“I agreed that what really matters is what you like, not what you are like... Books, records, films - these things matter….it’s the truth!” - Rob Gordon, High Fidelity (as written by Nick Hornby)

A shared vision of how banking in the 21st century *should* be unifies our community. People believe in what we’re doing for the same reason they support their favorite artists, because our values, ideas and beliefs align with their theirs. We often discuss our musical tastes with other members of the team, swapping new discoveries and attending gigs together. What better way for both our staff and our community members to get to know us than by listening to songs that we love? Thus, the Monzo Mixtape Volume One was born.



You can listen to the mixtape on Spotify and Google Play Music, and you can read the full details about the mixtape below - which staff member picked which song, and why. For those of you that have met some of us at events, some of the selections might make total sense - others might surprise you! We hope you’ll find it just as awesome as we do!

You can also type spotify:user:monzohq in the Spotify search bar to find our account!

1. Sign O’ The Times by Prince (1987) - chosen by Simon B, Customer Operations

“Prince is my favorite artist of all time, and only he could make a song like this - minimal, unique socially conscious genius space funk with one of the best opening lyrics of all time”

2. 99 Luftballons by Nena - chosen by Jonas Huckestein, CTO

“Seems to be the most internationally well known German song!”

3. Blessings (Reprise) by Chance The Rapper - chosen by Maria Campbell, Head of People

“Chance is a world class poet (I used to rate TS Eliot & e e cummings). This track wraps up Coloring Book perfectly.”

4. It’s A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock N Roll) by AC/DC - chosen by Hugo Cornejo, Head of Design

“Someday I'll host a late-night talk show and this will be the theme the band will play every night right before my opening monologue. I'll take the stage right at the first bagpipe segment.”

5. Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues by Bob Dylan - chosen by Zander Brade, Designer

“I'm a Dylan megafan, and Tom Thumb has always held a special place in my heart as a personal favourite. It's combination of wild and symbolist lyricism, chronic desperation and clear, biting vocals that Dylan carried in 65.”

6. Arabella by Arctic Monkeys - chosen by George Webster, Customer Support

“I don't think I feel as cool at any other point in life than when I'm singing this song.”

7. River Man by Nick Drake - chosen by Venkat Srinivasan, Head of Lending

“I picked this because of Nick's unique strumming of the guitar, lyrics and his magical voice!”

8. Mr Brightside by The Killers - chosen by Tristan Thomas, Head of Marketing & Community

“This is the one of the songs of my childhood — at full volume with headphones on, you just can't beat it.”

9. Pretty Pimpin’ by Kurt Vile - chosen by Anthony Greco, Business Operations

“I stumbled upon these at Glastonbury by chance and loved it - best way to discover music!”

10. The Way It Goes by Brock Berrigan - chosen by Guillaume Breton, Backend Engineer

“Awesome hip-hop beats with jazz samples!”

11. The Chain by Fleetwood Mac - chosen by Will Stolerman, Business Operations

“It’s just so beaut”

12. Float On by Modest Mouse - chosen by Tara Mansfield, Office Manager

“Musically it's interesting and I love the sentiment behind the lyrics. Always chills me out and reminds me of great holidays.”

13. You Wish by Nightmares On Wax - chosen by Fred Morgan, Customer Support

“My go-to when chilling at home, cooking dinner, chatting with friends etc.”

14. Cassandra by Abba - chosen by Priscila Zanuzzo, Product Tester

“Because ABBA. Because Greek mythology.”

15. All The Time In The World by Deep Purple - chosen by Francesco Colombo, Overnight Customer Support

“I like the idea of taking the scenic route instead of the beaten path, and I love the way this song portrays what is essential in life, and talks about personal freedom. Plus, it's a catchy tune!”

16. Venezuela Trains by Ravyn Lenae - chosen by Dan Brown, Software Engineer

“I”m not very good at R&B usually (to my detriment, I'm sure), but this track charmed me. Fab vocals and shuffle-y production – and all her other stuff is great too.”

17. Castle on the Hill by Ed Sheeran - chosen by James Nicholson, iOS Engineer

“Painful nostalgia for the country”

18. Winter Linn by Clark - chosen by Matt Heath, engineer

“Dark, powerful, industrial techno. Perfect for a sunny afternoon in the park 😉 ”

19. Spirit Of The Radio by Rush - chosen by Dillon Van Auken - Overnight Customer Ops Coach

“This song is the perfect rock song. The musicianship, arrangement, energy, and lyricism are all stellar and a great example of Rush at its best.”

20. Pass the Milk (ft. Milo) by Kool AD - chosen by Jarno Wolf, Business Operations

Both Kool AD and Milo have amazing chilled out cadence and some interesting lyrics. The spacey production and mellow beats were the soundtrack to a lot of my university years.

21. You Know, Right? by Skream - chosen by Richard Dingwall, Core Team Engineer

“For me, this song perfectly captures dance music made and played in this wonderful city we live in, London.”

22. The Suburbs by Arcade Fire - chosen by Yehudi Asamoah, Customer Operations

“Dreamy, flowery and nostalgic”

23. Dance! Dance! by Yumiko Cheng - chosen by Sunny Yu, Paid Marketing Manager

“As the title says, it makes me want to dance after (or during) a day's hard work!”

24. Fly Me To The Moon by Frank Sinatra - chosen by Sam Michael, Designer

“The Moon!!”

We hope you enjoy listening! Head to the forum to tell us what you think of our selection and share your favorite artists - we’d love to hear your recommendations!