by Brian Asare, Photography Editor

As the semester draws to an end and finals week is around the corner, It’s inevitable that we start to look for various stress relievers to counter the anxiety this time period brings along. It was pretty cool getting to see all my friends’ Spotify Wrapped this year which showcased a lot of various artists and music genres, and it got me thinking about how music as an art form connects millions of people together and I wanted to share some songs.

Fred again – Dermot (See Yourself In My Eyes)

His unique technique in making music using samples from viral songs and adding more sound to create a story has always been fascinating to me and this song in particular I feel is a must listen. He does everything right.

Elixir – Tourist 

I feel Elixir is more of a storytelling art piece rather than a song. Anytime I listen to Elixir, I hear something new. It is almost as if the instruments are having a conversation with each other backed with heavy synthesizers that just help tell the story better. I have and always will call Tourist the greatest composer of our century. Give this a listen you won’t be disappointed.

Otherside (Night Edit) – Alex Lustig

I have always been a fan of the music Alex makes. Just like some of his other songs, Otherside is in a league of its own when it comes to sounds that are peaceful and pleasant to listen to. It is almost like you get transported to an alternate universe.

Rudimental – Remember Their Names (Feat. Josh Barry)

This song is a masterpiece. This is one of those songs you hear and instantly fall in love with. As a social justice song, it does an amazing job of encapsulating the pain and struggle of being a minority in the pain of Josh Berry’s voice at the same time the joy in the “upbeatness” of the song.

Star – Machinedrum, Mono/poly, Tanerélle

This is a really cool song to listen to with the hard-hitting drums accompanied by a weird piano synth that meshes seamlessly with the amazing vocals of Tanerélle. 

Midnight Cruiser – Kiasey Jones 

Following the theme of hard-hitting drums, Midnight Cruiser is a song that does not disappoint especially for it being just an instrumental. Its loud atmospheric sound gives of this calming feeling which then quickly shifts into an organized mess of hard-hitting bass, claps, and a good time 

All of This – Jorja Smith 

It seems like the South African Amapiano genre of music is going mainstream and Jorja does its heritage justice with this song.