“WET SOCKS” – Richy Mitch & The Coal Miners

This has easily become one of my favorite tracks over the last couple of weeks. A little less than thirty seconds into this song, each listener gets to experience the surreal feeling of the beat drop and the beginning of a beautiful melody. I strongly encourage everyone to read about the meaning behind this track because, despite it being only about two minutes long, it holds a significant amount of meaning.

“Food” – Gibby

This track is one of the few this artist has released since changing his Spotify artist name from “Gibontine” to “Gibby.” This San Diego musician managed to release a song full of impressive vocals covering a rather simple topic: missing the food someone makes nearly as much as missing them. The drums in this song have a specific vibe that can only be explained with a comparison to Billy Bragg’s “California Stars.” Most notably, there are a few lines throughout this track that are written with the touch of a poet.

“Caroline” – Briston Maroney

Briston Maroney is most well known for his song, “Freakin’ Out On the Interstate.” Caroline is another indie rock/pop track that is worth mentioning. The progression of the guitar, along with the emotion in Maroney’s voice, makes this song a memorable experience. It’s also nearly impossible to get the lyrics out of your head after listening to it just a couple of times.

“Evergreen” – Richy Mitch & The Coal Miners

I was first introduced to this song through videos online of people running through mountains with their friends. Although cheesy, this song really does feel like you’re running through a field while falling in love with life. Richy Mitch & The Coal Miners have a talent for making their listeners feel life through music. The only fault of this track is the length; a minute and a half is far too short.

“Lake Missoula” – Richy Mitch & The Coal Miners

Clearly Richy Mitch & The Coal Miners have taken a hold on me this past month. This song is incredibly gentle and much like most of their other tracks, it’s rather short. There’s something so special about their ability to create a song so full of feeling in such a short amount of time. The last line of the song and the harmonies that follow it leave every listener with a calm and ethereal feeling.

“Dirty Love” – Mt. Joy

The vocals on this track have a similar sound to Hozier, which is the highest of compliments. The melody builds throughout this song and becomes more intense, perhaps to demonstrate the feeling of infatuation it is aiming to explain. One of the coolest effects I have seen in various tracks is cutting out the bulk of the music to emphasize the vocals; this track does that beautifully.

“Everywhere, Everything” – Noah Kahan

I firmly believe we have not invented words that can describe this song. Noah Kahan knows how to make a track so full of emotion that it’s nearly impossible to not feel exactly as he feels. This song is gentle, but full of intensity during the chorus. Noah Kahan’s growing popularity is extremely special because there is no better feeling than seeing a song like this reach the heights it has reached.

“Drama Queen” – The Happy Return

Both of the Happy Return tracks on this list feel quite out of place compared to the other songs I have been fixated on lately. This is one of my favorite bands of all time and this song in particular is a simple piece of art. I love the melody and the way the vocals bleed in and out of the song. Also, the teenage emotion of the lyrics is extremely appropriate for our demographic.

“Stupid Goodbye” – The Happy Return

This song has been hitting especially close to home recently. It’s about leaving high school and moving on from all of your friends and your childhood life. I love songs that appear to be cheerful and upbeat, but the lyrics are extremely emotional. I encourage every high school senior to listen to this track because Davin Eagleston managed to perfectly articulate the feeling of leaving an important stage of life simply because it’s time to.

“Sugar in the Creek“ – Bendigo Fletcher

This track has the vibe of Declan McKenna if he rolled off of a mountain. This song is rather weird and not one I believe every person would enjoy, but I think that fact gives it some charm. Similar to Decaln McKenna’s “Brazil,” Benidgo Fletcher created a weird yet extremely satisfying song. Also, compared to a lot of the songs on this list, “Sugar in the Creek” is just about the perfect length for what it is supposed to be.