This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at WWU chapter.
February is kind of a middle month, and every college student needs something to keep them sane through difficult classes and stressful situations. For me, that thing is always music. Like most people, my taste in music changes over time and right now I’ve been expanding my horizons a little and listening to new things that are generally well known but I haven’t had the time to check out. So here’s a list of some new music for you, that I love…
- Chance The Rapper (hip-hop): His first official mixtape “10 Day” came out in 2012, which debuted his unique style. At this point, no one really sounded like him which was a big draw to a lot of people. Chance is known for his upbeat melodies and positive sounds, and since the beginning of his career only releasing free music. Even today with his most recent Grammy award winning project “Coloring Book”, he didn’t charge a dime. And free has never sounded better, with some of my favorite songs being “No Problems (2016)”, “Cocoa Butter Kisses (2013)”, and “Favorite Song (2013)”.
- Frank Ocean (rnb/pop): If Frank Ocean was a Pokémon in the music world, he would be the rarest of them all. His debut album “Channel Orange” is one of my favorites. With his debut earning him six Grammy nominations; everyone who knew who Frank Ocean was, were excited to see what the creative genius had to offer next. Well, it wasn’t going to be that simple. Four years go by without Frank saying anything, living under the radar and after a random stream popped up on his website, he finally released Blonde. Every song on Blonde is amazing, and I’ve listened to at least one song off that album every day since it came out. If you’re completely new to him, I’d suggest “American Wedding (2011)”, “Pyramids (2012)”, “Thinkin bout you (2012)”, and “Self Control (2016)”
- Jack Johnson (acoustic rock): He’s probably my favorite…Ever. He’s been songwriting since the age of 12, and has been releasing critically acclaimed music since 2001. 16 years he’s stayed in the spotlight, and that’s for a reason. His music is like no one else’s, in that it all has this dreamy surfer vibe. He has this way of making even his saddest songs have this hint of happiness, almost like a message of hope. Maybe I’m diving too deep into something basic, but his music does have layers. Some of my favorites from his collection are “Better Together (2005)”, “Banana Pancakes (2005), “If I Had Eyes (2008)”, and “Fragments (2017).