Whether you’re a seasoned Juice Jam veteran or this is your first time, you should know that the pregame is almost as important as the actual event. Good friends, plenty of water, and of course, great tunes are the surefire way to make sure your pre-Juice Jam hangout is almost as lit as the actual thing. Here are the songs that will get you Juice Jam ready.

1. The Weekend, “Tell Your Friends.”

For Fans of: Fetty Wap

The Weekend is basic party fodder — everyone knows him, everyone enjoys him. While “Tell Your Friends,” isn’t his most upbeat song — the chorus is killer and Abel Tesfaye kind of has the voice of an angel, despite the fact that his songs are actually pretty dark.

 

2. berhana’s, “Janet”

For Fans of: Fetty Wap

While he’s not crooning about his trap queen, berhana just wants to be loved. “Janet,” has a ridiculously cool keyboard track and is cleverly introspective despite its upbeat vibes. Bonus points: with only 30,000 views on Youtube berhana is so up and coming, even your hipster friends will enjoy.

 

3. Banks, “Gemini Feed.”

For Fans of: Tove Lo

Banks has got a cool girl image too: aggressive lyrics coupled with the undercurrent of electronic beats and a sick vocal range are the key elements to her sound.  “Gemini Feed,” starts slow and builds up on the angst. While not as dance-y as Tove Lo, Banks is still a great edition to any pre-party list.

 

4. Glass Animals, “Life Itself.”

For Fans of: Tove Lo

Glass Animals is Oxford’s best kept secret. Ridiculously weird pop, “Life Itself,” is an upbeat trip of a song featuring the famous lyric, “She said I look fat/but I look fantastic.” Layered with strange sounds and a nearly hypnotic drumbeat—it’s peculiar and fantastic and is sort of addicting, too.

 

5. Yeasayer, “Silly Me.”

For Fans of: Marshmello

Yeasayer doesn’t really sound like Marshmello, because Yeasayer is way cooler. “Silly Me,” is off of their fifth album — poppy chorus, electric beats, and of course, actual instruments. While it may be difficult to get your EDM fans to convert—just lie and tell them it was all made on a computer, and they’ll be totally swayed.

 

6. Jack Garratt, “Weathered.”

For Fans of: Stephen

Stephen is sort of a one man Indie band — which puts Jack Garratt in the same vein. Garratt also writes and plays a variety of instruments, even mixing his own beats on stage. His voice is huge, coupled with the beat maker and steady thrum of his guitar playing. “Weathered,” is all about doing dumb things when you’re young — a perfect sentiment for Juice Jam.

 

 

7. PHASES, “Cooler.”

For Fans of: Stephen

PHASES is sort of the quintessential modern eighties Indie pop band. If you thought that was a mouthful, fear not, their song, “Cooler,” is just a fun breakup song. It’s simple and easy to listen to with a classic vintage sound.

 

8. Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, “Paris Oh Lala,”

Sounds Like: Lolo

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals is proof that rock’n’roll isn’t dead. An incredibly sexy song — Harry Connick Jr. once criticized a fifteen year-old American idol contestant for singing it. “Paris, Oh La La,” is here to prove that rock’n’roll should be on the party playlist. Plus, Potter’s got that growly thing that Lolo’s all about. If you like girls who growl — Grace Potter and the Nocturnals are for you.

 

9. Grace, “Hell of a Girl.”

Sounds like Lolo:

What is up with Graces’ and the growly thing? While Grace isn’t rock’n’roll — she has the same vocal range as Lolo and the same delicious growl. “Hell of a Girl,” is an awesome breakup song, slow and soft but still really rubs it in. Plus, there’s a saxophone bit and who doesn’t like sexy saxes?

 

10. Lil Dicky, “Save that Money.”

Sounds Like: D.R.A.M

Lil Dicky is eclectic rap, just like D.R.A.M. is eclectic rap. “Save that Money,” is the perfect poor kid college theme song — Dicky steals his cousin’s Netflix login, and has never hit a bar with a cover. It also features the beloved Fetty Wap, who sings the chorus.

 

Emera Riley is a junior magazine journalism major. Her column appears weekly in Pulp. You can email her at elril100@syr.edu

Published on September 23, 2016 at 10:36 pm