Who’s popular now? We are! We sent out our FIFTH survey to the student body about what your “hot takes” are on music, with a focus on the summer, and got a lot of responses! We wanted to know if this summer was going to be filled with bouncy tunes or gloomy power ballads. (Why not both?) We sorted through your responses and wrote up our thoughts on what you said. Below is how we handled your “unpopular opinions.”

What’s your “song of the summer”?

You said: “‘Nights’ by Frank Ocean” – Anonymous

Sophia says: I really like this song. (I also like Frank Ocean songs in general). This is one of those songs that I listen to on a warm summer night while sitting outside and taking time to think. It has a really nice beat to it and the vocals are awesome. I also love the transition from a more upbeat song to a calmer almost cafe music like vibe.

You said: “Otsukare Summer by halicali! It’s really catchy and literally about summer lol” – Anonymous

Erin says: I LOVE THIS SONG. It’s so catchy and fun and just makes you want to dance. I literally burned it onto a CD so I can have it forever. Your music taste is literally so peak. You also wrote about Vocaloid, as you normally do when you submit these responses. Thank you for giving this amazing genre publicity! You’re goated.

What is your all-time favorite summer road trip song?

You said: “Maine by Noah Khan”  – Anonymous

Sophia says: This is actually so real! I love Noah Khan, and his songs are perfect for long road trips. My favorite album by him is Stick Season because I became really obsessed with it when it first came out, specifically the song “She Calls Me Back,” which was actually one of my most listened to songs in the summer when me and my family started going on road trips.

You said: “November Rain – Guns N’ Roses”  – Michael Curtin Jr

Erin says: You’ve submitted this song so many times I think I’ve lost count. Initially, I was intimidated by it, as it’s almost 10 minutes long. But I decided to take a listen. It’s really good! I didn’t realize this, but I’ve actually heard it before and I just didn’t know the name of it. It’s kind of a sad road trip song, but maybe you like to contemplate your life while looking out the window of your car.

What songs/artists do you predict you’ll listen to the most over summer break?

You said: “Loona and Red Velvet” “CORTIS and Sheena Ringo” – Anonymous

Erin says: It’s always really interesting to see people writing about K-Pop in our Google forms! I think that Loona and Red Velvet have such good summer songs. In fact, my favorite summer song as of recently is probably “You Better Know” by Red Velvet. It’s kind of early 2010s EDM?, which is perfect for summer in my opinion. CORTIS has also been pretty popular recently, and songs like “GO!” or “Fashion” are really good summer songs.

You said: “Taylor Swift, Melanie Martinez, MARINA” – Anonymous

Sophia says: I like the first two artists. I listen to them on occasion, but I absolutely LOVE MARINA! She is such a talented artist, and she is able to showcase her vocal range through hersongs. She also has such a unique music type that blends so many different genres like electropop, indie, and pop rock. My favorite song by her is “Bubblegum B*tch” from the album Electra Heart. Also, small fact about her: she was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

We can’t wait to see if our Hot Takes go mainstream this summer. We’ll know in just a few short weeks. Until then, see you in the fall!