Anyone who walks through the halls during class change at Central will notice one common theme among the students- nearly everyone has in earbuds. So what is Central listening to, and what albums are Central students looking forward to?
A student-run survey at Central this semester set out to learn the answer. The survey asked 40+ students what genres of music they enjoyed, and what albums they were looking forward to “between now and June,” among other questions.
The first question asked what genre of music the surveyed students enjoyed. The most popular genre (very closely) was “indie,” followed by pop, rock and alternative. The survey also allowed for students to put in their own answers if their favorite genre was unlisted. Some genres students added were “Christian,” “orchestra” and “Eurobeat.”
There was significant variation in how much music students were looking forward to. Some students claimed they were not anticipating any new music. “All my favorite artists are fairly inconsistent,” one student wrote. “I haven’t heard about any album that I am extremely excited for,” wrote another. However, on the other end of the spectrum, a third student listed five anticipated albums between now and June (including the record by boygenius and Good Riddance by Gracie Abrams, among others).
Another survey poll listed several 2023 albums considered most anticipated by Pitchfork, a well-respected American music blog, and asked students to check off albums they were anticipating on a checklist. The most anticipated album from this list was Lana Del Rey’s newest album, Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd, expected March 10.
“I’m really looking forward to the new Lana Del Rey album because she’s one of the few artists [where] I actually like all of her albums,” one student wrote. “[She] makes me feel like my experiences are shared with others.”
Several other albums Central students anticipated were Endless Summer Vacation by Miley Cyrus, Butcher House by Sematary, One Thing at a Time by Morgan Wallen and My Soft Machine by Arlo Parks.
In the end, Central’s population felt positively about music today and music in the near future. “I think that music is extremely influential in our lives, and even if we aren’t excited for the release of a specific album, we can still enjoy music,” a student wrote.
While everyone’s music taste is different, Central students are united in their anticipation for upcoming music this year.
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