More often than not, the lyrics from our favorite songs have a way of conveying our most intimate thoughts and memories. Ever play an album and had a rush of emotions set off by your desire to relive the exact moments when it was stuck in your head? Maybe the album takes you back to a relationship with a significant other or a vacation you took to relieve stress. For me, Summer 2015 was defined by a series of albums, and, as the winter approaches, I hope to return to these albums for the warm recollections of my summer. Of course, the albums I’ve chosen are subjective, but every music geek hopes to inform others about the music that struck a chord for them. So, here are the Ten Albums That Will Remind Us of Summer 2015 (in no particular order):

1) Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment’s "SURF": After Chance the Rapper debuted "Acid Rap"in 2013 I couldn’t get enough of what seemed like Chance’s ability to spit some of the most relatable lyrics that described the bad practices we tend to habituate in our college years. "SURF"on the other hand, accomplished something different for me. Released as a free download on iTunes, Chance the Rapper and his band The Social Experiment showcased a much more intimate Chance, with his vocals spread throughout the album. Chance's vocal's were also accompanied by musical elements of dance, jazz fusion and neo soul. It was also soothing to listen to the end product of some great collaboration on this album including tracks with Janelle Monae and Erykah Badu. "Surf"was for those summer days when I was pensive and needed some trumpets to keep the positive vibes. Also, if you haven’t checked out the video for "Sunday Candy"yet, you definitely should!

2) Alex Ferreira’s "Cinema Tropical": I will have to explain this one. So, Alex Ferreirais an up and coming artist from the Dominican Republic whose music seems to be influenced and takes from his Afro-Caribbean roots. I stumbled upon this album while at the beach when I was attempting to play his single "Cambio" on Spotify and realized he had released "Cinema Tropical" in its entirety. Yes, the album is completely in Spanish, but if you are a fan of tropical house, Alex Ferreira’s beats sound like something off of a Soundcloud tropical house remix. I’d like to describe his sound as something along the lines of ‘tropical modernism’ as you can easily tell his beats are influenced by the globalization of electronic music and specifically, it’s impact on Latin American artists. Listened to this first at Rockaway Beach in Queens, NY, but the album took me straight to the Caribbean.

3) The Weeknd’s "Beauty Behind the Madness": Yes, Beauty Behind the Madness wasn’t released until a couple of weeks ago. But, it seems like The Weeknd has been just about everywhere and you really can’t escape the music’s ability to take you back to the parts of your Friday or Saturday nights you can’t entirely recollect in your memory. I like this album based on my general sentiments about The Weeknd. He tends to make and produce R&B music with beats and vocals you aren’t really hearing anyone else make (not considering that "Can't Feel my Face"and "In the Night" sound almost exactly like Michael Jackson tracks). The album will remind you of those summer nights, going out to a club (it’s dope that I’m finally 21) and realizing you’re a couple of drinks in.

4) Bomba Estereo’s "Amanecer”: Another foreign band. Sorry not sorry. If you’re Latino you’ve probably heard Bomba Estereo's single "Somos Dos". Although one of my favorite tracks on this album, it doesn’t seem to showcase Liliana Saumet’s versatility as a singer as well as the band’s ability to incorporate different musical elements. For example, "Amanecer"(the first track on the album) Liliana showcases her ability to rap over a really complex electronic beat, taking from a variety of Latin American musical elements. "Fiesta" (the fifth track on the album) also has a sick drop that puts many of our local DJ’s in the states to shame. The album reminds me of the barbecues with my family over the summer, where I realized the impact of technology on Latinidad. That moment when your favorite aunt is more than really into Jack U but it still feels like your family never left their country of origin. That takes me to….

5) Skrillex and Diplo Present "Jack U": It seems like this album featured just about everyone we wanted to collaborate with Skrillex and Diplo (AlungaGeorge is really blowing up too!). Wasn’t really a Diplo fan prior to this album and wasn’t really much of a Justin Bieber listener, but this album made me appreciate both. It isn’t enough to say that the beats on this album will take me back to those summer nights when me and my closest friends decided to stay in, instead of going out and spending a load of cash. But, it seems like the vocals on this album are just as memorable as the beats. Something, I do not think is particularly true for the newly released Disclosurealbum ("Caracal”). I bopped my head to just about every track on this album and blasted them on long car rides as the sun set and the cool breeze kicked in after a hot day.

