the credit. Memphis Minnie was one of the greatest blues musicians, regardless of gender. Odetta was a towering figure in folk and civil rights. These are artists whose influence is incalculable.

Then move through decades. Joni Mitchell remains one of the most harmonically sophisticated songwriters in popular music. Poly Styrene of X-Ray Spex was a genuinely radical voice. PJ Harvey has made some of the most uncompromising rock music of the last thirty years. Missy Elliott changed hip-hop production permanently.

Right now, artists like Little Simz, Arooj Aftab, and Amaarae are doing extraordinary work across hip hop, classical composition, and Afropop, respectively. Arooj Aftab became the first Pakistani woman to win a Grammy, which feels worth knowing. Her album Vulture Prince is stunning.

She Shreds Media is a brilliant publication that covers women and non-binary guitarists and musicians worldwide. It’s a great discovery resource.

The March Madness Playlist

If you’re in the US, March means college basketball. The NCAA tournament, universally known as March Madness, starts in mid-March and takes over everything for weeks. Even people who don’t particularly follow basketball get pulled in by the bracket chaos and the upsets.

Sports and music are deeply connected, and this feels like a moment for high-energy hip hop and R&B. The kind of music that plays in arenas. DJ Khaled, Drake, Travis Scott, and Lil Baby dominate sports playlists for good reason. The production is built for big rooms and loud moments.

But also think about the cities involved. March Madness brings together teams from across the US, making for a fun playlist-building game. If your bracket has a team from New Orleans, add some second-line funk. A team from Atlanta means Outkast and Goodie Mob. A Seattle team might mean Macklemore or Sir Mix-a-Lot. Teams from Nashville open the door back to country. It’s a surprisingly fun way to build a playlist with geography built in.

ESPN’s March Madness coverage is the obvious place to follow the tournament. And the bracket challenge is genuinely fun, even if you know nothing about college basketball.

The “Actually, It Still Feels Like Winter” Playlist

Look, I have to be honest here. March can absolutely betray you. That first warm week can be followed immediately by a cold snap and grey skies that feel completely demoralising. I’ve been caught out by this more times than I want to admit. So this playlist is for exactly that moment.

The thing is, late winter melancholy in March feels different from January melancholy. It has more frustration in it. More impatience. The music should reflect that. Post-punk is actually brilliant for this. The Cure, Joy Division, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and more recently Squid or black midi have this charged, restless energy. It’s not hopeless. It’s annoying in a productive way.

Also, try protest music and music with genuine anger in it. This time of year, when political news feels heavy, there’s something important about music that talks back. Nina Simone’s Mississippi Goddam, Rage Against the Machine, Idles, or international artists like Fela Kuti or Victor Jara made music that refuses to accept things as they are.

If you want to explore global protest music in depth, Globalink’s world music archive covers folk and protest traditions from dozens of countries. It’s a genuinely fascinating resource.

March doesn’t owe you good weather. But it does owe you eventually turning into April, and that knowledge helps.

Where to Keep Exploring in March

A few resources that are particularly useful as spring approaches and musical curiosity grows:

Folk Radio UK is an excellent resource for folk and acoustic music from the UK and beyond. Their reviews and features are consistently thoughtful and it’s a great way to find new artists in that space.

Pitchfork’s Spring Music Preview typically runs in March each year and covers albums to watch across all genres. It’s worth checking around mid-March.

KEXP is a Seattle-based radio station that streams globally and has one of the best session and live performance archives on the internet. Their YouTube channel has thousands of live performances across every genre imaginable.

Sounds Like Noise is a UK-based community radio platform with eclectic programming that changes daily. It’s brilliant for discovering music you wouldn’t find through an algorithm.

March is the month where music feels most necessary and most alive. The world is thawing. Something is beginning. Find the playlist that matches that feeling and let it carry you into spring.

What’s soundtracking your March this year? Drop your recommendations because I genuinely want to know.