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How time flies! As we enter the final days of the semester, we must pay our respects to the artists and music that kept us strong in the darkest of times. People let you down, but music? It never fails us. Here’s some of the music that The Crimson’s Arts Board is thankful for this year.

Tyler Childers

In the pitch-dark afternoon here in Cambridge, despite the wind and the piercing cold, listening to Tyler Childers brings me right back to North Carolina and the essence of the South. The Kentuckian’s style of music, a mix between country, bluegrass, and folk, is ultimately timeless. With the upbeat, passionate “All Your’n,” the use of the hammond organ, banjo, fiddle, and guitar brings a smile to my face through their musical depiction of fond appreciation. In “Lady May,” alongside the rawness of emotions with lyrics such as “I’m baptized in your name,” Childers’s rich vocals provide a sense of nostalgia for the time I spent with those I love back home. Furthermore, “Feathered Indians” reminds me of the distinct energy and uniqueness of the Appalachian Mountains, not far from where I grew up. Tyler Childers’s music exudes warmth, feeling like a hug and a testament to my upbringing in the South and all the great things that came along with it.

—Emily G. Fallas-Chacon

Pinegrove

Music has always been how I connect — with my friends, my communities, my surroundings. You’d be hard pressed to find me anywhere without my headphones on. As the holiday season begins, I’ve been thinking about the music I’ve kept close to my heart this year. Pinegrove came to mind immediately.

Their music feels like an open field — a wide, quiet expanse where I can breathe deeply and let my thoughts wander. It’s in the strum of the guitar, the gentle, aching melodies, the way their lyrics make space for reflection and release. Wherever I am, if I’m listening to Pinegrove, I’m home.

Home is an elusive concept to me. I spent my whole life moving around, never in one place for too long. Pinegrove’s alt-country, indie-rock sound has kept me grounded. Whether I’m in my dorm room laughing with my friends under dim purple lights, or sitting on a bench by myself watching sunlight wink at me from the Charles, Pinegrove plays softly in the background reminding me that I am human — my feet are roots and my hair grows towards the sun.

In “Old Friends,” they sing, “I should call my parents when I think of them / Should tell my friends when I love them.” So this year, I did. I made new connections and deepened the ones I already have. I decided that home is what I make it — it’s something I create through love and intention. This year, I loved loudly, unapologetically, with my whole chest. And God, how thankful I am that I did.

—Staff writer Najya S. Gause can be reached at najya.gause@thecrimson.com.

Lofi Girl

Lofi is what you’d hear if you took a random person off the street and taught them the piano, drums, and guitar for about an hour each, and then told them to make a song. The so-bad-it’s-good of instrumental music, lofi is most iconically represented by the “Lofi Girl,” the mascot of French Youtuber ChilledCow’s “beats to relax/study to” live stream that runs 24 hours a day.

The strength of lofi is its familiarity. Every song is the same: There’s the vinyl crackle that somehow transcends its tackiness, the slightly off-beat drums that groove way too hard, and the almost jazzy piano chord changes. They all combine to put me in a trance-like state when I’m trying my best to stop procrastinating my quantum homework — “Lofi Girl” has been there for me more than a few times on late Lamont nights. Every little texture, stuttered bass drum, and random bird sound effect scratches a certain itch in my brain that only lofi reaches, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.

—Staff writer Alessandro M. M. Drake can be reached at alessandro.drake@thecrimson.com.

Taylor Swift

An extremely basic opinion in this era, most people — without fail — cannot deny Taylor Swift’s incredible artistic talent and power. Last year, the Crimson’s Arts Board named “Taylor Swift and the Eras Tour” third in our ranking of the “Top 10 Cultural Moments of 2023” for several reasons, including the fact that her tour is the first billion-dollar music tour. Moreover, that same year, academic institutions like Harvard even piloted a college course around analyzing the literary value of Swift’s lyrics.

Given Swift’s vast influence, I would like to think that everyone has a reason to be thankful for her music in one way or another. Personally, my earliest memory with Swift was sitting in my fifth-grade science classroom sneaking a glance at the “Love Story” music video on my iPad, instead of a boring video about the muscular system. While my peers focused on the anatomy diagrams, I was lost in Swift’s enchanting castle, unknowingly beginning a lifelong admiration for her music and storytelling.

“Love Story” came back to me again years later on February 12, 2021 — this time as “Love Story (Taylor’s version).” Spending my last semester of senior year in high school on Zoom meant I truly had nothing better to do than replay the song endlessly. My family grew so tired of hearing it that to this day, they still associate me with it. However, for me, the draw of this song’s resurgence wasn’t just the re-recording but the way it seemed to grow alongside me. As Swift’s voice matured, so had I. Whether an imaginative fifth grader, a high school senior trapped in the confines of my home, or a 21-year-old beginning to navigate adulthood, Swift’s music has been a staple through every phase of my life. For that, I’ll always be thankful.

—Staff writer Allison S. Park can be reached at allison.park@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @allisonskypark.

Annie DiRusso

One of my most anticipated music releases of the year was “Legs” by Annie DiRusso. First teased on TikTok in October of 2023, “Legs” is a catchy indie rock song about the duality of accepting a casual relationship yet wanting more. A sticky, summer romance is the song’s setting, with DiRusso bouncing between apathy and emotional investment in the choruses. DiRusso’s raw, open lyrics coupled with the emphatic drums and driving electric guitar on the track capture the emotional intricacies of the modern situationship, making it a beautifully cathartic song to scream and dance along to.

DiRusso’s more inward-focused tracks give a voice to the anxiety and freedom that come with growing up. As she sings about how “it used to be easy / Just coasting through life / And it’s not anymore / But I’ve been feelin’ alright” in “Coming Soon,” I find myself reflecting on my life since starting college, and the evolution that awaits me as a senior leaving it.

I often turn to music for comfort in both the joyous and distressing moments of my life, seeking a fun tune and relatable lyrics to parallel my own emotions. DiRusso’s music has been a go-to since first hearing her snippet of “Legs” last year, and I’m thankful that I had the entire rest of her discography to listen to while I waited.

—Staff writer Anna Moiseieva can be reached at anna.moiseieva@thecrimson.com.