Greetings friends and welcome to my stop on the Blog Tour for The Light at the Bottom of the World by London Shah, which comes out in paperback on September 28, 2021!
“I turn down the blaring punk rock music ricocheting off the submersible’s interior and [has a phone conversation].
The Clash’s guitar riff resumes its rightful decibel as I rise.”
Today’s creative post is born of my love of punk rock and immense glee experienced when Leyla was blaring The Clash. I knew this was my time to thrive!
The Punk Rock Playlist
The Light at the Bottom of the World is a story wrapped up in nostalgia. I had a lot of fun thinking about what music would be remembered in the year 2099. What would be considered ancient mainstream tunes? What would be considered a hidden gem future hipsters would find in the corners of the next generation of Internet?
Based on Leyla’s love for The Clash, I decided that this playlist would be populated largely by the iconic bands often named as progenitors for punk rock. She’d likely land on the Danzig side of the fence when asked which Misfits frontman she prefers (while I love Danzig, I also appreciate the Michale Graves era).
So what would Leyla recommend you listen to? Check out my playlist with some of my favorite songs!
An Alcest Underwater Bonus
Leyla’s Leitmotif may be punk rock, but the post-metal (shoegaze) band Alcest makes me think of being underwater. The visuals of the music video pair with the idea of protecting the planet… something that didn’t quite happen in The Light at the Bottom of the World.
About The Light at the Bottom of the World
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Hope had abandoned them to the wrath of all the waters.
At the end of the twenty-first century, the world has changed dramatically, but life continues one thousand feet below the ocean’s surface. In Great Britain, sea creatures swim among the ruins of Big Ben and the Tower of London, and citizens waver between fear and hope; fear of what lurks in the abyss, and hope that humanity will soon discover a way to reclaim the Earth.
Meanwhile, sixteen-year-old Leyla McQueen has her own problems to deal with. Her father’s been arrested, accused of taking advantage of victims of the Seasickness-a debilitating malaise that consumes people, often claiming their lives. But Leyla knows he’s innocent, and all she’s interested in is getting him back so that their lives can return to normal.
When she’s picked to race in the action-packed London Submersible Marathon, Leyla gets the chance to secure his freedom; the Prime Minister promises the champion whatever their heart desires. The race takes an unexpected turn, though, and presents her with an opportunity she never wanted: Leyla must venture outside of London for the first time in her life, to find and rescue her father herself.
Now, she’ll have to brave the unfathomable waters and defy a corrupt government determined to keep its secrets, all the while dealing with a secretive, hotheaded companion she never asked for in the first place. If she fails, or falls prey to her own fears, she risks capture–and her father might be lost forever.
Click for the Blog Tour Schedule!
October 20th – Utopia State of Mind
October 21st – Tomes and Textiles
October 22nd – Reader Voracious (me!)
October 23rd – Hollibrary Books
October 24th – Julia Fleur
October 25th – YA Book Corner
October 26th – Headscarves and Hardbacks
October 27th – Artsy Draft
October 28th – The Tsundoku Chronicles
Do you like punk rock? Which bands do you like? Who did I miss in this playlist?
OMG I love this playlist, will listen tomorrow
Thank you! I honestly have been listening to it for the last day, it makes me really happy haha
OMGGGGG. I’ve ALWAYS wanted to do a creative post with a playlist. I love yours!! Definitely going to have it blaring out of my speakers soon! ♥️♥️
Ahh, you should do it, it was so much fun! Glad you liked the post and I hope the playlist rocked
Ah! What a great playlist! Punk is definitely one of my loves. My top three of the more iconic punk bands are Misfits, Rancid, and The Distillers so you had most of them covered. I’ll admit though, I’m an absolute sucker for some good horror punk or psychobilly. It’s fun to find someone else in the book community who is into punk!
I cannot wait to meet Leyla! The Light at the Bottom of the World is a release I’ve really been looking forward to.
I can’t believe I left off the Distillers, THE SHAME! OMG I love psychobilly. Hello you are my new best friend now.
She is so strong and resilient, I can’t wait for you to meet Leyla either!
Need to figure out spotify on this evil laptop so I can add this playlist, because I’m already loving the songs I’ve snooped on it. Also, because of you, I totally just signed up for a blog tour for this book lol either way, I’m reading it.
If you don’t want to download Spotify on the laptop, you can launch the web player version and play the playlist that way! And I am so glad you dig the playlist, it rocks imo. I can’t wait to hear your thoughts about this book as well!
While I didn’t enjoy the book this is such a fun way to celebrate the book’s release!! I love music and it is such a fun idea to think about what music and songs would persist in some future underwater world. What would echo around a submarine the best?! And this playlist is infinitely playable. ❤️❤️❤️
Thank you so much for your comment, Dani! I knew I wanted to try a playlist when Leyla was blaring The Clash in her submersible at the beginning of the book. I think punk would sound so badass with the echo and acoustics.
Love this playlist! I needed some serious OG punk-rock in my life.
Ahh, I am so honored the playlist got your seal of approval!