Despite the grey cloud hanging over this year, the music released has been nothing short of fantastic…a definite bright spot that we could all cling to when the times got tough. These were the songs and albums that challenged us as listeners, played to all of our emotions, and were just catchy af.

My favorite 16 of 2016 are moody, energetic, passionate, and quirky. These are songs I’ve grown more and more attached to over the year, and have definitely been a comfort to listen to during a year with many ups and downs.

While many of us are eager to put this past year in our rear-view mirrors, we know that 2017 is already going to be a crazy ride. No matter what the new year hurls at us, we can rely on music to help us keep chugging along. There are already a slew of albums that will drop in early 2017 for which I am super duper pumped. I have a feeling, at least music wise, it’s going to be a lit year.

If you like the songs below, head on over to New Jams Vol. 3 on Spotify to listen to all of the great songs I’ve curated throughout this year.

Happy holidays, friends!

It was exactly one week ago today while I was listening to the #NewMusicFriday playlist, that one song in particular came on, and I literally had to stop what I was doing to click over to Spotify. The song that caught my attention was “drugs” by EDEN.  I immediately started doing research on the artist–Who is this person? What other songs are available? Is the artist going on tour anytime soon or did I completely miss the boat?

Thankfully, I managed to glean some information from the Google machine regarding the person responsible for creating the latest song for which I cannot stop hitting repeat. EDEN is the moniker under which Jonathon Ng releases music for your listening pleasure. This 20 year old Irish multi-instrumentalist has previously released tracks as The Eden Project.  He has his own label, MCMXCV, through which he released his most recent EP, “End Credits” in 2015.

What struck me initially about the song “drugs” was the line: “Cause I’m a fucking mess sometimes” which is (naturally) delivered right before the drop.  I’m not sure if the lyric resonated with me so much because the first time I heard the song I may have been going through a brief period of self-loathing… or maybe because it’s a universal feeling many of us may have experienced before? After listening to the song on repeat solely because I liked how it sounded, I decided to delve into the lyrics. The song seems to revolve around the comparison of relationships to drugs because, “Hey! Sometimes I just can’t quit you regardless of the gigantic mess you’re making of my life” amirite?

Relating love to a drug is definitely nothing new. However, EDEN is able to spin the woes of relationships into a piece of music that showcases lyrics sung with a great deal of emotion layered on top of well crafted electronic beats.  The song is a little dark, a bit moody, but definitely a dance-y piece you should be listening to on repeat. The song has a completely unique feel, which makes it a true indie-electronic gem.

EDEN’s newest EP is scheduled to be released on August 19th.  You can pre-order “I Think You Think Too Much of Me” here.

If you live in North America, he’ll be embarking on a tour beginning on Sept 7th.  Find the full tour schedule+tix here.

Listen to “drugs” below, and make sure you keep EDEN on your radar.