TASTEBREAKERS

BY ELIZABETH ALEXANDER, MANEEYA LEUNG AND HARINI SENTHILKUMAR We’ve all been there - you’re on your 800th listen of your playlist, and you hate to admit it, but you’re getting kinda sick of the songs on it. If you’re stuck in a music rut, these albums and artists will add some spice to your day.

“Heaven or Las Vegas” by Cocteau Twins

“Vibey” songs are as popular as ever right now thanks to TikTok. So if you’ve listened to one of those and loved its dreamy, reverberating atmosphere, you might want to check this album out. Heaven or Las Vegas is a staple in the dream-pop genre, and for good reason. On first listen, you may be bored, but I urge you to listen a few more times–each song is extensively layered with rich sounds, and it’s fun to to discover new ones each time. Plus, it’s impossible not to get lost in the ethereal world created with each strum of the guitar. My personal favorite song is the opening track, “Cherry-Coloured Funk”, mostly because of the haunting register of lead vocalist Liz Fraser. It makes me feel like I’ve been transported into a dreamscape; a welcome escape from the chaos of the real world.

Moses Sumney

Moses Sumney takes great care in creating genre-evading music, but his songs can collectively be pinned down as experimental, musing and beautiful. Another uniting force is his falsetto–a distinct combination of haunting, like a tissue paper ghost, and piercing, like an arrow shot to the sky. A brief sample of his songs: “Make Out in my Car” features poetic and swoon-worthy lyrics, and “Plastic” alludes to the feeling of fraudulency in a relationship. The best way to experience the scope of his music is to put his songs on shuffle as background music, since many of his songs are soothing and often composed of non-lyrical vocals and instrumentals. However, be warned–you might find yourself interrupting your study session to contemplate life when “Me in 20 Years” comes on. Also, the people who annotate his lyrics on Genius deserve a raise.

¿Teo?

Many artists tend to fall victim to the restraints of genres, succumbing to culturally established boxes of what music can and can’t be. Colombian singer ¿Téo? transcends these boundaries by fusing features from hip-hop, R&B, and Latin. In his collaborations with various contemporary artists, such as genre-bending siblings Jaden and Willow Smith, ¿Téo? reveals his free-spirited and fluid music style. He blends silky chords, offbeat syncopation, bilingual lyrics and even rap to create sublime pieces like “Palm Trees”, “Part of Me”, and “Thru My Hair”. ¿Téo? also puts forth his fresh artistic perspective to other mediums, including indie films. Through multidimensional pieces, he brings together diverse audiences to celebrate peace, love, and music.

Sports

Wizards are characterized as magicians and sorcerers throughout our folklore. Oklahoma trio Sports, self-identifying as a “band of wizards’’, creates musical magic. Sports’ electropop tracks are reminiscent of psychedelic icons like Tame Impala, Mac Demarco, and MGMT. The unique artistic touches of brothers Christian and Jacob Theriot, and friend Cale Chronister, swirl together to form a kaleidoscope of R&B, synth-pop, indie rock, and more. Their songs lure listeners in, with mind-bending hits like “You Are the Right One”, “Baby Baby”, and “Panama”. Keyboarding, synth, vocals, and other production values stand out throughout Sports’ albums. Whether you’re a new listener or a die-hard fan, the entrancing wizardry of Sports will never fail to cast a spell on you.