“Playing an MMO in 2004 on a Rainy Day” by City Girl

City Girl’s dreamy chill-hop has always possessed a nostalgic bent, with albums imagining their fictional heroine’s hopes and dreams as she makes her way through the big city. But I Don’t Know Why I Feel OK Right Now, But It’s Nice eschews that particular narrative, and instead, contains music that’s more personal and organic.

The enigmatic producer notes that this new album is a reaction of sorts to all of the time and effort they spent making the Catgirl video game. “It felt really good to sit down and just make stuff without thinking too hard about the outcome,” they write. Thus, it’s not surprising that I Don’t Know Why… feels looser than previous City Girl albums like, say, 2019’s Chroma Velocity, though it’s no less delightful a listen.

The usual City Girl elements are still there, only delivered in a gentler, more introspective manner as befitting song titles like “How I Imagine It Feels to Be a Leaf on a Sunny Day,” “Maybe Dying Is Like Waking Up From a Long Nap,” and “Playing an MMO in 2004 on a Rainy Day.” Indeed, that last song would make for lovely rainy day listening thanks to its lightly strummed acoustic guitar, pitter-patter beats, and pensive synths — regardless of whether you’re playing an MMO or not.