1. Sam Smith: If I had a dollar for every emotional moment I have shared with Sam Smith’s voice, I might have enough money to invest in the vinyl his album deserves. A voice as iconic as whiskey — smooth, yet intense — is displayed on his single “Stay With Me.” Part singer-songwriter, part R&B, Smith will have you entranced as you lie on your floor in the dead of summer helplessly pressing repeat in sync with the tears streaming down your cheek.

2. Coldplay: Listen, before you pull the Mylo Xyloto card, hear me out — I haven’t forgotten. But, in the same way your friends have let you forget your crimped hair phase, let’s allow Chris Martin to forget the cacophony that was Mylo Xyloto, and instead focus on the ambient symphony displayed in their recent album “Ghost Stories,” which dropped May 16. Their new single “Magic” doesn’t have quite the ardent pull of “Parachutes,” but for every tender chord lacking, Martin matches it with psychedelic synths that keep your shoulders bobbing in-synch with his tempos. And with the song’s cessation belting, “And if you were to ask me / After all that we’ve been through / Do I still believe in magic / Oh yes I do,” how can you not want to give Coldplay another chance? We all need a bit of serendipity in our lives.

3. Tennis: Jubilant, buoyant, jovial tunes are recorded over a ‘50s lo-fi vibe in Tennis’s sophomore album, “Young and Old.” Tennis is made up of husband and wife duo, Patrick Riley and Alaina Moore. “Young and Old” is a travelogue narrating a seven-month sail-boat voyage the two made post-college around the Eastern seaboard. Fittingly, this album is best explored when sunshine is in abundance and spirits are radiant. The track “Petition” is an essential for any summer mix-tape.

4. Lake Street Dive: It’s a little jazz, a pinch of pop and all things merry and bright. Lake Street Dive’s versatility sets them apart in the jazz-age which has yet again captured young America’s heart and their dance floors. Lead singer Rachael Price’s voice is raw and robust, but maintains a charming tenor that leaves its audience enamored by cheery tunes which disguise the album’s heart-wrenching lyrics of lost-loves and the broken-hearted. The band’s most recent album, “Bad Self Portraits,” encompasses the band’s spirit as well as sets them as a forerunner for album of the summer. I recommend “Use Me Up” paired with windows rolled down and dancing shoes in tow. 

5. Rock Eupora: Rock Eupora — or the boy who left his heart in Mississippi — is the moniker of Mississippi State University alum, Clayton Waller. His debut album “Blanks” dropped in late April and has kept a lead spot on my Spotify rotation ever since. The album itself maps the transitory state of millennials as they embrace the real world and grapple with the demise of the American Dream. Waller’s lyrics are mapped with lo-fi beats and the intentional cadence of his drum set. “Side by Side” becomes a staple for any hopeless romantic — ironically, Waller penned the tune over a quick crush on Pam Beasley from “The Office.” And when you’ve put the last box in your car to transition to college life, “Plan” is there saying “yeah, everything is going to be okay, even when the skies are a little gray.”