1. Halsey, “Hold Me Down”
Listen, Halsey is heading straight for the castle, and she is my queen. That being said, “Hold Me Down” is one of my favorite songs from Badlands, and lyrically, she channels a Lana Del Rey-esque sound (“I sold my soul to a three-piece/And he told me I was holy”). While the song itself deals with never finding solace in anything, we at Odyssey hope that your first week back is all that you hoped for.
2. Chance The Rapper, “All We Got (ft. Kanye West & Chicago Children’s Choir)”
I’ve always mentioned how much I love Chance, and this song is one of my favorites off The Coloring Book. Chance’s style weaves rap into gospel music, probably a way for him to tap into his faith. “All We Got” is no exception, and the fact that he includes the Chicago Children’s Choir and Southside Chicago native Kanye West proves that he is proud of where he comes from.
3. Lorde, “400 Lux”
Lorde blends deep bass with popping percussion to create “400 Lux” with lush minimalism. Marked by lyrical device and creative wordplay, “400 Lux” is named after the measurement of light emitted from a sunrise or sunset. At the drop of a beat, Lorde’s voice is serene and relaxed, with sparse, sirenic noises in the background evoking MIA’s “Paper Planes.”
4. twenty one pilots, “House Of Gold”
Now, I’m in love with twenty one pilots and everything they do; I’m always impressed by their artistry. “House Of Gold” is one of my favorite songs by TØP, especially because Tyler wrote this song for his mom. Tyler’s voice is icy and beautiful, and the song would probably remind you of anything by Mumford and Sons.
5. Two Door Cinema Club, “Undercover Martyn”
Two Door Cinema Club’s album Tourist History kind of reminds me of any song by Phoenix, a successful Grammy-winning band with some of the catchiest songs known to man. “Undercover Martyn” mixes short, poppy synths with riffs of electric guitar to create one of the best songs off the album.
