Everyone has been saying that 2026 is the new 2016. So, our writers have decided to take a look back at some of our favorite albums that came out in 2016
Who Really Cares by TV Girl
TV Girl is a really interesting project. For a lot of people my age, hearing them on TikTok and other platforms was their first introduction to indie or alternative music. What TV Girl does across all their music is make the mundane sound touching or relatable. On their 2016 album, Who Really Cares, TV Girl attempts to define relationship problems for an entire generation. With songs like the opening track, “Taking What’s Not Yours,” focusing on the fixation that we have with people’s things after they’re gone, the boringly interesting “Cigarettes Out the Window,” or the sensual, intimate “Not Allowed,” TV Girl tells the story of a relationship in reverse. He goes through the monotonous, dull ending, to the exciting physical relationship, and ultimately, at the end, the foundation of how a relationship comes to be. This album says a lot about 2016; it has the bouncing vocals that you would hear practically everywhere, and that lo-fi vibe that I associate with that era. The album almost comes across as trying too hard to be indie. However, Who Really Cares stands as one of the most memorable albums of the year for me!
– Fenton Wright, Web Services Coordinator
Wild World by Bastille
Bastille has been my favorite band since their debut album in 2013, however it is their 2016 album Wild World that I hold as my favorite album. It feels like a more polished version of that debut, with all of the best things about the band on display in a cinematic, sweeping tour de force of an album. Wild World is an album that is very concerned about the world around us, and how news, media, and information can overwhelm and harm us. It’s an album full of emotion and passion, and it is an incredibly special one. From the scathing track “The Currents” about politics and the vanity and corruption within it, to the (in my opinion) most incredible love song of all time, and the band’s favorite song they’ve ever written, “Warmth”, Wild World is just track after perfect track, and is a nonstop display of the British quartet’s ability to create the kinds of songs that make you feel. The album is, to me, a perfect encapsulation of many of the feelings that I associate with 2016, and yet it has stood the test of time and is an album that is still perfectly relevant to the issues of today, ten years later. I truly feel that the album will continue to be an encapsulation of the human experience in nineteen tracks, even after another ten years pass.
– Ahni Brown Harbin, Staff Writer, Program Coordinator
Lukas Graham by Lukas Graham
2016 was a great year for a lot of things, movies, TV shows, but especially music. In fact, much of the music I found myself listening to during the pandemic was majorly artists and albums of the 2010’s, including the likes of Avicii, Phillip Phillips, Lewis Capaldi, etc. However, the artist that stuck out the most to me was Lukas Graham, along with his album name. Lukas Graham (the album) hilariously debuted on Spotify on April 1st of 2016. The album’s opening track, as well as being the most well-known of his music catalog, currently sits at an astonishing 2,420,000,000+ streams. In an interview with Genius on YouTube, Lukas Graham describes his inspiration for creating the track as “an autobiographical reflection on growing up, driven by the death of my father and my own impending fatherhood.” Created in only 3 hours, the song takes the audience through an incredibly profound coming-of-age story that many can relate to. Lukas’ style blends pop music with intricate storytelling that encourages a nostalgic tone throughout the album, furthering the growth of biographical commentary in music that was growing in popularity at the time. Listening to this album in particular often allows me a moment to reflect on where in life I am right now, and even though the song is more of an autobiography, it encourages me to appreciate the little moments all the more. It is an absolute must-listen album for anyone on their journey of self-discovery.
– Jadore C. Lasner, Staff Writer
California by Blink-182
Blink-182 is most often celebrated for their late ‘90s and early 2000s releases, but as a devoted fan I believe their lesser known eras deserve equal appreciation. After Tom Delonge once again left the band in 2015, Matt Skiba from Alkaline Trio joined Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker to create Blink-182’s seventh studio album, California. Unlike much of their earlier work, California leaned into the 2016 pop-wave, allowing the band to experiment with new sounds that deviated from their traditional raw and gritty tone. Although California is not my personal favorite, its musical depth spans far wider than many of Blink-182’s previous projects, effectively reaching a new audience while still preserving elements longtime fans love. Tracks like “Cynical” and “Bored to Death” echo the band’s classic sound, while songs such as “Los Angeles” and “Home Is Such a Lonely Place” introduce upbeat, subtle electronic elements that Blink-182 had previously avoided. Despite some hardcore fans believing Delonge’s departure weakened the band’s artistic integrity, it is important to recognize that Matt Skiba helped steady the group and keep fans engaged during a turbulent period. In many ways, California stands as a reflection of 2016’s iconic pop music era, and also as a testament to Blink-182’s ability to adapt without fully abandoning their roots.
