Caroline Rose is perhaps best-known for the satire present in both their music and persona, but their wit does not absolve them from sincerity. The artist’s latest album, The Art of Forgetting, is a confessional, layered with personal anecdotes, Southern storytelling sensibilities, and unreserved exploration of the ever-evolving self.

Grief, shame, loss, regret, and pain all make appearances on the record—though it doesn’t ever lean too far into torment, with comedic (albeit dark) quips lyrically woven in with more serious subjects. “Everything I’ve said on this record is exactly what I would, and did, tell my therapist,” Rose reflects. This is not an exaggeration—in lieu of the romantic ode that would normally characterize songs named after women, Rose dedicates theirs to their therapist.

Ahead of the release of The Art of Forgetting, Rose shares a playlist that embodies the record’s spirit, featuring emotion-inciting ballads that make you feel like you’re “riding a horse through the desert.”

“Something On Your Mind” by Karen Dalton
“When I was at the beginning of a difficult breakup, I would walk across the street from my house—where I was living with my partner—to the library, put this song on repeat in my headphones, and ugly cry. I felt so helpless at the time and this song was like a warm hug.”

“Falaise” by Floating Points
“This was my most-played song for two years straight. Sometimes I listen to it for the textures, other times for the incredible sensory experience, and always for the emotion. The modulation on the string quartet was tracked in real-time! It inspired me to dive into the modular, to try and figure out how [Sam Shepherd] created these sounds.”

“Pilentze Pee” by Bulgarian State Television Female Choir
“To anyone who has heard this mind-blowing record, you’ll hear its influence all over The Art of Forgetting. I immediately felt connected to it in a very deep way, so much so that I wonder if I have Eastern European ancestors.”

“Banda Reggae Olodum Ritmos” by Olodum
“The samba-reggae rhythms are impossible not to move to, but the even bigger inspiration for me was the aliveness of all these people playing the same drum lines together. This recording was one of the things I took to the studio when experimenting with drum sounds. The big drums on The Art of Forgetting ended up sounding more like Taiko-meets-Hans Zimmer, but this was the original inspiration.”

“Tonada De Luna Llena” by Simón Díaz
“Every year, I like to go out to the desert in West Texas, where I bring my guitar and play under the open sky. It’s beautiful and eerie at the same time—a lot like this song, and a lot like my album. This song was sent to me by a fan, who said that all the Mexican women in her family would sing it together.”

“It will never not be insane to me, how much emotion a person can express with the voice alone. Songs like this remind me that there is no ceiling to what we can do creatively with the simplest of tools.”

“Chuncho” by Yma Sumac
“‘Chuncho’ showcases Yma as one of the greatest singers who ever lived. It will never not be insane to me, how much emotion a person can express with the voice alone. Songs like this remind me that there is no ceiling to what we can do creatively with the simplest of tools.”

“Nanou2” by Aphex Twin
“Aphex Twin is lovable for so many reasons, but in this particular case, I appreciate that all notions of genre allegiance are thrown out the window when he sits down at the piano. It feels real in that way, because the only reason songs like this belong in his catalog is that something is really felt in them. They are innocent of trying to be anything.”

“Solitude” by Sussan Deyhim
“I first heard this in Shirin Neshat’s short film, Turbulent. I was so mesmerized by the film and soundtrack, I still come back to it more than 10 years later. The modern take on traditional music is something I will always be fascinated by.”

“Pyramid Song” by Radiohead
“Not only my favorite Radiohead song, but also one of my favorite songs ever. It has everything I love in it: mystery, depth, longing, expansiveness, those cinematic strings!”

“Love Theme from ‘Spartacus’” by Bill Evans
“This song was controversial when it first came out in 1963, because he overdubbed multiple pianos. It sounds like a painting to me. Bill was a real painter of music.”

“Beyond the Brake” by Colin Stetson
“I think Nick Sanborn sent me this song when we were nerding out one day. The energy and textures in it are so so interesting. It feels like I’m riding a horse through the desert.”

“Phone Call – From ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’” by Jon Brion
“Jon Brion was way ahead of me, using tape loops and effects to capture the saudade-like memory of past love. Hopefully, I was able to make something a little different, but I definitely copied a lot of his production ideas.”