Happy spring semester Bobcats. We've had the first snow of the year, students have returned to campus and the uncertainty of COVID-19 continues to affect in-person learning. While the pandemic is still ongoing, it doesn't stop the music world, and we could all use some new music to help power through the week. Luckily, we found some tunes to keep you energized during these long days and long nights.
While everyone has their favorite genre of music, we've made a playlist that will appeal to any mood or preference. Below are new songs that are perfect for walking to class, working out at the gym, sitting around in your dorm or cranking out those last-minute papers. Here are seven new songs to get you through the week:
"Expensive Taste" by Kevin Holliday
This new track has Kevin Holliday in an entirely transactional romance with a girl. “Expensive Taste” comes backed with ‘70s synth mixed with R&B sounds that are strikingly similar to Anime circa 2016.
Working with producers Chasen Smith and Keizo Fish, the inspiration for the song was drawn from Off the Wall by Michael Jackson, which you can see in the animated lyric video accompanying the song. This song is bringing back the ‘70s, and we're here for it.
"From You" by Bonobo ft. Joji
Simon Green, best known as the five-time Grammy nominee producer Bonobo teams up with Joji on "From You." The song comes as the latest tease single for his new album Fragments, which dropped Jan. 14.
Created out of the experiences of the past two years during the pandemic, the final product sparked this collaboration. "I remembered all over again how much I loved crowds and movement and people connecting," Bonobo said. The soft pads and melancholic melody make it sound like a Joji song. With his gentle and lower vocals, he's known for connecting the listeners to the emotional baggage and connections of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Living My Best Life” by Ben Rector
Nashville singer/songwriter Ben Rector rang in 2022 by dropping three songs off his new upcoming album, The Joy of Music, which is expected to release March 11. Best known for releasing positivity-infused music, this song surrounds your ears with warm feelings. "I really think this album is my best work, and I can't wait to share it with the world," he said in an interview with AP news. He's living his best life, and he wants you to live your best life, too.
Dawn FM by The Weeknd
The Weeknd released Dawn FM this past Friday and went full-on popstar mode. Earlier in his career, we knew The Weeknd as the character creating R&B star and, as of late, has converted to more mainstream music on his past three albums Starboy, After Hours and now Dawn FM.
Jim Carrey has an opening interlude introducing us to "103.5 DAWN FM" and states: "We've been in the dark for way too long / It's time to walk / Into the light." The interlude adds to this notion of walking out of the dark theme from his older albums to his current ones.
"Welcome to the Playhouse" by Steve Aoki, Shaquille O'Neal
Yes, you read that right. The basketball star Shaquille O'Neal has returned to music. It turns out he had a very successful rap career in the ‘90s and has been DJ-ing since 2015, according to a Sportskeeda report. Recently, he teamed up with Steve Aoki for his first single of 2022, "Welcome to the Playhouse," a tune literally about Aoki's playhouse in his Las Vegas mansion with some pretty bass-heavy club drops that ought to be on your Serato.
“Feelwitchu” by Tennyson
Luke Pretty, known by his stage name Tennyson has gathered 60 million streams on Spotify alone, alongside essential press coverage from sources such as NPR, The Guardian, Complex and more. "Feelwitchu" is set to be one of the 12 songs on his highly anticipated album, Rot. The 303 styled bass sounds in the background make for an exciting song on self-reflection and dealing with turbulent emotions felt during a breakup.
"People Disappear Here" by Halsey
Halsey returns this year with an extended edition of her album If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power. Co-produced by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, it brings a more gothy and jazz style to her music, a step in a new direction than from in the past. Halsey, in the song, feels as if she isn't real. The lyrics: "I hurt myself to make sure I exist" a reference to "Hurt" by Nine Inch Nails (NIN) in which Trent Reznor gives that extra uneasiness to the fact people disappear here.
