After a short hiatus on our series, we’re back with another edition of Albums That Defined Our Semester. Luckily for you, it’s been a good year for music.

Sahmaya Busby

Big Ideas by Remi Wolf

Remi Wolf released her second album, Big Ideas, this summer and avoided the long-feared “sophomore slump” masterfully. Big Ideas proves to be an appropriate name for the record that transverses genre, emotion, and subject matter with dexterity and quickness. While it’s easy to get caught up in the boisterous funk pop songs like the album opener “Cinderella,” the lyrically-relatable “Soup,” and punny “Frog Rock,” Wolf also maintains for the slow and sultry songs like “Motorcycle” and “Cherries and Cream.” Other times, we’re brought into the intimate acoustics of the bedroom pop piece “Just the Start” before heading to “Slay Bitch,” a self-celebratory bonus track that closes the album. My favorite track, Toro—which ended up being my top song of 2024, according to Spotify—incorporates Wolf’s usual imaginative, raw lyrics, loud percussion, and guitar in a fun, pop record about having… fun… in a hotel room before a trip to Miami. While I could listen to “Toro” any time, I often opted to listen to Toro in the context of the entire album for the satisfaction of hearing the next track, “Alone in Miami,” which takes us straight to the location and drastically changes the vibe to an emo heartbreak vibe (Wolf bellows “If you don’t understand me, then who can?” a feeling you’ve had about all of your crushes since at least seventh grade). Another favorite is “Wave”; the music starts, and it’s easy to start bopping your head before the guitar-heavy chorus escalates the emotion of the song.

The album’s versatility aligns with the other albums and EPs across Wolf’s discography and means that listeners don’t have to save the entire album for a specific mood. Simply take your pick and Wolf ensures it’s there. The self-deprecating “Pitiful” is there for your nightly replay of “Why did I do that?” while “Kangaroo” encourages the fun, impulsive moments of youth. The variability of the songs contains several Big Ideas which makes it the perfect album to celebrate both the glorious and dismal aspects of being young, slightly clueless, and newly free.

Nora Deemer

Inside by Bo Burnham

Like for many people, the pandemic was a difficult time for me, especially because it happened to coincide with a lot of other difficult events in my life. The first time I tried to watch Bo Burnham’s comedy special Inside in 2022, I couldn’t finish it because it brought up a lot of hard memories of the COVID-19 lockdown. This year, I was finally able to watch the whole special, and it was brilliant—and on repeat—for the whole semester. It was just as relevant in September 2024 as it was in May 2021, for both good and bad reasons. 

“That Funny Feeling” and “All Eyes On Me” were on a hard repeat after the election, especially because this was the first year I was eligible to vote, and I was so excited to vote. I ended up feeling powerless and pessimistic about the future of the world, which are the exact feelings centered in these two songs.

“FaceTiming With My Mom (Tonight)” is me (always) because I love to FaceTime my parents and tell them that I ate a vegetable today and also went on a walk and also saw a cute dog on said walk and also my roommate told me a funny story yesterday.

“White Woman’s Instagram” was a surprise obsession for me. It would be an autocomplete suggestion every time I started typing “white noise for studying” on YouTube, so, obviously, I would have to listen to it, and then it would be stuck in my head the whole time I was studying. Also, the bridge would make me miss my mom so hard. It is a funny song, but—and I can not state this enough—Bo Burnham made an unbelievably thoughtful and critical analysis of the way we interact with internet culture through that silly song. (I <3 u mom)

Mary Cook

Bright Future by Adrianne Lenker

Adrianne Lenker released her new album Bright Future in March of 2024 and since then I haven’t stopped listening. I listened to it in its entirety on long walks in Riverside Park, study sessions in the green chairs of Milstein, and as I wistfully leaned out the window while riding the six hour train ride home for Thanksgiving break. Lenker’s music has always been a constant companion, a source of solace and reflection, and Bright Future only deepens that connection. Lenker has this rare gift of distilling the world into fragments of truth that are wrapped in her poetic lyricism. Paired with her achingly soft, yet forceful voice, it’s the kind of music that you can’t help but get lost in. This album explores love, longing, and self-discovery—themes that all feel inexpressible until Lenker effortlessly articulates them through raw and intimate lyrics.

I was first introduced to Lenker’s music a couple of years ago, when I randomly snagged a last-minute ticket to her show at Radio City Music Hall. That is when I first heard “Vampire Empire”, the single for Bright Future (“I wanted to be your woman and I wanted to be your man. I wanted to be the one who you could understand.”). Seeing her live—the unique vocals, amazing guitar skills, and powerful stage presence—was a revelation. This line captures the fragility and yearning of love in a way that feels both universal and deeply personal. It’s that desire to be seen and understood in a way that transcends gender and expectation. Of course, “Vampire Empire” is not the only gem on Bright Future. Tracks like “Free Treasure” and “Sadness as a Gift” hold their own as standout moments. In “Evol”, Lenker plays with word order (“Time spells emit, who can see it?”) and sound to capture the power of time and loss. But the song that truly captured me this year was “No Machine,” which notably played during a pivotal scene in Season 3 of The Bear. If you haven’t seen it yet, trust me: that moment was cinematic magic, and hearing the song tie into the show was like a full-body emotional release for me. Overall Bright Future is a timeless and transformative album, and I am certain it will continue to be a companion through many more moments of introspection and growth.  

Madeline Douglas

OK Computer by Radiohead

As my top artist for the second year in a row, Radiohead has managed to get me through thick and thin and, most importantly, this semester. There’s something about Radiohead’s 1997 album that feels so relevant. I am constantly surrounded by computers and electronics, but, somehow, this album provides me a respite.  

Radiohead effortlessly balances the human with the computer. It keeps me grounded and pumps me up. I use it as pre and post game music (though my friends try to take the aux away from me). 

Zoë Berry

Short n’ Sweet by Sabrina Carpenter

My first semester of college was nothing short of a whirlwind—creating new relationships, figuring out my work/life balance, navigating city life—and Short n’ Sweet was with me the whole way. I, like most 19-year-old girls, had “Espresso” and “Please Please Please” on repeat all summer, but upon coming to college, Carpenter’s whole album resonated with the turbulent yet fun vibe I aimed to curate. I remember waking up to a 75-degree September morning and immediately queueing “Bed Chem,” “Taste,” or “Juno” while I got ready for my 10:40 am class. Short n’ Sweet reminds us that frivolity, even at the worst and most serious times, can brighten our day. Another favorite, “Slim Pickins,” reminded me achingly of the ubiquity of country music back home (shoutout to the South!). Ultimately, Short n’ Sweet provided my first semester of college with the shiny, popstar goodness that I needed to feel fun and uplifted. Also, it made for a great final paper topic in my First Year Seminar (thank you, Sabrina!). 

Ashna Shah

Charm by Clairo

In moments when I feel claustrophobic and unable to leave my own experience, I turn to movies and music as the ultimate forms of escapism. As a true introvert, I have found myself thinking many times this semester that it would be much easier to experience a more solitary life. At times, I long to be free from the headache and stress that often appears in social environments.

Clairo’s album reminded me again why having an unpredictable, messy, and spontaneous college experience can be such a beautiful thing. Even when we’re often far from many of the people we love, making new friends and laughing with strangers have led to so much growth and fulfillment for me. “Charm” peeks into the fleeting moments she has charmed and been charmed, combining her signature soft vocals, jazzy instrumentals, and mellow storytelling into a musical love letter.

Some of my personal highlights are the fantasies in “Juna” lines “(You make me wanna) try on feminine, (you make me wanna) go buy a new dress, (you make me wanna) slip off a new dress” and the goosebump-inducing “Nomad” lyrics “Every time I see someone new, I just think of you.” 

While Clairo’s unique style and romance ultimately guided my third semester, I give honorable mentions to the always wonderful Joni Mitchell for “Blue” and Coldplay’s “Parachutes.”

Paula Carrión

Born To Die: The Paradise Edition by Lana Del Rey

I am here to talk about… *sigh* boy problems. If your semester, like mine, was defined by 70% angst (that senior year crisis took hold of us, am I right?) and 30% heartbreak (the biggest L that I took was Love) then you’ll understand why I had Born To Die: The Paradise Edition playing on repeat as I walked to and back from class. Boy does Lana Del Rey like singing about men… Because this album has like a thousand songs (23), I will highlight a few of them—organized, roughly, in the multiple stages of falling in (and out of) love:

“Ride”: This is for when you first spot your crush in Milstein and have that oh no moment of yearning: “But you can be my full-time baby, hot or cold,” and you get that urge to approach them: “I been traveling too long / […] I been tryin’ too hard.” Honestly probably better to just focus on your homework and save yourself the trouble.

“Radio”: “No one even knows how hard life was / I don’t even think about it now because / I finally found you”—somehow you guys got together. Yay!! All is great!! “Now my life is sweet like cinnamon / Like a fucking dream I’m livin’ in.” I do like cinnamon not gonna lie.

“Video Games”: This song is for that honeymoon stage when you think you’re the first person ever to feel love and not even the stale Hewitt pancakes can get you down: “Heaven is a place on Earth with you / […] They say that the world was built for two.”

“National Anthem”: Even though I’ve never felt the need for someone to “tell me I’m your national anthem,” I do “need somebody to hold me”—nothing as romantic as sharing a Twin XL. Also, can we talk about this lyricism mastery: “(Booyah, baby, bow down, makin’ me say wow now).”

“Diet Mountain Dew”: This is for when you know things between you guys are about to end but you still hold onto hope: “Diet Mountain Dew, baby, New York City / […] Do you think we’ll be in love forever? […] You’re no good for me / But baby, I want you, I want you.” Also, as a Catholic, let me bring this to your attention: “Let’s take Jesus off the dashboard / Got enough on his mind”—Jesus and I both tbh.

“Cola”: This song is completely unhinged and I thankfully cannot say I relate to any of it—but hey! sometimes unhinged is the vibe…

“Born To Die”: You guys are officially over. This is perfect for when you’re walking to Butler under the rain to write your nine-page essay, bonus points if you don’t have an umbrella: “Oh, my heart, it breaks every step that I take / […] Sometimes, love is not enough / And the road gets tough, I don’t know why,” I don’t know why either Lana.

“Summertime Sadness”: This song captures what it is like to be sad in the summer, but it’s so good that I can also be sad to it in the fall and the winter, “Kiss me hard before you go / […] I think I’ll miss you forever…” However, a girl can always hope for a lighter Spring…

Sam Mezrich

Twin Fantasy by Car Seat Headrest

To preface, I’m not a furry. I just love this album. I’m now gonna go through some of my favorite songs on the album and explain why they should also be your favorite songs.

“Sober to Death”

I didn’t really follow the message of this song this semester, but my life was definitely soundtracked to it. After losing a pretty important friendship this summer, I was pretty torn up and turned to Sober to Death to help me draw meaning from it. Some lines that had an impact on me include “we were wrecks before we crashed into each other” and “I know that good lives make bad stories, you can text me when punching mattresses get old.” This song teaches us that sometimes people have problems and there’s nothing you can do about it. Sometimes you have problems and there’s nothing anyone else can do about it. Sometimes your problems can come together and make even bigger problems and no one can do anything about that either. 

“Beach Life-in-Death”

This song consists of banger line after banger line. The vocals are staticky and far away, and the song takes you on a serious journey. I don’t know how to describe it. You’re just gonna have to go and listen to it. The whole thing please. My favorite line is “she said “what’s with the dog motif?” i said “do you have something against dogs??”” Toledo screams this lyric into your ear as you’re left to contemplate the most profound symbol an artist could include in their work.

“Nervous Young Inhumans”

All I have to say is this is the greatest intro to a song ever created. The far away riff coming into focus is worth a million listens alone. After the aforementioned event, I guess I did kind of feel inhuman this semester. “It’s almost Halloween. I haven’t done shit this year.” 

“Bodys”

I always put this on aux at the function. I don’t care that most people don’t know it or like it or think that it’s furry music. This is the most hype dance song ever. I love jumping around and thinking about how we’re all truly alone and there’s no one to save us, only dancing and this moment right now.

“High to Death”

What the song said.

Wow, I really had a hard time capturing the essence of this album. You’re really and truly gonna have to go listen to it yourself. The best way I can put it into words is by saying these songs are for when you don’t feel real. We’re all on a floating rock. Nothing is real. Listen to this album. I’m not a furry.

Maggie Aufmuth

Glow by Alice Phoebe Lou 

I expected to have much more figured out by my sophomore year of Columbia than I actually have. For this reason, I’ve been thinking a lot about another time in my life where I thought things would fall into place much easier – my senior year of high school. It was then when I found Alice Phoebe Lou and her album Glow. On my long drives to and from school, I would listen to her words and think about all my feelings related to growing up and uncertainty about the future and understanding my confusing relationships. 

The album is nostalgic from the very first time you listen to it. To me, Glow is perfect for moments with myself where I am trying to make sense of my world. This semester, I was able to see Alice perform in Brooklyn. I went by myself, which was my first time attending a concert solo, but it felt right. It was so beautiful to hear her stunning voice live, and it brought me back to such a strange but important point in my life (even if there was a diva next to me who smoked two joints indoors). Glow reminds me that there is beauty and meaning in the hardest parts of life, and this semester it has reminded me that any relationship can teach you something important. My favorite song from this album has always been “Lover / / Over the Moon.”

Rory Collins

Stick Season by Noah Kahan

To make it short and sweet, I am a New England native and Massachusetts girlie at heart. This album speaks more to me than it can speak to anyone from outside that area (sorry to gatekeep) and I turned to it the most this semester when I needed a little reminder of how far I’ve come and how okay it is to slow down once and a while. My specific choices in the tracklist for hypothetical nights in which you may be crashing out over your hometown and old life would be “Homesick,” “Northern Attitude,” and “New Perspective.”

Lucia Towne 

Fetch the Bolt Cutters by Fiona Apple

Released on April 17, 2020, Fiona Apple’s Fetch The Bolt Cutters is so damn good. It’s truly really that good. However, in 2020 I was a deeply anxious sophomore in high school who only listened to the most-played songs on the radio. Now in the fall semester of my junior year, I can say that I have been safely indoctrinated into the Barnard music mindset, hence Fiona Apple. My introduction to Fetch The Bolt Cutters is alone worth the tuition cost. Thanks, Barnard!

Fetch The Bolt Cutters has this chaotic and raw musicality with insanely precise lyrics. Apple’s voice is able to carry the emotion of her songs more than any other voice possibly could. Fiona Apple proves that her words could only be sung by her because you just can’t imagine anyone having the same power and desperation that her voice and her lyrics carry together. There’s this rageful persistence that drives the lyrics of this album that I can’t get over. They’ve been playing in my headphones all semester. I’m obsessed in the best, most inspirational way.

In Fetch The Bolt Cutters Apple does just that. She fetches the bolt cutters and cuts herself out of her cage. The exact right level of “fed up with this bullshit” that has generally driven me this semester. In the title track, Fiona Apple sings “I grew up in the shoes they told me I could fill, shoes that were not made for running up that hill, and I need to run up that hill. I need to run up that hill, I will, I will, I will, I will, I will”. Hell yeah. I will.

Riley Stacy

For the Roses by Joni Mitchell

For the Roses is an album of solitary self discovery, reckoning with failed relationships, and finding one’s place in the world. All nice, light topics! I’d argue it’s some of Mitchell’s most poignant, vulnerable, and authentic work, and it has played on repeat—both literally and in the back of my head—this semester. Opening with “Banquet”, Mitchell jumps right in, using the symbol of a dinner table to comment on the unfairness life has thrown each and every one of us (at some point), and the human experience of developing a vice to deal with it. I’ve definitely not had any experience with that this semester. At all. “Lesson in Survival” is the self-critical advice column of the album, providing a sort of comforting recognition that almost everyone just wants something to believe in, and what each individual turns to to find that is unique. Though she reveals insecurities of her own perceived insufficiency and loneliness, she does so beautifully and, at times, so abstractly that she symbolically buries these insecurities, mirroring a feeling we all know a bit too well. “Woman of Heart and Mind” is where the catharsis of the album lies, a so-called “angry woman” song. Here, Mitchell articulates the frustration that comes with being disappointed with a relationship and/or its end, recognizing that a person you once loved really turned out to be your worst nightmare. Not mincing her words, Mitchell speaks to the fundamental experiences of a young life, crafting a beautifully raw and relatable album that I believe all twenty-somethings should spend some time with. 

Maxwell Lurken Tvrdik 

Ruby Vroom by Soul Coughing

I discovered Soul Coughing’s El Oso and Irresistible Bliss long before their 1994 debut album, Ruby Vroom. Unlike their two later albums, better-known and replete with radio hits “Super Bon Bon,” “Soundtrack to Mary,” and “Circles” (and a song I wish was on Ruby Vroom, representing my clandestine feelings about New York City since I arrived: “The Incumbent”), Ruby Vroom never reached the Billboard 200. Soul Coughing split in 2000 due to a nasty combination of drug abuse and disagreements that saw frontman poet-lyricist Mike Doughty and his bandmates go solo. Their debut album stands as both testament and memory to a time where Doughty would chug a beer before brushing his teeth and shoot heroin or smoke weed while eating breakfast; a melancholic, yet magical adventure through the annals of drug use, creativity, depression, and ecstasy. I first listened to Ruby Vroom in a haze poignantly reinforced by the trip of the album just before beginning my final year of college. I returned to the album throughout the semester, and though the album deserves to be heard in its entirety, straight through (which has certainly been done), there are a few songs which deserve a “watchful” ear. “Sugar Free Jazz,” hauntingly echoing “Schools he bombs, he bombs,” meshes political rage and seeming nonsense with a saccharine drum beat and sample that avoids euphemism at all costs. “True Dreams of Wichita” takes my breath away each time the Williamsburg bridge crosses paths with Babylon, forcibly recalling Habakkuk’s biblical dialogue with God in which he demands to know why the “Heavenly Father” cares so little for his “beloved” creation. My final and far from least mention: “Screenwriter’s Blues.” I have been fortunate enough to listen to Los Angeles at 5 AM. It is beautiful and it is certainly FLY; I know that I will one day die in Reseda, California on an overpass twisted like an arthritic knuckle whether I like it or not. Cryptic descriptions are well fit for Ruby Vroom, and they are all I can give. Soul Coughing created fantastic music, and I was extremely lucky to see them back together on their anniversary tour this year. Soul Coughing are the sole masters of a genre which no one else can dare to enter. Please give each album a listen, they are mystical and boundary defying. 

Chancey Stefanos

Tapestry by Carole King

I had a very nostalgic semester, therefore I was already listening to an extortionate amount of Carole King, but Tapestry (1971) truly became a staple when I found a vintage copy of it on vinyl for sale while walking down Broadway. Tapestry is truly perfection—best summarized as a blend of folk, pop, and soft rock, it captures the essence of the 70s while providing the warm and honest emotions of a true singer-songwriter. 

Lyrically, Tapestry is extremely personal, capturing feelings of heartbreak, love (romantic and platonic), and self-discovery. Not only does Tapestry include the very popular “Where You Lead” (later used for the Gilmore Girls theme song), but an array of other tracks that perfectly suit an autumn walk in Central Park, a ride on the Northeast Regional Amtrak, or a quiet Sunday morning in my dorm. My personal favorite is “It’s Too Late,” which went platinum while listening to my father’s playlists during car rides to third grade. I love that the album sounds like I’m sitting in on an acoustic performance and feels like the warm hug we all so desperately need sometimes. 

Eva Kabatas

Woledto by Elyanna

It’s safe to say Woledto defined my semester for two reasons. First, I only managed to go to one concert this semester (lame, I know), but in my defense, The Woledto Tour was worth ten combined—Elyanna’s performance was absolutely ethereal. Second, my 2024 Spotify Wrapped. (I don’t know why I pretend to be surprised by it every year; it was obvious that Elyanna would be my top artist this time.) I’ve had Woledto on repeat all semester long—energizing me as I get ready in the mornings, keeping me entertained on long commutes, and lifting my spirits after draining days. I even put my roomie onto it! 

From its upbeat rhythms to its soulful, melancholic tracks, Elyanna describes Woledto (meaning “I was born”) as a “journey through identity, love, rage, and feminism.” For me, Woledto became the soundtrack to my first semester of college—a journey through independence, companionship, anxiety, and empowerment.

Honorable mentions

Sahmaya Busby: brat by Charli XCX, Lately I Feel Everything by WILLOW, and Fine Line by Harry Styles

Ashna Shah: Blue by Joni Mitchell and Parachutes by Coldplay

Sam Mezrich: Twisters: The Album from Twisters (2024)

Maggie Aufmuth: The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess by Chappell Roan and 19 by Adele. 

Rory Collins: Why Lawd by NxWorries, King of the Mischievous South Vol. 2 by Denzel Curry, Bright Future by Adrianne Lenker, and Girl With No Face by Allie X

Maxwell Lurken Tvrdik: I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got by Sinead O’Connor, The Philharmonik by The Philharmonik, Slow Train Coming by Bob Dylan, and The Last Rotation of Earth by BC Camplight

ATDOS 2024 via Bwog Staff