As the holiday season dwindled away, and semester two kicked into full swing, January brought a month of chaos and glum. 

Looking back, in a month like January, music provided an outlet to accompany students in their tearful late-night study sessions or their preparation for the rapidly approaching sports season. 

After a series of various random inquiries to school members, take a look at the second monthly-themed playlist to recover from whatever January threw at you and head into February.

1. “No Such Thing” by John Mayer

Renowned singer-songwriter John Mayer’s 1999 single “No Such Thing” was picked by Blake Miller ‘27 as a song that reminds him of second semester starting up. “[The song] is talking about how everything is made out to be so much worse than it actually is, like how second semester really isn’t that bad and it’s closer to actually being in the ‘real world’,” Miller said.

2. “Around Me” by Metro Boomin, Don Toliver

The track from Metro Boomin’s collaboration-heavy album “HEROES & VILLAINS” was picked by Yaffa Gurzhiev ‘26 as a song that helps her get through January. “I like ‘Around Me’ by Metro Boomin because its upbeat feel and musicality keeps me [hyped] and motivated,” Gurzhiev said.

3. “Love Ride” by Christian French

Security officer Hannah Eubanks picked the singer-songwriter’s 2018 single off of his album “natural colors” as a song that keeps her upbeat through January. “I’m going to pick ‘Love Ride’ by Christian French, the reason being that my significant other plays a big part in helping me stay upbeat, and he always plays this song, so it really helps me,” Eubanks said.

4. “This December” by Ricky Montgomery

Despite its contradictory name in comparison to this month, Chloe Crook ‘27 picked Ricky Montgomery’s track as a song that embodies January. “I like this song because it’s not Christmas-y like other songs, it’s more wintery like January,” Crook said.

5. “All Too Well” by Taylor Swift

Swift’s single, renowned for its re-released ten-minute version, was picked by Addie Waller ‘24 as a song that fits with the mood of January. “You can listen to [All Too Well] in the snow, like when it’s super cold outside. It just makes you feel warm and happy when it’s dark and cold outside,” Waller said.

While these are only five songs picked by a few students, here are five more gathered from students and faculty to include in this month’s playlist.

6. “Neon Guts” by Lil Uzi Vert

Picked by Avishka Aurangabadkar ‘26.

7. “Heartless” by Kanye West

Picked by Shiven Patel ‘26.

8. “Misty Town” by Lamp 

Picked by Maylin Chio ‘25.

9. “The Bones” by Maren Morris

Picked by Library Specialist Jennifer Chiu.

10. “Seven” by Taylor Swift

Picked by Finley Jiampetti ‘26.

If you like this month’s playlist, click here to save it to your Spotify library.