Need to add some variety to your playlists this week? Check out these songs guaranteed to make you *feeeeeeel* things:
1. "Sheep" - Mt. Joy
Mt. Joy is one of those weird indy bands who isn't afraid to try awkward things like yelp in the middle of the pre-chorus in Sheep. It's about sticking together through this mess of a world and attempting to change for the better while rocking back on a smooth, soulful guitar.
2. "Not Easy" - Alex Da Kid (ft. X Ambassadors, Elle King and Wiz Khalifa)
I was weary of this collaboration at first because I'm not big on the whole DJs-getting-money-off-other-artists thing but this song is the stuff. It's just a lowly breakup melody with a cool 808 drum effect but it's so soothing. I'm pretty sure I've fallen asleep to it multiple times in the past week.
3. "Once" - Maren Morris
I've said it once* and I'll say it again- Maren Morris is not country. She's better than that, and she proves it across her album Hero. Her sound is soul-meets-slide-guitar with pop hooks and she does it so gracefully in Once . She croons about a "random encounter with her ex-boyfriend's mother-" pretty relatable, I guess.
4. "Moving On and Getting Over" - John Mayer
Whenever your down about literally anything, pull up John Mayer. He'll feel with you if you need to cry, he'll cheer you up if you're tired of crying, or he'll make you dance when you're not sure what you're feeling. In his first wave of singles from his upcoming album The Search for Everything, Mayer delivers a deep groove that would get your grandma moving.
5. "Everybody's Something" - Chance the Rapper
By now, the entire country is listening to Chance the Rapper. He's accumulated multiple awards without selling a single album, but most know him for 2016's Coloring Book. He started off on the free music platform SoundCloud, where one of his first full-length tapes, Acid Rap, still stands. On it are pure gems of the hip-hop/R&B world, where he provokes thoughts and compares his relationship with God to real-world Chicago. Everybody's Something is an uplifting song about self-worth and criticizing the US government.
6. "Downtown" - Majical Cloudz
Okay, so this one's a little weird. It's off of the Netflix series called The OA , which is really hard to generate a synopsis for so I'll leave you to watch it. This song appears in a moment of rebirth for one of the characters, and it's just beautiful. Strange, as the lead singer's voice isn't conventional (think The Knife or Radiohead ), but entrancing and awe-inspiring as the chorus progresses.
7. "Of Crows and Crowns" - Dustin Kensrue
A mellow, affectionate piano begins this seeming love song. Kensrue starts off by singing about his wife, but as the song grows, the listener realizes that it is also about the relationship between Christ and the Church- a beautiful connection in which we attempt to mirror through our mere human lives.
8. "October" - Broken Bells
Known for their Vampire Weekend-meets-The Black Keys vibe, Broken Bells blessed us with this song seven years ago. It's fine, old songs are still good. October is a deep, thoughtful song with a completely alternative groove.