Among the myriad of problems you can encounter as a college student, the place in which you live can often be the source of a great deal of them. College students can be susceptible to lousy roommates, homesickness, renter’s anxiety and much more. Thankfully, there’s a world of music out there waiting for you to get lost in while forgetting about your housing-related woes. Below are five recently-released, uplifting albums to help you fight your housing blues; they may not pay your rent or evict your roommate, but they may put a smile on your face. And if you hate your apartment or dorm that much, maybe listen to these while taking a walk around campus.

Chance the Rapper- “Coloring Book”

Chicago-based artist Chance the Rapper recently received three awards and seven nominations at the 2017 Grammys for his most recent offering “Coloring Book.” And rightfully so: cuts off the album like “No Problem” and “All Night” are sure to get you out of your pad and on to the dance floor. Plus, paying Chance his rightful dues may in some small way atone for WKU’s sin of not including him in the 2015 Homecoming Concert.

Noname- “Telefone”

If the Chicago rapper just mentioned doesn’t quite do it for you, here’s a lesser-known one who might. Noname’s debut album is full of soulful production and seemingly-effortless, yet poignant rhymes. If chilling out to a record by one of hip hop’s most promising new voices sounds like an ideal method of escaping the confines of your housing situation, then Noname is a name you should know.

A Tribe Called Quest- “We Got It from Here… Thank You 4 Your Service”

The legendary hip hop trio, A Tribe Called Quest closed out their career as a group with quite the bang when they released “We Got It from Here… Thank You 4 Your Service” in 2016. Their first record in 18 years, the group proved that making genre-bending, abstract masterpieces isn’t always a young man’s game. Though tracks like “We the People” may have you contemplating today’s political turmoil and systematic injustices, at least you won’t be contemplating the dishes your roommate forgot to do.

Kaytranada – 99.9%

The best way to escape house problems? House music. Canadian producer Kaytranada takes vintage-sounding beats and adds a new spirit to them by allowing up-and-comers such as Anderson Paak and Vic Mensa to add contemporary energy to the tracks. Kaytranada’s approach to electronic music is a breath of fresh air that you may not get by opening the temper glass window of your dorm.

Buffalo Rodeo- “123 Water”

If we’re talking about using music as an escape from the troubles you may encounter at WKU, why not keep things local? The Bowling Green-based indie band Buffalo Rodeo, with their swirling, psychedelic grooves and crystalline vocals, are a great band to start with when it comes to digging into music that’s close to home. If you come to find that you enjoy some of the musical talent from around the area, getting out of your dorm or apartment and seeing performances at one of Bowling Green’s many great music venues is a noble excuse to get out of the house.

Reporter Andrew Critchelow can be reached at 270-745-6288 and [email protected].