Midterms at DePaul seem to last an eternity and leave everyone feeling discombobulated. You know that feeling of when you’ve been looking at a computer screen for seven hours straight and then you have to suddenly face reality and natural light again? Well, the musical equivalent of that feeling is when songs are in different time signatures. Most of the popular music we hear is in 4/4, but it’s fun to jam to something in 2/4 or 6/8 every once in a while.

1. “Hammer” – Tune-Yards

Tune-Yards has a successful history of having some of the strangest time signatures in their catchy songs and their new album, “I can feel you creep into my private life,” doesn’t disappoint. The rhythm in “Hammer” has satisfying builds and resolutions, the rise and fall of the melody is extremely gratifying and lyrics like “I am not the woman that you think I am/ I swallow up a mountain and I’m quiet as a clam,” make this song a powerful tune to bop to as you’re finishing up midterms.

2. “Hey Ya!” – Outkast

“Hey Ya!” is undoubtedly the most important song with 2/4 breaks. The periodic change in the rhythm keeps listeners just on their toes enough to make the song the catchy and recognizable banger that has held its own since 2003. When you’re walking out of JTR in a haze from typing a million papers and breezing through discussion board posts, nothing is more satisfying than joining in on that iconic *clap clap clap*.

3. “The Tallest Man, The Broadest Shoulders Part I” -Sufjan Stevens

Sufjan Stevens’ “Illinois” is the ultimate album for hipsters living in Chicago. Stevens also has a great track record of pulling off wild beats under melodies by strange instruments. This seven-minute song is complex in so many ways; it’s truly an event to listen to and keep up with, and I mean that in the most positive way. It’s fun and catchy and busy which makes it an audible representation of the business of midterms.

4. “Strawberry Fields Forever” – The Beatles

The incredibly broad range of The Beatles’ discography makes it hard to pick just one song with an interesting time signature. Diverging from the catchy and upbeat style of “Illinois,” the funky time signatures in “Strawberry Fields Forever” are hypnotic and slow. Managing to squeeze in 4/4, 2/4 and 6/8 within seconds, this song is discreetly complex and is a great jam to calm you down after submitting something to the dropbox a minute before it’s due.