Albums to get you Through Quarantine.

Lockdown in the U.K has been extended for another three weeks and no matter how confident Trump is that America can begin to reopen, I’m unconvinced. So here are some great albums to help you get through quarantine.

Future Nostalgia - Dua Lipa

Leading up to this album I was unconvinced of Dua Lipa’s talent and status in the music industry. No matter how much my cousin tried to convince me that she was going to be one of the leading names in the music industry I was resistant, so resistant in fact that I didn’t really pay any attention to the singles released off of this album before its release. When I finally caved and listened to Future Nostalgia I was blown away by Dua Lipa’s ability to completely change her style. Her decision to follow The Weekend and Hayley Kiyoko’s footsteps and create a 70s/80s vibe with synth pop, disco and funk sounds whilst keeping her album modern is what sets her apart from every other big name in music at the moment. Future Nostalgia is brilliantly written, with some great bass hooks and beats that you can’t help but move to. The singles on this album are not even the highlights for me. ‘Levitating’, ‘Love Again’ and ‘Pretty Please’ are all awesome songs that deserve more attention. The only criticisms I have of this album is that I feel the very last song ‘Boys Will Be Boys’ whilst a great song with a great message, doesn’t belong on this album. It feels out of place. Secondly, ‘Good in Bed’ flops for me. It feels like she was trying to channel Amy Winehouse but ultimately failed in doing so. Forgetting those two points, Future Nostalgia is a great album to really lose yourself in, forget all the shitty things going on in the world and just listen to good music.

Cuz I Love You - Lizzo

Lizzo was a big breakout star last year and her album Cuz I Love You effortlessly blends R&B, pop, hip-hop and soul music into the one album. Lizzo is all about female empowerment, loving your skin no matter the colour, loving your body no matter the size and all of this really shines through in her music. ‘Jerome’ whilst a break-up song resists the all the cliches of one and instead focuses on great vocals and the idea of breaking up with a person for not being able to mature, which women are often criticised for, being okay. ‘Like a Girl’ is all about making women feel good and moving away from the distressing narrative that doing something like a girl is negative. ‘Tempo’ focuses on body positivity and allowing yourself to feel good no matter your weight. Underneath the skimpy outfits and sometimes harsh delivery is a woman who just wants others to feel as beautiful as she feels.

The Hamilton Soundtrack

I am obsessed with the Hamilton soundtrack and this is a person who isn’t a huge fan of musicals. This is a fresh take on the history of America and whilst it might glorify it a little there’s no doubt that it’s a great way for young people to learn some history. Lin-Manuel Miranda is nothing short of a genius to come up with such a complicated musical and asking what if we did the opposite of whitewashing? The cast are extremely talented, the lyrics are cleverly written and every song is catchy. If you haven’t listened to the Hamilton soundtrack then what are you waiting for?

Confident - Demi Lovato

Demi Lovato recently released a new song ‘I Love Me’ and I became so obsessed with it that I had to revisit her old album Confident. Demi has always been a woman of many troubles but she’s never been scared to write about her personal life in her music. ‘Stone Cold’ and ‘Father’ especially are examples of this. The entire album is personal, honest and raw. She also knows her audience, predominantly teen girls, and uses her music to inspire confidence in themselves especially with body image. This was the album where she opened up about her sexuality with ‘Cool for the Summer’ no doubt inspiring many young people and ensuring them that their sexuality was nothing to be ashamed of. The best word to describe the Confident album is unashamed, it’s real, it’s Demi.

I’m Not Dead - Pink

One of my favourite albums of all time and one of the most criminally underrated artists of the 21st Century. I’m Not Dead is one of the first CD’s I can remember buying when I was a kid and this album got me through a lot over the years, most significantly the death of my Gran when I was 12 years old. Pink was one of the first artists I looked at and thought ‘she’s like me’ and honestly that’s never stopped. A little bit punk rebel, a little bit rock chick and a little bit pop princess, Pink just really stood out. On this album the hits were ‘Stupid Girls’ ‘U+Ur Hand’ and ‘Who Knew’. ‘Who Knew’ is genuinely one of the most beautiful songs ever written, and no-one but Pink can ever sing it. ‘Dear Mr President’ was an open letter sung to President Bush, questioning his integrity and his honour, rather a brave thing to do. ‘Nobody Know’ refers to our inner fears and the version of us that we don’t let anyone see because we’re scared of what they’ll think. But the most underrated song on this album has to be ‘Conversations with my Thirteen Year Old Self’ which hits all kinds of hard when you listen to it years on. Because everything in this song referred to me when I was a teenager and no doubt a lot of kids when they were that age. I’m Not Dead will always be a boss album.

The Black Parade - My Chemical Romance

If you’re looking for something a bit darker to reflect the times then look no further than My Chemical Romance with The Black Parade. Not only is the song itself a rock masterpiece but this entire album is full of powerful songs that just make you want to rock out. This is no doubt my favourite era of MCR because it was so dark and gritty. ‘Teenagers’ explores the growing confidence in young adults in the modern world that can be as problematic as it is positive. ‘I Don’t Love You’ refers to the absence of love in a relationship and how these relationships often end on lies. This album will match your quarantine mood.

Lover - Taylor Swift

I have a love/hate relationship with Taylor Swift and that’s mainly because I don’t know how a woman of her talent listens to ‘Look What You Made Me Do’ and thinks ‘yeah that’s how I wanted this to sound'. There’s no doubt that Taylor Swift is currently leading the music industry and is possibly the greatest songwriter of our generation and Lover only solidifies that belief. If Reputation was a bad bitch album then Lover is her chill album. Taylor Swift over the years has dipped in and out of pretty much every genre there is in the music industry however Lover finds her moving back to her country roots whilst injecting a little bit of her signature pop sound. The album just sounds so calming and her songs are beautifully written. I’m not a huge fan of love songs but ‘Lover’ is just such a joy to listen to. ‘Cruel Summer’ has a really interesting sound and melody that I can’t help but listen to over and over again. ‘Paper Rings’ is a fun little number that never fails to make me happy. This is the album for you if you want to forget all about the shit that’s going down in the world.

Stay Safe.