BRIANNA:

Cheekface: I’ve talked about them before in this column, but I just can’t get enough of America’s Local Band. In preparation for their upcoming 5th album, out Feb. 25, they’ve released three singles over the past few months: “Flies” in October, “Hard Mode” in December, and “Growth Sux” in January. “Flies” has a super catchy chorus and great baritone sax work from Jeff Rosenstock, “Hard Mode” captures that feeling of wanting to succeed but unknowingly making things harder for yourself in the process and “Growth Sux,” while much weirder than the other two, still has a relatable second verse about self-improvement. They all feature excellent cover art from bassist Amanda Tannen. I recommend checking them out, and if you enjoy them and their music, they are going on tour starting in April. Just be warned: Pittsburgh has sold out, and it’s likely other shows close to Marywood will start to meet the same fate.

Charli XCX: I’m probably the last person on Earth to do so, but I finally listened to the much-praised album “BRAT” by Charli XCX. Although it had a shaky start, with the incredibly danceable “360” followed by the noisy “Club Classics,” the album swiftly recovered in my eyes and was full of great tracks the rest of the way through. Every song is musically something you might hear in a club, but the lyrics can be cheeky bragging to a confession towards a then-anonymous fellow pop star. Edits of songs from this album set to clips from “The Substance” -and let’s be honest, Activator green and Brat green are the exact same shade- finally convinced me to check this album out, and I’m glad I did. My favorite tracks are “360,” “von dutch,” “girl so confusing” and “apple.”

CHARLOTTE:

Carly Rae Jepsen: From her debut to her recent release, the pop princess always delivers on the bubble-gum pop. The moody “Run Away With Me” tells a story of wanting to go on an adventure with someone special, while “Let’s Get Lost” is a classic pop song all about wanting to spend a little extra time with them. The album “Dedicated Side B” contains some of my favorite songs by her, “Heartbeat” sways to a slow tempo as Jepsen yearns for someone. “Stay Away” and “Let’s Sort The Whole Thing Out” are pop perfections with fun, catchy beats.

FKA twigs: The recent release of her album “Eusexua,” which I reviewed, has been on repeat. Title track “Eusexua,” the sultry “Striptease” and the longing “24hr Dog” are my top three favorites off the album. The whole album is spectacular, unique and experimental, offering a new spin to her extensive catalog.


RACHEL:

Marilyn Manson: I listened to his entire album “One Assassination Under God Chapter One” and I really enjoyed it, though my favorite song from the album is “Meet Me In Purgatory.” Other songs I constantly listen to are “The Nobodies,” “Heart-Shaped Glasses (When The Heart Guides The Hand),” “We are Chaos,” “Putting Holes in Happiness” and “Beautiful People.” He also covered “Tainted Love,” “You’re So Vain” and “Sweet Dreams” which are great covers, dare I say better than the originals.

Little Roy: Little Roy produced an entire album covering Nirvana. I’ve heard two songs from it, “Lithium” and “Heart-Shaped Box.” This is another type of music I don’t normally listen to, island-sounding. The songs sounded pretty good and are good options to relax. Don’t go in expecting a rock cover if you do, you’ll be disappointed.

Lil Peep and XXXTentacion: I don’t normally listen to hardcore rap music, except Eminem, but the one song I heard by them was really good. The song is called “Falling Down” and it’s not hardcore rap. I don’t know what their other songs sound like.

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