This week, The Phillipian interviewed students on their favorite songs from the Spring Break. From acoustic J-pop to mellow bedroom pop, this selection spans a diverse range of genres and artists including Mxmtoon, Joy Again, JVKE, and more. Scan the link below to listen!
Jeremy Liao ’24
“A song that I’ve been listening to over break is ‘1, 2’ by Mxmtoon. This song in particular I listen to for the chorus; I love the way the melody sort of reaches up at the beginning, conveying the feeling of this person that she’s writing about [through] a high note. Then, an airy, synth-like track comes in as the chorus wraps up… I like these songs because they have really soft and chill energy while still feeling like they’re in control…deliberate in the rhythmic and melodic elements of the piece. I tend to not act based on how I feel, love or otherwise, and this song lets me lean into that feeling more rather than forcing me to confront it. I think that applies to a lot of the other music I listen to as well. The sentiment [is] comforting to me in my little corner of the world.”
Marie Faugeres ’23
“I’m really into this band that’s called Joy Again… they’re indie pop/rock, and there’s this song called ‘Necromancer’ that I’ve been listening to a lot. It’s not that I just found it out now but it really matches the winter vibe… When I first heard it, it was a very raw experience. It really makes you feel deep into it because the vocals are really Lo-fi sounding. It’s not high production, it’s low production but that makes it sound so real and it’s literally acoustic guitar and voice. It’s about being so in love with someone that you feel like it’s a curse, like they’ve you under a spell… It’s very romantic but it sounds so sad, almost like this is driving them insane… to a point where it’s more of a longing.”
Grace Hu ’24
“I think just Eve’s music in general… It’s just really calming and it has an atmospheric feeling to it. It’s just nice to listen to while you’re studying or in the car or something… [‘Yuseiboushi’ and ‘Shinkai’] have my favorite instrumentals and I think that the melody was also very catchy in a way… Eve’s lyrics are meaningful in some ways… I think just in general the songs always have a story to them. [In] the animation [for the music videos] and even in the instrumentals itself. There’s a build up, a climax, and then there’s a resolution to it. [This] goes for all songs, but I feel like his genre of music has a really clear beginning, middle and end.”
Vanessa Fan ’23
“‘this is what falling in love feels like’ by JVKE. The song opens with a very mellow, smooth violin intro. There are pleasant bird chirps in the background, which reminds me of waking up on a warm spring morning. When I listen to the song, I can almost imagine lying on my warm blankets, opening my eyes, and watching dust swirling around the sunlight streaming into the room. I stumbled upon this song when I was scrolling through social media. The song stood out because most other songs were loud and much more jarring compared to this short cheerful tune. When I found the full version of the song, I was pleasantly surprised by the violin intro. I love how in the beginning you think you’re about to listen to a calm classical piece, but then it transitions to the sunny, merry chorus. Accompanied with the sunny music, the first line ‘feel like sun on my skin’ makes me feel the warmth of the spring sun. The coordination between the lyrics and song creates the overall warm, bubbly mood of the song.”
Gloria Chen ’24
“I love the song Anne Marie’s ‘2002’. Even though the song is about a breakup, it accompanied my entire middle school years. I listened to it everyday- on the way to school, at carpool, on the way home, at home; it was simply my favorite. Being back at home, I was brought back to those times. I missed my life pre-Andover, and this song made me feel like that 11- year-old girl wearing a “just do it” dress, earbuds in her ears, on her way to school in Memphis again. Other than that, the song has such an upbeat feel to it as well, relating it to spring!”
