That “complicate everything” attitude involving several extra items of hardware (Apple Watch, AirPods, and of course an iPhone to configure the watch) and at least a couple services (phone provider, Apple Music or Spotify) is frankly distressing.
I have all of the above (iPhone 11 Pro, Apple Watch 6, AirPods Pro) and yet I still rely on my colour-coded last-generation iPod Shuffles when I want to just pop in a pair of earphones and have some favourite tunes that suit whatever mood I’m in (or want to put myself into). Why on earth should one have to spend so much money to achieve the same result (and forgo the elegance of simplicity in the process)?