May has been kind of a crazy month ─ midterms, graduations, mothers day, end of the year banquets, and now gearing up for finals. With summer right around the corner, this June we’re listening to bangers only. I would describe my music taste as alternative and alternative rap, but these songs tend to be crowd pleasers. Here are 7 songs (plus a few extras) of pretty eclectic genres to rock out to as we close out the school year and push full speed ahead into summer.
1. “Peach” ─ Kevin Abstract
“Peach” is my favorite song right now. It is so sweet and loving; “I’ll be your babydoll and your bodyguard.” Like much of KA’s discography, “Peach” is a track that you can rock out to or cry to. Kevin Abstract is a member of BROCKHAMPTON and recently released his second solo album ARIZONA BABY. Other favorites of mine on the album include “American Problem” and “Use Me.”
2. “4 Leaf Clover (ft. Steve Lacy)” ─ Ravyn Lean
Steve Lacy (lead guitarist and back up vocalist for The Internet) on the guitar gets me every time. Lacy and Lenae’s voices work great together and the male-female duet feels conversational, almost like something from a musical. “4 Leaf Clover” is chill, groovy, and kinda sexy.
3. “No Type” ─ New Beat Fund
This song is an alternative rock cover of the 2015 Rae Sremmurd rap song “No Type,” using the exact same lyrics but with a completely different feeling. New Beat Fund’s cover is original with a great bass line, and is best enjoyed at full volume. I would definitely label this cover a banger.
4. “GRoCERIES” ─ Chance the Rapper
Chance the Rapper hasn’t released new music in a while, and this song is playful and refreshing. Chance is an excellent lyricist, often evoking very specific and nostalgic images. This song is no exception; “used to bring all the groceries in in one trip (Hercules)”; “traffic, traffic, looking for my chapstick”; “five star hotel, doorman look like Braxton.”
5. “Ghost” ─ Awkwafina
Awkwafina is hilarious not only on the screen (she played Peik Lin in Crazy Rich Asians), but also in her lyrics. On this track Awkwafina describes all of the douchey guys she’s dated, and then explains that she had no choice but to ghost on them. Her roster of exes include a kombucha brewing film student, a Penn State frat boy, and a “Fairfax hypebeast Ye lover.” This song is a comedic work of poetry and a feminist anthem.
6. “Come & Get It” ─ Selena Gomez
This song was released in 2013, but Selena had no business popping off in the way she did on this track. It goes so hard. The bongo drums? The drop? A masterpiece. This song was playing in the Aggie Reuse Store and it triggered an immediate flashback to jamming in the car with my mom 7th grade. Naturally, I added it to my playlist immediately.
7. “Lottery” ─ Kali Uchis
“Lottery” is from Kali’s 2015 debut album Por Vida and one of her lesser known songs. This song never gets old; it is soft and pretty. I like this song as background music to studying or drawing.
A few more songs I’ve been loving:
“Dissolve” ─ Absofacto
“Wannabe” ─ why mona
“Frequency” ─ Elton
“Fast Talk ─ Still Woozy Remix” ─ Houses, Still Woozy
“How Does It Feel” ─ Samm Henshaw
“Swish” ─ Millionyoung
“Napkins” ─ RIZ LA VIE
“Radar (feat. HONNE)” ─ Whethan
“ROBOTS” ─ EARTHGANG