CommRadio Weekly Playlist: Jan. 15

Here, members of the Arts and Entertainment Department will talk about the songs that dominated their playlists during the week and what makes them so good.

“Vampire Empire” - Big Thief

This song has been stuck in my head for weeks, and for good reason.

“Vampire Empire” is one of the most unique-sounding songs I’ve heard, and it’s in part to lead singer Adrienne Lenker’s vocals.

“Vampire Empire” is about being tied to someone you hate but still need to please.

The best part of the song is the refrain, where Lenker pleads, exclaims and screams: “you turn me inside out / then you want me outside in / you spin me all around / then ask me not to spin / you say you want to be alone and you want children / you want to be with me and then you want to be with him.”

You can hear the desperation and anger in her voice, and it’s a great contrast to the otherwise tranquil-sounding instruments in the background. -Adrianna Gallucci

“Jersey Giant” - Evan Honer and Julia DiGrazia

Yes, I discovered this song on TikTok and yes, I know it’s a cover of an Elle King song.

I think “Jersey Giant” was meant to have two voices on it to fully sell the heartbreaking story of breaking up with your hometown relationship.

Evan Honer’s voice rides the line between folk and country, and accompanied by a simple guitar, creates a tune that belongs in a woodsy log cabin.

Julia DiGrazia provides harmonies on the chorus that feel like Honer’s lost love singing in his head as he reminisces about their time together.

The lyrics were written by country artist Tyler Childers, whose line “I miss those nights of reckless glory / I’d come back if you just call” hit me really hard.

This is the type of song I can’t skip whenever it comes on because it instantly relieves any stress I’m feeling in the day.

There’s a reason this cover is streamed more than the original, it has more emotion because of the two voices weaving in and out of each other. -Kaitlyn Murphy

“Blue Monday” - New Order

New Order’s most famous song, “Blue Monday,” is a notable example of a song from the past that essentially sounds like it was from the future.

Granted, that could be applied to any song from the 1980s that was synthpop and electronic heavy, but what better example than this tune?

New Order was actually a rebranding of the original group, Joy Division, but the death of the first singer as well as some new recruitments on guitar and synthesizer led to this new incarnation.

Right off the bat, “Blue Monday” was popular among dance clubs and became a synth-pop classic. But what is unique about this song is its apparent lack of any verse structure as well as its deadpan monotone lyrics.

Forty years later, “Blue Monday” remains as popular as it was when it was first released and has even been featured in recent films such as “Ready Player One.”

Why not give it a listen? -Logan Sharp

“The College Breakup” - Andrew Barth Feldman

Everyone knows the formula to a banger song and it’s when the lyrics are so depressing but the beat makes you want to jump up and dance, and this song achieves that perfectly.

Starring in the hit Broadway musical, Dear Evan Hansen when he was only 16 years old and recently acting besides Jennifer Lawrence in “No Hard Feelings,” Andrew Barth Feldman is no stranger to Hollywood.

But his singer-songwriter career has just begun and with no surprise he is amazing.

In his first album “Penn Station,” Feldman takes us through many stages of his life in eight tracks, but “The College Breakup” is the one that sticks out the most to me.

He tells a story throughout the song, of a very classic trope that many young people go through of taking your high school relationship to the test of college.

While the lyrics are so relatable to most, the drums in the background of this song are why it is my favorite. They are beyond addicting and even listening to the song so many times on repeat, I never get sick of them.

The bridge is something not to mess with in this track. It is no secret how well Feldman can sing but the emotion in his voice on the bridge is so heartbreakingly beautiful that it takes you out of the fun dance vibe and makes you sit with the story of the song.

Andrew Barth Feldman is just getting started with his own music, but if the future sounds anything like this song he has a bright career ahead. -Madison Rush

“Time to Pretend” - MGMT

Ever since watching the recently released movie “Saltburn,” this song has been on repeat for me.

“Time to Pretend” by MGMT is a song from the artist’s 2007 album, “Oracular Spectacular” and was featured in the 2024 film “Saltburn” during a montage of the characters spending the summer together.

This song is about to become my summer anthem. It sounds so modern but yet so nostalgic, and the ecstatic vibes that it radiates are contagious.

My favorite part of this song is the production behind the lyrics, which is what makes it sound so perfect. The beat is memorable and timeless, and the lyrics make me want to jump into the ocean at sunset.

“Time to Pretend” is going to be my favorite for a long time, and I can’t wait for the weather to get warmer so I can live out my “Saltburn” summer montage dreams. - Sarah Gavlak

Adrianna Gallucci is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email amg7989@psu.edu.

Kaitlyn Murphy is a second-year majoring in digital and print journalism. To contact her, email kvm6255@psu.edu.

Logan M. Sharp is a fourth-year majoring in film production. To contact him, email lxs5590@psu.edu.

Madison Rush is a second-year majoring in public relations. To contact her, email mkr5957@psu.edu.

Sarah Gavlak is a second-year majoring in telecommunications. To contact her, email sng5393@psu.edu.