As a very serious and not-at-all-procrastinatory endeavor, we wandered around campus asking people the question: What are you listening to right now?

(We also took note of some very arbitrary facts from each person sampled).

While we did not start this adventure with any real purpose in mind, we ended up coming up with a (albeit very biased towards the people we knew) compilation of the auditory undercurrents of Caltech — the campus vibe distilled into musical form. From our investigation, we obtained a large collection of data, but no real ideas for what to do with it. So, we decided to give our notes to ChatGPT and asked it to sort the Caltech people into groups. So without further ado, here’s what our classmates are listening to, and what ChatGPT had to say about it:

1. Indie / Alt / Folk Lovers

Introspective, poetic, often plant people. Emotional depth, a little melancholic or naturey.

• “Keeping Score” – Beeson
  → “singer-songwriter (it’s a genre)”
  → ✦ blonde, 5″, plants, Bechtel Ven, senior, black vintage converse, ACM
• “The Bug Collector” – Haley Heynderickx
  → “who knew you could sing so much about centipedes”
  → ✦ 5″1.5, wasian, Lloydie, senior, black converse, bioE+English, plants
• “Futile Devices (Doveman Remix)” – Sufjan Stevens
  → “too early in term to be listening to such depressing music”
  → ✦ same person as above
• “Persephone” – Housing Co
  → “good alt. rock. banger.”
  → ✦ tall, dirty blonde braids, senior, off-campus, EnvSciEng, black converse high tops, plants
• “The Plains / Bitter Dancer” – Fleet Foxes
  → “very impactful from just a few instruments”
  → ✦ medium, Asian, red striped flannel, EE, senior Ven
• “Dropout” – MICHELLE
  → “reminds me of Caltech, except we have it worse”
  → ✦ tall, trench coat, fake plants, CS, Ven, Smore
• “Telescope” – Cage the Elephant
  → “speaking to your far away mirror image”
  → ✦ medium, funky earrings, physics, senior, Lloydie, neglected succulents

2. Pop / Queer Pop / K-pop Enjoyers

Vibe-y, catchy, meme-able. Often emotionally expressive and community-aware.

• “CRAZY” – LE SSERAFIM
  → “bumpin track… gotta stick up for upstaters”
  → ✦ medium, Asian, senior Ven, EE → “can’t imagine a straight person listening to it”
  → ✦ short-ish???, junior, Chem, Ven, flannel, sweatpants
• “Girl So Confusing” – Charli XCX + Lorde
  → “the beef and how the public misconstrued them”
  → ✦ dyed blonde, cowboy boots, Bechtel, junior, bioE
• “Kiss My Troubles Away” – TWICE
  → “too embarrassed to say it out loud”
  → ✦ short-ish???, junior, Chem, Ven
• “U Deserve” – Wasia Project
  → “coffee shop vibes”
  → ✦ white Reeboks, blonde, MechE, Blacker, junior, plantless
• “My Kink is Karma” – Chappell Roan
  → “the only song in my playlist called ‘songs that would play in the background as I’m introduced onstage’”
  → ✦ tall, navy Asics, bonsai + leafy plants, astrophysics+planetary sci, Ven, junior

3. Country / Americana Fans

Story-driven, nostalgia-forward. Often emotionally earnest or romantic.

• “Austin” – Blake Shelton
  → “guy is sad because girlfriend dumped him and they get back together”
  → ✦ medium, brunette, Cole-Haans, MechE+Planetary Sci+History, Blacker, junior
• “Remember When” – Alan Jackson
  → “old man and wife reminiscing”
  → ✦ same person
• “Burning Man” – Dierks Bentley
  → “poetic hype country song”
  → ✦ medium, Indian, CS+PoliSci, Lloyd, senior, plants
• “Godlight” – Noah Kahan
  → “guitar-y”
  → ✦ tall, Bechtel, senior, wasian, birks, bio, plants
• “Cigarettes & Wine” – Holly Humberson and Del Water Gap
  → ✦ same person (or similar folk-country vein)

4. Rap / Hip-Hop Fans

Rhythm-focused, lyrical depth, might mix modern and vintage vibes.

• “falling out of the sky” – Armand Hammer
  → “very ethereal rap song”
  → ✦ black solovair boots, mustache, flannel overcoat, MechE, Ven, senior
• “look over your shoulder” – Busta Rhymes + Kendrick Lamar
  → “Michael Jackson sample, soulful, lyrical rap”
  → ✦ same person
• “California Love” – 2Pac
  → “cause I’m back in California”
  → ✦ medium, Asian, EE, senior Ven
• “Like Him” – Tyler, the Creator
  → “screamable”
  → ✦ blonde, MechE, Blacker, junior, white Reeboks

5. Theatrical / Soundtrack-Core

Cinematic, dramatic, fun. For people who romanticize life or love performance.

• “American Money” – BORNS
  → “could be an action movie soundtrack”
  → ✦ wasian, Lloydie, senior, black converse, BioE+English
• “Raiders March” – John Williams
  → “(takes off cowboy hat) da-da-da-da”
  → ✦ medium, cowboy hat, leather jacket, plants (2.5), BioE, senior
• “Beyond the Sea” – Bobby Darin
  → “classy espresso martini”
  → ✦ same person
• “Phantom of the Opera” – from the play
  → “in your mind”
  → ✦ standard Caltech male height, strings president, Ven, senior, physics
• “The Emptiness Machine” – Linkin Park
  → “not a very rational choice”
  → ✦ same person

6. Sentimental / Soft Sadcore

Emotional ballads, slightly nostalgic or dreamy.

• “Little Bird” – Ed Sheeran
  → “sad but upbeat. we love ed.”
  → ✦ medium height, black boots, turtleneck, plants, CS+PoliSci, Indian
• “Risk” – Gracie Abrams
  → “tragic upbeat song”
  → ✦ medium height, Asian, senior, Bechtel, black sketchers, plants
• “BLUE” – Troye Sivan / Billie Eilish
  → ✦ both melancholy pop fans
  → ✦ one is Asian plant-waterer bioE; the other is turtlenecked CS+IDS with plants
• “De Selby pt. 2” – Hozier
  → ✦ tall, yellow scrunchy, EE+English, Lloyd, senior, plants

In conclusion, there’s no one musical identity at Caltech — just like there’s no one kind of student on campus. Whether you’re blasting French pop while watering succulents or silently sobbing to Imogen Heap in your cowboy boots, everyone has their own way to express themselves here 🙂