For over a decade, Mary Jane Dunphe has been one of the most dynamic performers in the American underground. From her work fronting the punk band VEXX to her vocals on CCFX’s influential self-titled EP, Dunphe has traversed genre and mood with a singular intensity, especially in the live arena. Her 2023 record Stage of Love upped the ante, opening a path for a new era in her life as an artist. We had a feeling Dunphe—who is now based in the UK but previously did time in New York and Olympia—would be able to give us ten Best Songs for hyper-specific situations, and we were not wrong. Read her answers and listen to Stage of Love, below.

Best song to listen to while riding a bike around an unfamiliar city?

“P.S. Goodbye” by The Chameleons

This song feels best at any time of day but preferably on a hilly, unbusy street so you can sway back and forth with momentum, maybe take your hands off for a minute if it feels comfortable.

Best song by an Olympia band?

“Heal” by Broken Water 

A song that feels familiar on first listen. Whenever I've shown it to someone, they have no idea when it's actually from. It's fuzzy and warm, but I can feel the damp, woody cold of the PNW in it, the kind that sticks to your bones.

Best song to put on right after you've gotten off of work?

“Bismillahi 'Rrahman 'Rrahim” by Harold Budd

I usually would get off work late, and this song is so soothing and nocturnal, it immediately decompresses me. It sounds like street lights reflecting off of puddles, a swirl of gasoline in the gutter, fluid big-city mirrors. 

Best song that you love but has really stupid lyrics?

“Ever” by Flipper

"Ever do nothing and gain nothing from it / Ever feel stupid and then know that you really are?”

Best song to play in the van on tour, first thing in the morning?

“Honey” by Ultramarine 

I feel like on tour, the music you play when the van starts is different than the music you play once you get on the freeway. That said, this song works for either. It's so bouncy and full of sun, like a cartoon walking sidescroll while all the trees and animals pulse happily in the background.

Best song by a new band?

“Green Edge” by Colle 

I love Colle. She is so cool and goofy but also so serious about making something beautiful, to the very best of her ability, and for herself first. It's a gorgeous track, and I love when a song can evoke a distance, which I feel like she does with a lot of her music.

Best song with a big breakbeat? 

“Play Dead” by Bjork 

I first heard it on a night drive, and it just hit so hard. Jah Wobble of PiLco-wrote and plays such a funky bassline, and the break is from "Footsteps in the Dark" by The Isley Brothers. Whenever I put it on I have to loop it back at least twice.

Best song with a big synth lead?

“Rain” by Tones on Tail 

This song is the reason why I love an extremely long intro. The best use of reverse-reverb I've ever heard. One of my top 5 of all time. It goes on every mix.

Best song that makes you think about your early 20s?

“Beyond Living” by Milk Music

To get people to watch touring bands in Olympia in the early 2010s, you had to sandwich them in with local bands in the lineup, because that's kind of all we cared about at the time, the local bands. There were so many great shows, and the world there is so small you've got to build it yourself. I feel so lucky to have lived in Oly during that moment in time. I wouldn't be who I am without it.

Best song that gets you excited about making new music?

“Desperately” by Caroline 

I saw Caroline for the first time at Green Man festival last year. I was watching from the side stage and could tell they were having feedback and technical problems and there were so many of them on stage, but they all just keyed into each other, and at one point pressed their heads against each other as they played. I was crying by the end. It was so beautiful and it validated why live music is special: the risks, the failures, the intimacy. Since then I have been listening to them so much and they free up my mind when I feel stuck on what a song should be vs what a song can be.