It’s no surprise I’m a fan of music, especially the stuff thrown under the radar. As the school year wraps up, let’s take a trip down what I consider the best of the best, released during the school year. This piece is a bit more opinionated, of course, so take my thoughts with a grain of salt. Let’s begin.

#5. Alexander Panos – Sutter

Sutter is a different kind of comfort song. Rather than a simple beat or lyrics that might calm someone down, Sutter works through only melody. It’s a very freeform piece centered around one specific motif (at about a minute in of the song) and while it may not be replay-able because of the freeform nature, it’s there when you need it.

#4. Paark – As If

The full title of this song is…. a little long, so I have chosen to abbreviate it. This may be recency bias, but this song has made a name for itself in the 2 weeks it has been released. In a word, it’s euphoric, with very immersive sounds and really beautiful vocals (especially the chorus. That bit gets stuck in my head at least once a day). This song is a 7 minute journey, but every second is worth it

#3. Skrillex, Sleepnet, and Joker – Tears

I’ve been a fan of the modern dance music scene for a long time, and seeing something like this from a very mainstream artist was really a shock. A lot of modern songs try to be super overdone and experimental, but this song follows very simple rhythms with pretty easy sounds to replicate (if you’re a nerd like me and know a bit about digital synthesis, that is).

#2. Jaron, Jedwill – ONCE

This song is electric. I was hyping this one up a lot when it was announced and it was completely worth it. It’s just a fast and upbeat pop song that does not do too much but still works to keep you engaged and excited.

And finally…

#1. grape milk – Red Theme

It’s no surprise that my favorite song released during the school year comes from my favorite artist. This song remains a masterpiece in many different ways, from Eli’s unique production to his hard-hitting lyrics. I’ve spoken many times about this song already but it truly does show what Eli is all about.

And that’s it. This school year of course held the release of a lot more popular songs, but I hope I’ve given enough of a taste into the underground to give some lesser known artists some love too.