1. “Our Truth” - Lacuna Coil: The heavy distorted guitar combined with lead singer Cristina Scabbia’s beautiful vocals make for a great gothic metal track. I only know two of Lacuna Coil’s songs including this one, and “Swamped,” but now I really want to get into their music. The instrumentation and production on this track is insane. I’m attending the Sick New World festival, so I’m bummed out that they aren’t returning this year. They’re an Italian band, and the flight from Italy to Las Vegas is very long, so I don’t blame them for not coming back for another one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SB9LXpO6yWo
2. “5 2 Üh 60” - SeptembersRich featuring Yeat: Portland rapper Yeat may be the feature, but make no mistake, this track is all his. He completely steals the show from SeptembersRich. He’s not lyrical, but his sound is unique, with the auto-tuned yells in the background and his rage culture type beats. I’ve heard great things about his new album 2093 and I’m probably gonna review it sometime soon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ND9NIqai7O4
3. “This Feeling,” - my!lane: This phonk song is regularly in my workout rotation. It’s great to run to the pitched down rapping of the sampled song “Mask to my face” by Gangsta boo over the electronic house track, “This feeling,” by Noisestorm. Hearing these two wildly different songs combined is awesome, and somehow, they mesh together very well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j095QgDf790
4. “Wannabe” - Why Mona: This e-girl anthem remix of the Spice Girls hit single, in my opinion, is far superior to the original. If I’m being completely honest, this is the only version of that rancid song that should be played. That growly synth bass in the chorus, paired with the soft guitar riff and piano chords during the intro and verses, combine for a track that is a total vibe and one that is incredibly fun to listen to on night drives.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRqPNoB7D60
5. Sweater Weather” - The Neighbourhood: “All I am, is a man, I want the world in my hands. I hate the beach, but I stand, in California with my toes in the sand,” sings lead singer Jesse Rutherford. This is the only song of The Neighbourhood that really has any replay value for me. I love the reverb-soaked guitar and the catchy chorus, it’s a total California anthem.