When we came up with the prompt for this playlist, there was no parameters apart from “duos.” That was it. So when the Trash Gentlemen sat down for our playlist build session we quickly realized that we had approached the content build completely differently with one culling tracks from one-off collaborations between artists and the other selecting from established, official duos. It doesn't really matter how or why artists get together, just that they are together. Mutual creation is one of the great joys of human existence. Honestly, so is mutual curation, hence the existence of the Trash Gentleman Playlist. As always, we hope you find something new to enjoy or maybe something to remember while you're sitting back listening to this one. Or driving your car listening listening to this one. Or riding the bus listening to this one. Or battling the police in a standoff listening to this one.

Hot Plate
Boldy James & Rome Streetz – Manhunt

This song was a late addition for me, mostly because it only released on 27 February 2026. However, this album hit me so hard that one of the tracks needed to find a place on this duos list. Boldy James, Detroit’s wordsmith, joining forces with New York’s Rome Streetz, feels like something we don’t deserve but we are very happy to receive. This isn’t the first time the two have worked together, especially since the two have very strong ties to the Griselda Records universe, but a full project from the two was unheard of until now. The project is incredible and it also includes a solo song from each of them. Hot Plate, one of the first official tracks on the project, stands out. Running at just over 2 minutes, Boldy and Rome go bar for bar throughout this very Griselda influenced beat. The two are lyrical geniuses, so you already know there is absolute heat when it comes to the picture these two paint on this song. Now I’m not greedy, but after this project, I need more. The chemistry from these two is on a whole other level and hopefully a tour of some sort comes from this.

I’m Finding It Harder To Be A Gentleman
The White Stripes – White Blood Cells

I can’t believe White Blood Cells turns 25 this year. I remember someone leaving this album for me in my auto-downloads on Audiogalaxy (IYKYK) and being enraptured pretty quickly. On an album that’s basically no-skips, I can’t tell you exactly why “I’m Find It Harder To Be A Gentleman” was the first song that came to mind when I sat down with the DUOS prompt. I even gave the album a full re-listen before I put my selection in stone, just to make sure. But there it was, standing tall, at the end of my first full run-through of White Blood Cells in approximately a decade. Lyrically, the song definitely hasn’t aged entirely well. It’s rotten with woe-is-me views of relationships held by many a loser. Lousy with the infantile notion of CHIVALRY. But in the end it’s a just a helluva blues rock song written by a young guy who seems to have aged pretty well in the intervening years. I actually find it easier to be a gentlemen every day as I age, so maybe this song just makes me nostalgic for a time of the unearned selfishness youth.

Also, I really hope Meg White is having a good day, wherever she is.