By Tyler Friedman ’17, Arts and Entertainment Staff Writer

With all of the stress of schoolwork and everyday activities, it can be hard to find time to look for new music. However, with the Grammys occurring so recently and the usual workload dying down as we approach Spring Break, I have found myself becoming more invested in discovering new songs and bands. Here are some of my favorites that I have been listening to:

Sweat – RY X

Released as a single in 2014, RY X’s stripped down song features minimal guitar and crooning vocals to create a melancholy tone. A cross between Bon Iver and Damien Rice, “Sweat” evokes a contemplative emotion in the listener through its soft yet haunting melodies.

Drowners – Drowners

If you were to combine the strong British influence of The Kooks and the garage rock sound of The Strokes, you would have Drowners’ self-titled debut album. A quick listen at only 30 minutes, each track packs a punch with concision and enticing guitar hooks.

Although I will admit that some songs sound fairly similar to one another, their sound is so well crafted that this potential fault can be almost altogether dismissed. Overall, Drowners is definitely worth checking out.

All The Way – Kat Edmonson           

This track from singer-songwriter Kat Edmonson comes from her 2014 album, The Big Picture. The folksy guitar accompanies her beautiful voice perfectly. The lyrics are simple, but they implore the listener to find meaning within the song.

The Districts – The Districts

Out of all of my picks on this list, The Districts’ self-titled EP is definitely my favorite. This up-and-coming band from Pennsylvania recently announced that they would be performing at Governor’s Ball this June. The similarities between each song are few, yet the EP is still cohesive and breathtaking. The vocals are soulful and contrast nicely with the twangy guitar that is often more standard for modern alternative rock. My personal favorite tracks from the EP are the final two, “Long Distance” and “Stay Open.” The Districts performed an acoustic version of the latter for a local Boston FM station, and it is arguably better than the original version. You can watch them perform at the link below: