Dude, 2020 has been a trip and a half. Here, have some music for coming this far because it isn’t gonna get any easier.

“Atlas Falls” – Shinedown

Shinedown is a hard rock band from Jacksonville, Fla. that was formed by the lead singer after his previous band failed and dissolved. Members of the band didn’t stay consistent until the third album. This song, written during the making of the fourth album, Amaryllis, didn’t make the cut, and came out as a single for a fundraiser called Direct Relief due to COVID-19. This song is about how if we look past the fighting, lies and hatred, we can hold up this world while it’s in troubled times.

“Unnatural Selection” – Muse

Muse is an English rock band that was formed in 1994 by its drummer. They were originally named Carnage Mayhem. This song is on their fifth studio album named The Resistance, and, personally, I love the style of their songs. This song is about how the rich have control and everyday people shouldn’t be slaves. It’s a good protest/rebellion song, especially for 2020.

“Just Breathe” – Pearl Jam

Pearl Jam is a grunge band from Seattle. Founded in 1990, they went through lots of different drummers until settling on the one from Soundgarden, who then joined the band permanently. This song is about just breathing and being happy with what you’ve got.

“Rock the House” – Gorillaz

The Gorillaz is a band? The lead singer of Blur, an animator, and more recently, a producer? The answer is yes. It’s what is considered a virtual band—all fictional characters in a band making music. It was an idea that Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewett had when watching MTV. This is from their debut album called Gorillaz and it is a fun party song.

“She Couldn’t” – Linkin Park

Linkin Park – we’ve all known them because of the memes about songs like “Numb,” “Crawling,” and “In The End,” but there are many people, like me, whom the band spoke to, and it meant something more than just a joke. This is a song for people who have lost someone, miss someone or have ever felt alone. It says it’s not your fault and you’re not alone. This song came out publicly about a month ago, three years after the passing of Chester Bennington (one of the two lead singers). This was a B-side from the original Hybrid Theory album. It didn’t come out at all until recently with the Hybrid Theory 20th anniversary edition. 

 “Lead Poisoning” – Tom Morello, Herobust, RZA and GZA

This song is made by the guitarist of Rage Against the Machine. This song is for those that support Black Lives Matter  and are against police brutality. This song shows police brutality is way more than just a recent problem. It was released in 2018, and references an act of police brutality in 2014 in New York City, in which an African American, father of six and known neighborhood peacemaker named Eric Garner was choked to death. Garner was saying, “I can’t breathe,” while being choked, much like George Floyd did. 

“Standup” – Shea Diamond, Dan Reynolds, Tom Morello and The Bloody Beetroots

This came out in the wake of the protests against police brutality and the Black Lives Matter movement. This song urges people to stand up and do something meaningful rather than just being a bystander to the violence.