When it comes to listening to new, local music, OLDSPORTS’s album “Oldsport III” is the place to start.

The Alternative album, available on Spotify and iTunes, only contained three songs, but it was a great album to listen to.

I first listened to the album while working on homework. While the music did not cause a distraction when I worked, by the time I was ready to give the songs my full attention, they kept it.

The first song on the album is “Humans.” The song begins with a guitar solo which makes me think of summer days sitting outside. The melody is upbeat with the guitar being the main focus. This song was the most energetic due to the instruments and vocals.

“Humans” seems to serve as an anthem for acceptance. The song states, “we are broken souls” and “we are flesh and blood” meaning everyone is all the same, human. I have come across many songs which have this message, and this is another one which I like.

“Alone,” the second song, is a mixture of the other two songs on the album. The verses have the same calm and captivating melody as “Wash Me Away,” the third song, but the chorus demonstrates some of the energy as “Humans.”

The lyrics did not change much throughout the song. The verses were short, and it seemed as if the chorus was the most important. The band gave the instruments the most attention in this song. There were more guitar solos, and the music was sometimes played louder than the vocals.

This decision worked for this song. When the lyrics were heard over the music, I paid more attention because I was normally focused on the instruments. The band controlled what I heard in the song.

Finally, “Wash Me Away” was the calmest of the three. It was a soothing song that did not have many loud moments.

Unlike with “Alone,” I could tell the main focus was the lyrics. The music never overpowered the vocals. While the lyrics were more prominent in this song, there were longer instrumental sections than the other two. However, this added to the lyrics by emphasizing the chorus.

Out of these three, my favorite was “Wash Me Away.” This was my favorite because I could see myself coming back and listening to this song multiple times. It is also a song I want to sing along to. I love singing passionate songs, and this one is one of those. I love the melody and I can see myself listening to this while I read or on my way home.

For all three songs, I paid more attention to the instruments than the lyrics. The guitars and drums captured my attention and drew me into each one.

I would recommend this album to people who enjoy artists such as X Ambassadors, American Authors or MisterWives. The sound of this album serves as a nice soundtrack for relaxing or studying.