8 Albums To Check Out While You’re Home From College And Bored As Hell

WJ Cope7 years ago

Going home from college is great for the first day or two, but then it becomes apparent just how little there is to do in your hometown. Your parents are old and boring, your town is deader than a doornail, and your siblings are just as annoying as ever. Rather than bond with your family while visiting your family, why don’t you instead drown everything out with pop culture? I’ve come up with some albums that you can catch up on while you’re bored in your hometown. These all came out in 2017, and are at least somewhat worth a look.

SYRE by Jaden Smith

SYRE is the debut full-length album from Twitter abomination Jaden Smith, and it’s… surprisingly not bad. The album is obtuse, bloated, pretentious, and lacks a clear sense of coherence and direction, but the production is very strong and there are some good moments and ideas over its staggeringly long runtime. This album is far from perfect, but it’s still worth checking out.

Blackstar by David Bowie

David Bowie’s final album deals with his own death and legacy, and it’s a fitting conclusion to an incredible career. The Bowie that shows up on this album is still the same man who did so much to shake up the music industry many years ago, and the album is made all the more relevant and haunting by the fact that we lost Bowie a few days after its release. This was overlooked by many, but it’s one of the year’s best albums.

Aquaberry Aquarius by RiFF RAFF

RiFF RAFF’s latest record is as ignorant as anything he’s released up to this point, and that is something to be celebrated. Aquaberry Aquarius is packed to the brim with drug-fueled bangers that’ll have you itching to get back to school and throw a massive party.

Pure Comedy by Father John Misty

Father John Misty dropped one of the most intelligent, funny, and well-written albums of 2017, and it’s absolutely worth checking out if you haven’t already. Pure Comedy is filled to the brim with social commentary and witty remarks about modern life, and its intelligence far outweighs its pretension.

Saturation and Saturation II by BROCKHAMPTON

BROCKHAMPTON is a shot in the arm to a hip-hop scene that’s currently inundated with xannied-out, spacy production and mumbled lyrics. The collective is much more akin to a punk band than a hip-hop group, and each one of them brings interesting styles and perspectives into the fold. Both Saturation albums are full of interesting and refreshing production, song structures, and lyrics. If you end up liking them, you’ll be pleased to know that their follow-up is expected to drop before Christmas.

Adios by Glen Campbell

Try to get through Glen Campbell’s final album without shedding a tear — I dare you. Campbell will go down as one of country music’s greatest artists, and his final project was recorded while he struggled with Alzheimer’s, the disease that ultimately took his life. What he made was a thoughtful and humble look at his own life, family, and mortality.

How Did We Get So Dark? by Royal Blood

Royal Blood is one of the best hard rock groups out right now, and their latest work will help scratch your itch for grimy production and hard-hitting rock tracks. These guys remind me of acts like Tool and Queens of the Stone Age, and they add their own unique flairs to the genre. The album does get repetitive and runs a little long for my taste, but it’s a good one nonetheless.

Science Fiction by Brand New

What’s better than listening to some Brand New while you’re in the place where you spent your angsty teen years? Science Fiction is as good as any of the band’s 2000s output, and it has some very interesting reflections on mental illness and morality. It was a personal favorite of mine this year, and I highly recommend you check it out if you’re a fan of any of the band’s previous work..

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