Music Column

The music industry has been overwhelmingly active over the course of this past month, as the work that many artists created during quarantine was finally ready to be shared with the public. Listed below are a few albums that stood out the most to me, only skimming the surface of the amazing creations that were recently released.

•    “OK ORCHESTRA” by AJR: This album, created by the three talented AJR brothers, nearly perfectly sums up quarantine emotions as they address politics, childhood, Humpty Dumpty, anti-heroes, socks and so many more topics in 13 beautiful bops that make you want to dance and contemplate your entire at the same time… what can better than that?
•    “Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” by Taylor Swift: This is the first of many albums that Taylor Swift is rerecording to gain proper ownership of her own music, and although it is almost too emotional to handle, it’s an incredible experience to listen to updated versions of the songs that dominated our childhood in addition to newly released songs from her vault.
•    “Change of Scenery II” by Quinn XCII: As we all dreamed of escaping during quarantine, Quinn XCII places this feeling throughout his latest album as many of the songs reflect the idea of getting away while others reflect on his past. 
•    “Justice” by Justin Bieber: Collaborating with many popular artists and including a clip from one of Martin Luther King Jr.’s speeches, this album is worth a listen even if Justin Bieber is not usually your style of music.
• “Green Blue + Indigo Violet” by COIN: Part 2 of COIN’s series of rainbow mixtapes, this album discusses many deep topics while somehow still providing the listener with calmness.

Lastly, some honorable mentions of recently released singles:

•    “MONTERO (Call Me By Your is sexuality and others’ perception of it, Lil Nas X expresses himself in both this song and its music video.
•    “Til’ Forever Falls Apart” by Ashe and FINNEAS: About love and acceptance, this collaboration between two popular artists resulted in an incredibly beautiful song with lovely harmonies.
•    “Deja Vu” by Olivia Rodrigo: Following the hit of her first release, Drivers License, Olivia Rodrigo does not disappoint with this song about a common feeling after a relationship. This song’s release preceded the announcement of her first album, Sour, to be released on May 21.
•    “House Arrest” by Noah in the Open: Differing from most songs about quarantine, this one discusses the feeling of returning to life after lockdown without comfortability in social situations.
•    “What’s Wrong” by Half Alive: Addressing anxiety, this song is ideal to listen and dance to as it also includes a popular line from the movie “Die Hard,” which is awesome.
•    “Closure” by Hayd: The combination of Hayd’s incredible voice and deep lyrics created a heart-wrenching song about falling for someone at the wrong time. So yes, that does mean you’ll need a tissue box nearby while listening to this.