Within the span of a month, many artists have released their most highly anticipated albums of the year. This means that creating your 2017 summer playlist will be easier than ever. Of all the recent releases, there are three albums I highly suggest giving a listen to and adding to your summer playlist.

Of course, listen to Kendrick Lamar’s recently released “Damn.” It is one of these can’t-miss albums, mostly because it could be the album that cements Lamar as the G.O.A.T., as in “the greatest of all time.”

While this title has been applied to those from Biggie Smalls, to Andre 3000, Lamar just might have snatched the title from all of them with his newest album. This album features extremely catchy singles that still carry the poignant lyrics that are expected of Lamar. Though his single “Humble” has received a lot of attention, my personal favorite is the song “XXX” which features U2.

Although Bono was one of the last people I’d thought would ever collaborate with Lamar, it somehow works together to create a sound that is consistent with the quality that Lamar brings to all his work, but still has the excitement of exploration that is vital to keeping music interesting. I highly suggest to everyone to listen to this album, and make your decision about whether Kendrick is the G.O.A.T.

Gorillaz are also back with their first album in 7 years, “Humanz.” Gorillaz are known for their experimentation, and that is certainly not compromised in their newest effort. Though experimentation led to some lack luster hits on this album, it also led to some of their best tracks in years, and almost decades.

Though I love the song “Ascension” which features rapper Vince Staples, I believe the most poignant track is “Hallelujah Money,” which features poet Benjamin Clementine. This was the first song released from their album; released on President Trump’s inauguration day. The song features Clementine taking on the role of a man in ultimate power, who sings about the true power and allure of money. Throughout the song, digital band member 2D peacefully sings “When the morning comes, we still are human.”

It is a call and response between corrupt power and a fight for peace, which makes it an extremely fitting song to the tumultuous state of the world around us. I believe the music of Gorillaz’s is always symptomatic of the times we live in, and I believe that aspect can be seen throughout the album as a whole.

For music listeners who enjoy something a little gentler, I highly suggest checking out Mac DeMarco’s newest album, “This Old Dog.” DeMarco is renowned for his atmospheric, lo-fi sound, and though that is not compromised on his newest album, the production value does seem to be a bit higher.

One thing that makes DeMarco’s music so atmospheric is the fact that his music was produced in a more nostalgic, lower quality format. However, this shift to higher production makes logical sense, as DeMarco is gaining extreme popularity. What is very impressive is that his identifying quality of being lower quality has not been lost atmospherically. The sounds are clearer, but what makes Demarco’s sound signature still remains. I highly suggest giving this album a listen on a dreamy, lazy, summer afternoons.

Now that summer is upon us, I hope that we can all take a collective breath, take a rest, and listen to some new music.

As a student, I know how hard it is to truly digest a great piece of music when there are hundreds of things to get done during the semester, so hopefully this upcoming summer will give all Madison College students the break they need in order to enjoy some great music.