Last week the music forecast was brewing one major storm of new hits for the music industry early Friday morning, including Ed Sheeran, Lorde and Sylvan Esso, a bundle of very familiar names resurfaced onto the new music stage with content this week, proving that in their spotlight hiatus they have been hard at work. The alternative pop genre takes the cake this week for best new releases. As you prepare that Spotify playlist for your spring break road trip, be sure to include these three gems.

“Green Light” –Lorde

In her first release since her 2013 album “Pure Heroine,” Lorde shows that her bold and edgy side remains intact after a few years’ gap. “Green Light” serves as the first single off her upcoming album “Melodrama,” anticipating release sometime this summer. (The mysterious gal, true to form, has yet to tell her fans when specifically they can hear the album in whole.) The song seems to be a great introductory piece for the album, giving fans just a taste of what is to come. Beginning with a simple chord progression, the spotlight shines on the raspy voice we haven’t heard for quite some time as Lorde sings, “I do my makeup in somebody else’s car.” Quickly, the song picks up in tempo and undergoes a key change as the cobwebs are ripped away and Lorde in her true form reappears, as though no time has passed at all. “Green Light” exposes Lorde in a story of heartbreak, but instead of wallowing in sorrow, she captures the emotional rebuilding that results after such a drastic blow.

“Die Young” –Sylvan Esso

Sylvan Esso has also slowly but surely remerged into music headlines as she releases new singles off her upcoming album “What Now,” expected April 28. This song is Esso at her alternative finest, despite being a bit different in tempo and rhythm compared to old works. With ups and downs in intonation that give the piece auditory comparability to a wave, this song has moments of exhilaration while simultaneously putting a person at ease. (Note: Esso makes particularly great study music if you’ve been low on sleep, and that classical stuff just won’t do.) Though Esso sings quietly until the first chorus’s lyrics “I was gonna die young, but now I’ve got to wait for you hun,” following an explosion of synth a deceivingly deep message is unveiled that will leave listeners playing the song again and again in order to understand. Bonus: She also just released a video for this song, so go give it a look!

Galway Girl – Ed Sheeran

For me, picking one song off the new Sheeran album, “÷”, was tough. After traveling the world incognito and taking leave from the spotlight of new music, Sheeran has returned with a quality pop album. Though highly comparable to his music of old and perhaps “playing it safe” in terms of music ingenuity, Sheeran found a formula that works, and there isn’t much shame in sticking to that. Galway Girl is likely the most unique song on the album, combining the sounds of Irish folk into contemporary pop. With references to fiddles, Van Morrison and Grafton Street, Though producers originally shot down “Galway Girl” with fear that the unique Irish folk feel would not gain popularity among a general audience, the song’s rise to the top of the charts gives it a personal success story most everyone likes to see. If you like this, listen on to “Supermarket Flowers,” “New Man” and “Eraser,” too, for a few more strong hits.