These are some of the new songs that my favorite artists have released recently and I would like to share them with you.

Some quick rules for those who'd like to participate:

1. Make a post with #mondaymixtape as your first tag
2. Post links to 5 songs you like
3. Tell us why you like them. Point out features that surprised you, stuff you learnt from the song, etc.

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1. Panic! At the Disco - Hey Look Ma, I Made It

This song is one of the songs from P!ATD's newest album, Pray for the Wicked. Although this song is really catchy (that intro!!!), to be honest, I didn't take that much notice of this song until I watched the music video. And I mean, what an interesting music video!!! I love how it speaks volumes despite the unconventional choice for a lead star. You will have to watch the video to find out how wonderfully messed-up the minds behind this video are! Really cool!

2. Jason Mraz (feat. Meghan Trainor) - More Than Friends

Ahhh...that familiar feel-good Mraz vibe. This is such a catchy song...but honestly, I would say that this version (the one in the album) falls a bit flat for me. Lyrically, I am a bit unimpressed too. Anyway, I found an alternate version of More Than Friends (link pasted below), which is the version that Mraz plays in his live shows lately. To be honest, the acoustic version below is sounding more like the Mraz we all know, compared to the slightly confusing version with Meghan Trainor. But, to each his own I guess. Still, this is Jason Mraz. Call me biased, but, is there really any bad song that Mraz has come up with? I'll wait.

3. Imagine Dragons - Natural

I have been obsessing with Imagine Dragons recently and I've started to realize that when people ask me who my favorite bands are, Imagine Dragons is now going to definitely be way up on my list. Their writing skills, coupled with their insane musicality, make for such a class act that is impossible to ignore. Don't even get me started on how awesome they are when they perform live. Man, I wish they'd come back to the Philippines again real soon! If the other songs in their new album is going to be as badass as Natural, I swear I can see myself drowning in an Imagine Dragons playlist for months!

4. Dashboard Confessional - KindaYeahSorta

I have mixed emotions about this song. On one hand, I am excited to hear new stuff from Dashboard Confessional, who gave us the solid pop-rock classics "Hands Down" and "Stolen". On the other, I am a bit skeptical with this unusual new sound. While I am a fan of reinventing, I am actually still unsure how to respond to this. Well, it's catchy, I give them that. But, I guess I'll just have to find out in the next singles that they will be releasing whether I will be enjoying this new sound or not. So, I will try to withhold my judgement for now.

5. Kodaline - Worth it

Kodaline is one of those bands that will SURELY make you feel things. If you don't believe me, listen to All I Want, High Hopes, and Talk, and then try getting back to me and tell me I'm wrong. This September, Kodaline will be releasing their third album called Politics of Living. If the released songs ( Follow Your Fire, Shed a Tear, Worth It) from this album are any indication of how the whole album is going to sound like, I would say that Kodaline is reinventing and changing up their sound a bit. Maybe to cater to a wider scope of audience? Nonetheless, as I've said many times in this platform, I welcome reinventing. So, I am really excited to hear Politics of Living and Kodaline's different sound soon. Still, I gotta be honest, I wonder how beautiful a stripped-back version of this song would sound (i.e. heavy piano and a violin).