When I listen to music, it’s like traveling to my own world. A world where it’s almost impossible to feel anything but happy; a place where only I exist. I often find that when I listen to a new song, a song I truly like, I don’t just play it once. Sometimes, I’ll play it for hours, or even days, on end until I eventually get tired of hearing the song. 

When it comes to listening to new albums or songs, my taste in music often varies. I don’t have a favorite artist; however, according to Spotify, the top four genres that I listen to are pop, indie, dance, and electronic. 

This week, I decided to step out of my comfort zone and listen to the new album It’s Not So Bad by KYLE. The entire album mixes in some rap along with a sprinkle of pop here and there. I have never had a problem with listening to pop, but when it comes to rap music, it’s not my favorite, mainly because it’s so popular and can get really repetitive. Listening to the album was a nice way for me to traverse into a new dimension of the music realm. Of the eleven songs on the album, if I had to choose my two favorite songs, it would be “Perfect” and “Sunday.” 

“Perfect” is the ideal tune that everyone should listen to if they ever need a pick-me-up or are just having a bad day. Throughout the whole song, the phrase repeated is, “you’re perfect” and definitely increased my self-esteem.

I listen to music while doing other activities, but it’s most beneficial when I listen to it while completing homework. It not only makes me feel less stressed, but it also keeps me motivated which is definitely what this song achieved. 

“Sunday,” which by the way is my least favorite day of the week, is the song for anyone that wants to relax, but still listen to an upbeat song at the same time. It made me dislike rap music a little less because of how well the tunes were incorporated throughout the song. Hearing the tune almost felt like I was at a party, and the song was an audible representation of what a DJ would play at a party. 

Because my music taste often varies, so does the artists that I listen to. KYLE’s album made me think about the band Surfaces and how both artists sounded surpassingly similar, but this didn’t surprise me because both artists never fail to carry out that element of pop within their music. 

Every other weekend, I attend a potluck party, and the title for this next song perfectly resembles my emotional state at these gatherings. At the beginning of “Sleepyhead,” the sound of a ticking clock, along with the guitar’s notes, creates the background noise of the song and later turns into a tune that has a theme which I interpret as not spending your whole life sleeping, or in other words, looking for all of the new opportunities that life has to offer every day. 

I never liked listening to rap music, but after listening to this album, I’m convinced that maybe I should give this genre of music a chance and broaden the range of music that I listen to. This is an album that I would recommend to anyone who wants to experiment with a different category of music.