It's the middle of January, and for students here in Fayetteville that means we're back at it again. The encompassing feeling of inevitable suffering and dread compounded with the hours spent in the library can take its toll the first couple of weeks back. While my heart goes out to everyone in the same boat or a similar one as myself I also bring good fortunes through the medium of music. This back-to-school playlist invitingly hypes me up when I arise for my eight am, when I need to sing at the top of my lungs in my car after a long day of class, or when I need to grind out some homework last second before going to the gym. You may be asking yourself "How could this possibly be that good of a playlist, exceptionally balancing all three moods aforementioned?" well, you'll have to be the judge yourself for that business.

1. "The Sun" Myd

Alright, so this song is absolutely mind-numbingly sure to get you to tap your foot. Don't believe me? That's okay, just listen and in terror you'll notice your foot begin to tap with your head nodded in synchronization. No, but seriously, this song is such a great tune to wake up to, run, or dance to while you're making some spaghetti. Ten out of ten will recommend on the first listen.

2. "Mermaid" Stephen Kreussel

This song....Aye dios mio, this song. Mermaid is one of those songs you can listen to and feel stoic every time you listen to it. The pacing of the lyrics with the melody of the guitar complements each other eloquently to bring a nice package together. Also for some reason, I can imagine falling into a water bed for the entirety of the duration of the song, so that will be an experience if you own one of those.

3. "School" Pip Blom

Oh, the irony with the title. This song amplifies my mood in whatever situation I find myself in. If I'm running and this song comes on, I'm running a little faster. When I'm writing a paper and listen to "School", I'm writing faster. When I'm chopping an onion for my spaghetti and I'm listening to this song I cry more intensely due to me chopping the onion too fast. Whatever situation you're in, I hope the same happens to you.

4. "Weird Dreams" Joan

If the band Joan were a person, they would be an angsty salesman. They don't have an abrasive sound, but they sure can sell a feeling when they want to. The way this song meanders and feels like a slow dance to crescendo itself into a dream pop amalgamation of drums, guitar, and lyrics can only be described as a spicy proposition, to say the least.

5. "cotton kid" Vundabar

The bass in this song is powerful. The lyrics are ambient. The drums are smooth. The message of the song is powerful too. Possibly speaking presumptuously here, but the song rips into the fact that vanity and the desire to pursue "the look" that is good enough for those we seek to impress often times overpowers the actual desires we have to acquaint and build relationships with those we sought in the first place. As well as the unfortunate truth to the allusion they make that many of those they seek to impress are obsessed with a similar consumerist desire. The song has a lot of angst, but it's more than worth listening to it's also worth understanding too.

6. "Seattle" Bellevue Days

Seattle is a great song to wake up to as well. The marching beat really uplifts your spirits when you have the chance to listen to it.

7. "Care for the proof" FRAGRANCE

I decided the playlist needed to switch gears a bit while creating it, so here we are listening to a synth-pop song with little to no pertinence in symmetry to sound of the other songs on this playlist. That's not to say that you should count this song out, or skip it though. If you do you're silly. This is a great song for a lot of reasons. Whether it's the chromatic scaling of the melody in duality with the with the message of the song, or the culmination of house music and witch house roots with synth-pop undertones you're sure to enjoy it if you're a fan of anything outside of the organic domain.

8. "Glory, Glory" Rose Windows

Oldie, but a goodie. This song is definitely not new to anyone, but when I heard it on the radio for the first time in more than a year I was inspired to get it on the list. Just like the majority of the other songs on this playlist, it has angst to spare. The reliance on guitar to carry the melody and lyrics is welcome and the song has sort of a heavy feeling to it.

9. "Marilyn" Mount Kimble and Micahu

Marilyn has a lot of features that make it an incredible song. Mount Kimble is a London-based band, so of course, as Americans, it's safe to assume this song will have angst in loads. The lyrics of this song are somewhat of a story if you imagine things well enough. If you happen to be looking at someone and aren't sure if they like you or not play this song out loud and observe their expression as they listen. If they don't smile they think you're weird. No matter when you listen to Marilyn you'll always hear Kai Campos saying he's looking up at you, hoping you'll smile.

10. "People are boring" DEVOTED and Billionaire

This is one of those songs you can't help but smile to if you're having a good day. Another song that swoons the listener from the indie-pop roots colliding with the excellently infused midi to create an experience of a song.

11. "Heartache" YOUR FAVORITE COLOR

If you've ever had your heart broken, you know the retching feeling of getting over the breakup. This song describes a feeling that many people can relate to. However, this song is also so much more than a feeling of an experience. This song has a resilient tone to it that definitely should leave the listener feeling optimistic about their sound selection.

12. "Lake family" Lake Jons

Lake Jons is a band that everyone should expect to see more of in the coming years if you're a big fan of the scene. The Finnish group is still relatively new to the scene having only been around since 2014. The lyrics of Lake Family subscribe the listener to a comfortable experience with Lake Jons to provide a nice understanding of what they're going to bring to the table when you listen.

I'll leave the last three songs on the playlist open to interpretation like last time, but the sequential order of the songs go as follows:

13. "Your Secret" Willim and Anaik

If you like indie trip-hop you'll dig "Your Secret".

14. "Bitter Smiles" Weird Issues

Weird issues is a good band for when you're in your feels. They're a very responsive, and friendly group from the land of Russia, make sure you check out their bandcamp.

15. "Luv What You Got" GOLDBOOT

Old song, but timeless simultaneously. GOLDBOOT will make you smile whether you like it or not.

Here's the link to the playlist:
https://soundcloud.com/lesean05/sets/january-2018-...