“Music has always been the most important thing in my life. I’ve been drumming since I was nine years old, and I process my emotions and life through listening to and making music,” Georgia “G Flip” Flipo tells Apple Music. The overriding sentiment is no revelation for longtime listeners: Flipo loved multiple corners of the musical spectrum on their 2019 debut, About Us. The fact that they’ve been drumming since childhood may be no surprise to those who’ve attended a G Flip live show, but their enduring passion for percussion is what their sophomore 2023 record, DRUMMER, is all about—and not just in form, but in function. Each and every song was either structured around a drum idea first or written with a famous drum part in mind (“Didn’t Mean To,” for instance, references Toto’s famous “Rosanna” shuffle), with closer “Made for You” serving as a patented love letter to Flipo’s first instrument. “I have found inspiration, comfort, and happiness through these artists and songs,” Flipo asserts about the handpicked songs in this playlist—and you’ll notice, fittingly, that a lot of that inspiration, comfort, and happiness revolves around the drumming. Bruce Springsteen, “Born to Run” “I grew up listening to a lot of Bruce Springsteen with my dad. I knew I wanted to make a song that had that sense of urgency and pace that ‘Born to Run’ has. My single ‘The Worst Person Alive’ was inspired by Bruce’s use of drums and that never-ending kick part—paired with glockenspiel and subtle sax tones. That song makes you want to run, and that’s what I was going for in my track, too.” Paramore, “Looking Up” “I f*****g love Paramore and Hayley Williams. Hayley is such an amazing vocalist and performer, and Zac Farro is insane on the drums. I’m so inspired by Hayley and Zac. I grew up listening to so much Paramore, and I still look to them for inspiration—not only when I’m writing songs, but also when I’m creating my live show, strengthening my vocals, and thinking about the direction of my whole project. I just love them.” Foo Fighters, “Everlong” “The Foo Fighters. What can I say? Being a drummer and singer, I always looked up to Dave Grohl and what he has done with his career. In fact, I mirrored what he did by being a drummer in a band and then becoming a frontperson. Taylor Hawkins is also one of my favorite drummers of all time. ‘Everlong’ was always that song as a teenager that I would be trying to master as a drummer. It was also quite challenging to sing and drum at the same time; I did a cover just to prove to myself I could do it.” Leon Bridges, “River” “‘River’ is my favorite song of all time. I have the lyrics tattooed on me. This song will always be so special to me. Leon Bridges is king.” Royal Blood, “Figure It Out” “The drum tone on this song is so huge and punchy. This track is in a playlist I listen to before I go onstage. It pumps me the fuck up.”