On one routine bus ride to school, Izzy Trax listened to the familiar sounds of the 70s, but a different, yet still familiar, song caught her attention. 

“I was like, ‘Oh, this is really good,” Trax said, describing her first impression. 

Trax has always loved the band Fleetwood Mac, and the vocals on “Go Your Own Way” solidified the song as one of her favorites. 

“I immediately downloaded it when I got to school.”

Eli Takacs was introduced to ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s music by their dad. And that influence is still present in their tastes today. Even after hearing a snippet of the song “Don’t Fear the Reaper” on TikTok, Takacs recognized and loved the style of the sound.

“After I fully listened to it,” Takacs said, “I was like,’Oh, yeah, this is my jam!’”

“It sounds like emo fairies screaming at you,” said Atlas Peplinski, describing one of his favorite bands, Your Arms Are My Cocoon. 

Peplinski and his friend went to their concert this October, where he heard the song “Muffles Beneath the Sound of the Ocean” not only live but also for the first time.

“I really like the instrumentals and how they are used,” Peplinski said. “They use a saxophone in an emo song for some reason, and it’s really good,” he elaborated. “I really like it.”

While listening to a band formed in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 2010— the Crane Wives’ entire discography— Cody Leser immediately saved the song Not the Ghost.  

“I don’t really know why, but I really just love how it sounds,” said Leser. 

He further thought it could be the lyrics or the energy of the song, but either way, it became a new favorite for Leser.

This school year, Alice Vandervliet and Rory Smith went to The Lumineers concert in Detroit together. There, after hearing the song “Ativan,” they both simultaneously said, ‘This is so good!’. From then on, it quickly became their song.

“It was the best,” said Vandervliet. “I think top three concerts I’ve gone to, and I’d say I’ve been to a good amount of concerts. I love how it sounds, and it just holds so many good memories.”