Hooked Like Helen

Female-Fronted Friday: Hooked Like Helen

April 17, 2026 — Leave a comment

When: Formed in 2016, writing music for TV and movies. Began focusing on touring in 2023.

Where: Northeast Ohio

Genre: Alt-rock/Sad glam

FFO: Evanescence, Tori Amos, Jewel, Lacuna Coil

At its core, Hooked Like Helen is made up of husband-and-wife Nikki and Jon Stipp. The band explores topics such as mental health, unresolved trauma, and addiction recovery in their music, fostering a safe space for healing for both themselves and their fan base. They have provided music for films and TV, and they have opened for such artists as Scott Stapp, Jewel, and Hinder.

Hooked Like Helen’s latest single, “I Don’t Mind,” deals with the subject of unrecognized and therefore unprocessed trauma. Check it out below, along with a few of my other favorite HLH tracks! And be sure to follow/subscribe to their various socials for tour dates, new music announcements, and much more!

“I Don’t Mind”

“Promise Me You’ll Run”

“Fraud”

“Sleepwalker”

Five Songs I’m Obsessed With [3/30 – 4/5]

April 5, 2026 — Leave a comment

Five Songs I’m Obsessed With [2/16 – 2/22]

February 22, 2026 — Leave a comment

I’m allowing myself an Honorable Mention again, because I really dig this track but can’t replace any of the others.

My Top 50 Songs of 2025

January 22, 2026 — Leave a comment

This list is rolling out a lot later than usual, and I’ve gotta be honest – it’s because I failed so miserably at keeping up with releases last year. I mean, I added tracks to my playlist and shared them here, as well as on Facebook and Insta, but I didn’t sit and listen to them until recently. I’ll do better this year, I swear!

And now, here are the fifty songs that really jumped out at me in 2025. A few things to be aware of: I do not rank the tracks in any particular order, and I do not include major label artists (or I try not to, at any rate), nor do I include covers. Last but not least, no band/artist can have more than one song on the list.

View the full playlist HERE.

The Mostly Music 2025 Playlist, Pt. 5 (Updated 5/31/25)

May 31, 2025 — Leave a comment

The second half of May has come in as strong as the first! Check out these tracks that have been released since May 16th.

Be sure to visit the other installments of The Mostly Music 2025 Playlist. You could discover your new favorite song/artist!

Pt. 1 – Pt. 2 – Pt. 3 – Pt. 4 – Pt. 5

My Top 50 Songs of 2024

December 31, 2024 — Leave a comment

I didn’t even pretend I was going to do less than 50 songs for this list. There was no way. And y’all made it difficult to narrow it down to even that! I’m gonna end up with a top 100 if I’m not careful.

So, this is totally subjective, of course. There were tons of amazing releases over the past 12 months, and I tried to share them all (though I know I missed a few, or found them too late). But these are the tracks, in no particular order, that grabbed and held my attention without letting go.

View the full playlist HERE.

Note: One band/artist cannot have more than one song included. I tried not to put anything by major label bands/artists on here. Last but not least, no covers!

The Mostly Music 2024 Playlist, Pt. 5 (Updated 10/6/24)

October 6, 2024 — Leave a comment

It’s the most wonderful time of the year – spooky season!!!!!!! And WOW, 2024 really is racing by. I know I’ve already made that observation, but sheesh!

Anyway, this year’s playlist is moving right along. And remember: there will be a top 50 at the end of December! Bands/artists, y’all are already making those choices extremely difficult to narrow down.

Please be sure to check out parts 1-4, along with the entirety of part 5.

Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 3 // Part 4 // Part 5

Here are the songs that have been added since September 22nd.

The Mostly Music 2024 Playlist, Pt. 4 (Updated 8/11/24)

August 11, 2024 — Leave a comment

I can’t believe it’s already August!!! 2024 is flying by!

I have been retroactively adding songs to the other parts of this playlist as I find them, so be sure to check out/revisit each installment.

Part I (Jan-Feb) // Part II (Mar-Apr) // Part III (May-June)

And visit the entirety of part IV (July-Aug).

Here are the singles that have been added since July 28th.

The Mostly Music 2024 Playlist, Pt. 3 (Updated 6/30/24)

June 30, 2024 — Leave a comment

This will be the last update for part 3. The singles released in July and August will get their own playlist, part 4.

You can listen to all of part 3 here.

And don’t forget part 1 and part 2.

Here are the songs that have been added since June 16th.