6) FKA Twigs’ "M3LLI55X": If you haven’t ‘gotten’ FKA Twig’s aesthetic yet, there is a huge chance you might not ever. I feel a bit guilty listening to twigs, sort of like I’m not supposed to like this, but I can’t get enough of whatever it is she is creating for us and displaying for the world to see. iTunes describes her music as, “moody, magnetic, mind-bending R&B from another galaxy,” and my only criticism of that description is everyone’s tendency to label her music as just R&B. Cause seriously, it’s so much more than that. "M3LLI55X" the EP with 5 out-of-this-world tracks, was released with a 16-minute music video that should simply be referred to as it’s own unique masterpiece (and you probably won’t get the EP if you haven’t seen the video). Favorite track on this EP has to be "In Time," as for Twigs' ability to take you to that moment at the club or the rave when we suddenly begin to question the substance of our relationships with a significant other. Her music is complex and makes you think about the future of music. So, cheers to future summers to come cause I definitely couldn’t do everything I wanted in this one!

7) Miguel’s "WildHeart":Unfortunately, I wasn’t a huge Miguel fan prior to this album. Yes, I enjoyed certain tracks from "Kaleidoscope Dream" but I was seriously anticipating the release of Frank Ocean’s second studio album a bit more, which he said would be releasing in July (side note: I need that album to drop already). WildHeart will bring back memories of the times you and bae chilled alone cause you didn't have any plans that day and talked about all of your inside jokes (the "Simple Things"). I also tended to play this album when I was tired of playing my usual routine of ‘hits’ and I was trying to listen to something straight through. It calmed me down and relaxed my mind. The album was " A Beautiful Exit"from any negative thoughts that were stressing me out cause it sucks to stress in the summer.

8) Jamie xx's "In Colour": Jamie XX is a music producer, remix artist and DJ who is famous for being a member in the London-based band The xx. If you’re from NYC you’ve probably seen the album cover for “In Colour” on billboards on construction sites in SoHo, Union Square or in Williamsburg. I remember walking past his posters and seriously anticipating the release of his fist solo album that dropped May 29th of this year. One of my favorite tracks, “I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times)” unexpectedly features Young Thug along side one of Jamie xx’s trance and spacey beats and surprisingly, it really works! For me, this album was meant to showcase Jamie xx’s ability to produce amazing electronic beats but in a way where each individual track brings about a different emotional response for listeners. Jamie xx made a comment about his album being a reflection of The xx’s upcoming third studio album and the xx’s Romy Madley Croft even appears on the track “SeeSaw”!. Giving us a taste of the upcoming album. His music is the type I wish I could have seen this summer at a musical festival. For that, this album will remind me of the musical festivals I was unfortunately unable to attend.

9) Sinkane’s "Mean Love”:Okay, so this album was released in 2014, and I’m a bit late to listening to Sinkane, but I really feel as though most people are sleeping on him. His music is a funky mix of a bunch of different styles. But, there is something about his voice that completes the musical experience. He has this high pitch that definitely makes his music a whole lot more unique and his video for "How We Be" is interestingly enough filmed all over parts of Queens, NY. I was fortunate enough to see him perform a DJ set in Brooklyn and was unfortunate enough to come late to his free concert with Caribou at East River Park. Unlike Jamie xx, Sinkane’s Mean Love will remind me of the live musical performances I was fortunate enough to see this summer and the intimate DJ sets I got to attend.

10) Mumford and Sons' "Wilder Mind":Last, but almost certainly least. When I first heard this album, I thought it resembled something Kings of Leon would recently put out. It’s like Kings of Leon and Mumford and Son’s followed the same trajectory. These bands used to make really awesome music, but then they started making the most pop-oriented rock music. Mumford and Sons even got rid of their banjo. However, I was able to find some tracks on this album I really enjoyed. For example, "Tompkins Square Park" and "Snake Eyes" are really good. Overall, I had to deal with the way Mumford and Sons decided to progress as a band. "Wilder Mind" will remind me of the parts of myself I had to leave behind as the summer progressed. My first summer being 21 and I realized that as you progress, there might be parts of yourself you have to leave behind as you grow up.