– Scarlett Heikkila, Staff Writer
Blackstar by David Bowie
On January 8th of 2026, Blackstar turned ten years old. This was something like Bowie’s last gift to the world, an album as layered and wonderful as everything else he created. Blackstar is the dark and brooding one out of the handful of albums that David Bowie made in his lifetime, containing frantic drums, monotonous guitar riffs that loop into themselves, and wailing sirens. Themes of the afterlife, sexuality, and identity are threaded through each of the seven songs. “Sue (Or In A Season of Crime)” sounds almost pleading, while “Blackstar” is almost like a meditation; Bowie paints a fascinating image of the villa of Ormen with its solitary candle and the day of execution. Despite Blackstar’s divergence from Bowie’s most famous sounds (like “Ziggy Stardust” or even “Changes”) it is undeniably true to Bowie’s ever-evolving persona. This in itself is representative of his journey through stardom, ending in his final form: the blackstar. Perhaps this is an allusion to his battle with cancer–a black star in astronomy is when a star collapses in on itself, maybe somehow similar to Bowie’s view of himself at the time of writing this album and a way of coming to terms with his illness. The last track on Blackstar is “I Can’t Give Everything Away,” which in terms of melody sounds like a distortion of his 1972 track “Soul Love.” Bowie sings, “Seeing more and feeling less / Saying no but meaning yes / This is all I ever meant” in a whisper betraying the contradictions that he himself (and so many others) has had to endure. After an entire decade, Blackstar still stands strong, as does David Bowie’s legacy.
– Ana Achata, Staff Writer
Psychopomp by Japanese Breakfast
There is something uniquely tender about Psychopomp that is able to deliver both beginnings and closure in the same vein. Psychopomp is Michelle Zauner’s debut album under Japanese Breakfast after her departure from the early 2000s emo and indie rock inspired sound of Little Big League, in which she began to embrace a primarily synth-driven aesthetic that sets the foundational musical palette for her discography that would follow. I believe the sound of this project is very bittersweet in how Zauner’s melancholic lyrics center the heartache of grief. Her vocals are then paired with whispery, lustrous strings that evoke a kind of optimism born from dreams, in which Zauner invites the listener to believe in a more rosy future while facing the ever-crushing weight of the present. Alike to its mythological namesake, Psychopomp takes the listener on a journey through the afterlife and the aftermath of loss; ergo, I believe this album is best listened to track by track. A standout track from this album includes “Jane Cum,” in which Zauner’s notably vulnerable vocal performance feels as though it is concealed behind a veil of an instrumental fog. Tense and dramatic instrumentals swell at the centerpiece of this track and deliberately reinforce the sense that Zauner’s voice is obscured and protected at once.
The vulnerability of this track does not need to be purified before reaching the ears of the listener, and Zauner does not attempt to transcend the pain that is embroidered in the soul of this particular track. All together, Psychopomp is not about an album dedicated to simply moving on from or explaining the concept of grief, as it also honors the complexity of holding onto loss—the tenderness, the pain, and the ever-lingering memories of Zauner’s late mother. My go-to method of listening to this project will always be through my wired earbuds, wandering afoot and circling the Common during the bitter months as the Boston breeze bites through even my gloved hands. This way, each track of Psychopomp feels lived-in and immediate, moving with me as they inhabit the space between presence and loss. It’s a reminder to me that these particularly powerful experiences of mourning and dreams of gazing out to better things persist in the everyday, even if it is contained in something as small and private as my earbuds as I listen to Michelle Zauner’s Psychopomp.
– Lal Oksuz, Staff Writer
Puberty 2 by Mitski
I love this album, and as Mitski is releasing new singles from her upcoming album Nothing’s About to Happen to Me, I can’t help but hear little pieces of Puberty 2, threaded throughout. Ten years ago, in 2016, Puberty 2 was a stellar expanse of Mitski’s recognizable style; it was raw, yet polished, and showed her development, both musically and lyrically. For the last two of her albums, they’ve felt extremely different than her old style. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love her new work, but her older stuff really strikes a chord with nostalgia in so many ways. 2016 was a really impactful year for me musically. Learning about music from my parents was finally a little bit cooler, and Mitski was an artist my mom championed to me. Puberty 2 was one of the more devastating collections of music I would listen to as a young child, which honestly must have been a contributing factor to my love for sad music in all its forms. From “Your Best American Girl” to “A Burning Hill,” the melancholy mastery of her sound is extremely evident. I am super excited to see how her new album may be a return to form, and I hope everyone else is too!
– Lucia Cinquino, Staff Writer, Promotions Coordinator
A Seat At The Table By Solange
One of the best things given to us in 2016 was undoubtedly Solange’s A Seat At The Table. Though her third album, many would consider this her first. Breaking away from her previous early 2000’s attempts at making her way in the industry, Solange seemed to find her sound in her 2016 album, blending older sounds like psychedelic funk and soul in a way that felt fresh and new to the audience. She also carries with her themes of what it means to be black, the title track being a nod to Shirley Chisholm’s famous quote, “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.” The album was loved by many, myself included, who at 12 years old loved to sing “Cranes in the Sky” with my mom in the car. That song also won her only Grammy, for “Best R&B Performance” in 2017. The album is a masterpiece and sets the scene for Solange’s 2019 record, When I Get Home. Sadly, she hasn’t released any music since then, but I will keep A Seat at the Table on repeat until she does. I know for a fact it will never get old.
– Avieana Rivera, Music Coordinator
