1. Drifting Apart by Juke Ross
The energy that reverberates from this song is both soulful and upbeat. When the instrumental part of the chorus breaks, it makes me smile on my walk to class. This artist is my new favorite, and he just came out with an amazing EP with the same name as this song. A couple of other personal favorites from him are “Burned by the Love” and “Trading Places”.
2. Almost Love by Olivia O’Brien
Between her voice, genius melody, and honest lyrics, this song is everything you want in a pop song. Not to mention the relatable plotline here! In college, I feel like there are so many beginnings that either end abruptly or just don’t work out because there’s no time or capacity for emotionality. Shit happens, and this song really captures that “almost” feeling. Other songs from this artist you should check out are “Love Myself” and “Care Less More”.
My friend showed me this song in the library and it transported me. The quiet beginning along with the vibey ethereal instrumental before the hook—amazing!
I’m such a sucker for voices that are raw and breathy like LissA’s. This song is great background noise to anything, but also amazing to blast and really listen to the lyrics and feel the energy of the storyline it emanates.
I actually found this song on TikTok, and it captured me right away with its incredible honesty. And, for us college students, I’m sure the feeling she alludes to isn’t entirely foreign.
6.Good Thing by Zedd and Kehlani
The self-loving premise of this song made me shout “YES” the first time I heard the chorus. I didn’t know what I was listening to, but Kehlani’s beautiful voice and powerful lyrics were enough to pique my interest. It’s so important to remember that we are capable of giving love to ourselves and that we should! A couple of other songs from Kehlani that I love are “Honey” and “Runnin’ – Interlude”.
7. It Gets Better by Rex Orange County
I just love this song so much. It’s funny because whenever I drive with my dad, I say “I love this song” and turn it up, but REALLY I love this song. I listened to it for the first time on the Uber drive to the airport, and it just really made me feel like I was in a movie. Don’t even PRETEND you don’t know what I’m talking about. The instrumental in this song and peppy continuation of it throughout the verses just make me want to dance. Some other favorites from Rex Orange County are “Loving is Easy” and “It’s Not The Same Anymore”.
8. Trust Nobody by King Princess
King Princess’ new album Cheap Queen came out when I went home at the end of October, and I blasted it on every car ride. I screamed the chorus of this song especially. I just love it: the fear and the simultaneous excitement of falling for someone when it’s an unusual thing to be so disarmed. Some other favorites from King Princess are “Talia,” “Watching My Phone,” and “If You Think It’s Love”.
This is the ultimate post-breakup/post-shitty life song. It’s such an anthem that just screams “You deserve better and you are better now.” It’s also super fun to sing along to. Seriously therapeutic. It also has choir-like background vocals that add to the whole spiritual healing ambiance. Clearly, I’m into this song. Some others from Hey Violet that I really like are “Better By Myself” and Guys “My Age”.
I just saw Daniel Caesar and although I loved him before, I felt awakened hearing his voice live, especially as acapella. He opened his concert with this song and it just has such a happy and dream-like quality to it. The part where he changes the octave and sings, “Feel my love drip over skin…” gives me CHILLS. My favorite song ever in the whole world as of late has been “We Find Love”. A couple of my other favorites from Daniel Caesar are “Best Part” (you probably know it) and “Hold Me Down”.