2025 has so far been without a doubt one of the best years for music in a long time, with new releases from big artists like Kendrick Lamar, Playboi Carti, Tate Mcrae, and Drake, and a whole host of new albums announced by other big artists.

With the gloomy weather of late winter, many people have been turning to music to keep themselves entertained and happy until spring, and to fight off the seasonal depression that is all too common in the winter, so i wanted to find out what kind of music people have been listening to, and hear their recommendations for what to listen to this coming spring.

JJ:

JJ is a sophomore here at the iSchool, and loves listening to music. He mainly listens to rap, but really leans into the more melodic side of the genre, enjoying the work of musicians like Juice WRLD, Polo G, and Mac Miller. However, JJ finds that his music taste tends to fluctuate along with his mood and surroundings. “The music I listen to on the way to (soccer) practice is completely different from the music I listen to on the way back because I like to get hyped up for soccer on the way there and calm down on the way back, and the music does that for me”. Recently, JJ has been listening to Mac Miller a lot, specifically his most recent album “Balloonerism” and recommends that you give it a listen as well. He also recommends “Yatta Bandz” and thinks that he doesn’t get the attention he deserves.

Mr. Whittaker:

Mr. Whittaker knows a LOT about music, with his experience playing guitar and cello adding to his knowledge of the art form. He has a broad taste in music, but at its core lies the genre “Prog Rock”. Prog rock describes a specific genre of rock music that is very compositionally focused, often featuring unusual time signatures, key changes, and very long run times. The genre is generally defined by its reliance on musical concepts not often seen in more mainstream music, which tends to make it a very “love it or hate it” genre. Famous artists and bands from the genre include Radiohead, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and many more. Perhaps famous guitarist Frank Zappa puts it best by saying “prog rock is anything they wont play on the radio” pointing out the fact that the more nuanced tones and prolonged run times (on average exceeding 6 minutes) that define the genre tend to make it difficult to market to the public.

However, Mr. Whittaker listens to far more than just prog rock, and has begun getting into Hip-hop and Rap in the past few years, particularly enjoying stuff from the 90’s. As for recommendations, he doesn’t have any specific artists to recommend, but rather encourages you to “push the boundaries of what you think you like”. He says “If a song you like has a sample, listen to the original, follow that rabbit hole, and challenge your music taste”.

Jason:

Jason is a more casual listener, he knows what he likes, and tends to stick to it. Currently, his top 3 artists (in no particular order) are Playboi Carti, Kendrick Lamar, and Daniel Caesar. As his top 3 suggests, he mainly listens to more “mainstream rap”, though isn’t afraid to try out more experimental and underground stuff, with one of his favorites being the musician “Autumn!”. Autumn! mostly fits under the umbrella of rap and R&B, but more specifically, has popularized the micro-genre that he calls “pluggnb”. The genre, which originated on SoundCloud around 2016, is known for its distinctive “soft and trippy” sound, with the core principles being heavy synth lines and deep bass played underneath R&B samples and beats.

Ezra:

Ezra is a self proclaimed “music fanatic”. He is particularly passionate about “Pink Floyd”, a prog/psychedelic rock band that was one of the biggest pioneers of the genre. They were formed in London in 1965, and quickly gained an early following due to the fact that they were one of the first psychedelic bands, and grew along with the rise of psychedelic drugs and the hippie movement in the 60s. Ezra is also a big fan of the punk scene, enjoying bands like minor threat, the dickies, and rush. when asked what album he would recommend students listen to, he said “The Wall by Pink Floyd is a really good first listen, then you should try The Dark Side Of The Moon”

Me:

My music taste has always been broad, and has shifted greatly over the years. Just a few years ago, I used to only ever like 50’s and 60’s classic rock, listening to artists like Chuck Berry, the Rolling Stones, and Elvis. By now however, my music taste couldn’t be more different. I still have a soft spot for classic rock and blues, but more recently have found myself particularly infatuated by the Seattle Grunge scene of the 90s, specifically the band “Alice In Chains”. I have recently finished listening to their entire discography and truly can’t express in words how interesting and beautiful their music is. Especially their album “Jar Of Flies”. It is by far my favorite album of theirs, blending their signature grunge, almost metal sound, with much softer acoustic guitar parts, all contributing to the haunting beauty of the album. Written about lead singer Layne Staley’s drug addiction, Jar Of Flies really gives you a sense of the despair and hopelessness he felt while writing it, without overtly mentioning any of it.

Other artists I really enjoy are Jeff Buckley, Chris Isaak, Oasis, Mac Demarco, Joy Division, and Echo And The Bunnymen. If i had to recommend one album to listen to (other than Jar Of Flies) it would be Jeff Buckley’s final album before his death “Sketches For My Sweetheart The Drunk” which is criminally underrated, often being overlooked in favor of his most popular album “Grace”.