I'm that person that everyone hates -- the one that gets genuinely unnerved when a song that they have loved for months and everyone else has hated gets popular overnight, becomes a smash hit, is overplayed to the point of exhaustion, and is ruined by the hype. I'm also the person that loves being the person that can brag about knowing a song or artist before it becomes a hit and that is precisely why I'm providing a list of 11 songs that everyone and their mother should know (and give me credit for). #NoShame.

*songs are in no particular order and are of many different genres, so don't think you'll hate the all after only listening to the first one*

1. "Knuckles" - Moose Blood

"Knuckles" has that mid-2000's angsty sound that we all know and love, the one that makes you want to chunky-highlight your hair, wear a studded belt that doesn't actually support your pants, and write ironic phrases (that don't apply to your life in any way, shape, or form) on your Chucks. Go with it.

Favorite lyric: "I walked you back so you didn't feel alone."

2. "No Other Way" - Sinead Harnett

"No Other Way" is a calm mixture of pop, electronic, indie, and very slight house music. Sinead Harnett has a super soothing voice which, on top of a great beat and a smooth melody, makes for an almost ethereal song. Ethereal in a way that makes you want to dance a little bit, but still.

Favorite lyric: "You're only gonna find yourself some peace if you let go, really let go what you're holding on, holding on."

3. "Lighterless" - Microwave

"Lighterless" is another one that will take you back to the late 90s-early 2000s, but with a different attitude than "Knuckles." Grow your hair out, throw on some flannel, and rip holes in your jeans because this song has some grunge attached to it. This one makes me think of what Nirvana would have eventually been had we not lost Kurt Cobain. "Lighterless" is a really great song, "Much Love" is a fantastic album, and Microwave is a bomb band -- especially since they signed a bunch of stuff for me when I saw them play. Props.

Favorite lyric: "Throwing down my jacket as I walk inside, I send a cloudy CD case flying off the side of a dresser from IKEA that I can’t get right. (God, I swear it’s missing pieces I could choke someone)."

(Honestly, that's the epitome of IKEA furniture.)

4. "Faux" - Novo Amor & Ed Tullett

This song makes me want to grab a blanket, find a meadow, and lay in it for sunrise. I can literally see dandelions and rays of sunlight pouring through stalks of tall green grass, and I can't think of anything more calming or perfect. This song kind of makes me feel like I'm floating. Oh, and those high notes and harmonies, though. #Swoon

Favorite lyric: "Hone, all crimson and hinges, tarot and itches, corner me."

5. "Swing" - White Lies

If you like 80's music and A-ha, this song is for you. The whole album reminds me of "Take On Me," honestly. The synth melodies and beats make it feel like 1985 and I can say that because I wrote a whole article about nostalgia for times we've never experienced. That's valid, yeah? No? Whatever, its a great song.

Favorite lyric: "I wake up lonely with love at my side."

6. "Can I Get A Witness" - SonReal

This song is the douchiest song Justin Timberlake never made. It's also a song that sounds like it would be the background music for a Target or Old Navy commercial. Or maybe the music for a montage scene in a rom-com where the guy gets his act together and fixes the relationship after the climactic fight that broke it up. I don't know; I like it regardless.

Favorite lyric: "Shots fired."

7. "sex" - EDEN

I just really, really love this guy's voice. It almost sounds like he's struggling to produce coherent sound, and I mean that it the nicest of ways. The slight distortion of his vocals is effectively used and the song can actually be kind of cute. He's douchy, but he's making an effort? Maybe?

Favorite lyric: "No, I don't know how to forget you."

8. "Red Earth & Pouring Rain" - Bear's Den

If you don't already know who Bear's Den is, I legitimately feel sorry for you. I found them by accident on an iTunes browse a few years ago and instantly fell in love. "Red Earth & Pouring Rain" is beautiful, and sweet, and heartbreaking -- and I love it. The harmonies are perfectly placed and executed. The whole thing makes me want to wander the streets of Atlanta at 3 AM, just after a storm, with the boyfriend I don't have.

Favorite lyric: "What I found in you love, no one can ever take that away. Something forever, in the red Earth and the pouring rain."

9. "You Are Free" - Jimmy Eat World

I think most people forgot Jimmy Eat World existed after 2007, but their new album is a solid rock. Honestly. It's angsty -- because it's Jimmy Eat World, duh -- but it's not too angsty. It's adult angst. Plus they have a vocalist that just makes me melt, personally. His shaky voice is just, ugh, perfect.

Favorite lyric: "Everyone has their opinions, but I'm the one that's gotta walk it."

10. "Next to You" - Tyler Hilton

Let me be honest for a split second: I only know who Tyler Hilton is because I watched One Tree Hill, hated Chris Keller, but loved his voice. So I found Tyler Hilton on Spotify and reluctantly liked his music. I say reluctantly because it's pseudo-country music and I hate country music, but because of OTH, I made an exception for this guy. His music and his voice definitely echo the tropes of country music, but he has enough of a rock attitude that I can love it without hating myself and everything I stand for. That was dramatic...

Favorite lyric: "What age am I turning to finally be learning I know nothing to be true?"

*Live, acoustic version attached. The studio version is a bit different.*

11. "Thief" - Ansel Elgort

I'm going to be real here. I don't want to like this song. I don't want to love this song. I'm honestly annoyed with myself because I love it so much because it sounds exactly like what is on the radio 24/7 and I think what's on the radio these days is cheaply produced for sucking a profit out of consumers, but that rant can be saved for another day. However, this song, right down to the album art, is like an updated, revamped version of everything ever heard or seen on Miami Vice and I'm not mad at it. Plus, I don't know why, but the way he accents his R's in the first half of the first verse is very satisfying. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Favorite lyric: "We can be so hollow. Like my rib cage, the echoes follow. Follow me like the fears I swallow and drown in all my mistakes."