As the school year reaches its conclusion, so does the full swing of spring.

In the midst of flowers blooming and birds singing, many artists elevate their visual craft throughout this vernal season. Before spring departs and summer commences, the time has arrived to reflect upon several videos that stuck out for their evocative storytelling.

Read on for the Daily Bruin’s recap of the music videos that made spring memorable in this “Music Video Roundup.”

“Anxiety” by Doechii

Doechii’s latest music video is a patchwork of anxiety-inducing disasters transformed into a grandiose display of visual storytelling.

Following the artist’s Best Rap Album victory at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards, Doechii premiered the music video for her hit single “Anxiety” on April 18. With over 28 million views, the “Anxiety” video embodies both the artist’s powerful creative vision and the track’s themes of chaos and unpredictability. The song itself signaled Doechii’s rise to critical acclaim, debuting in the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100.

The video opens with an exterior shot of a picturesque house that gradually zooms in on the singer through a street-facing bedroom window. The window shatters, allowing the camera to focus on the artist’s shocked face as the song’s primary refrain begins. Throughout the video, Doechii moves between the rooms in her house, seemingly expelled by the uncontrollable forces in life, from intruders bursting through the windows to being pulled into a kitchen on fire. Viewers get a sense of the artist being chased by her invisible fears as she bangs on locked doors, narrowly avoids a falling chandelier and flees after a group of dancers.

With its distressing scenes and clever synthesis of meaningful lyricism and visuals, the “Anxiety” music video demonstrates Doechii’s powerful creative ambition.

– Sydney Gaw

[Related: Winner Takes All: Grooving through Icon Award winner Janet Jackson’s legendary albums]

“What Was That” by Lorde

As Spring fades, Lorde is soft-launching the era of Lorde Summer.

On April 23, pop royalty returned as the New Zealand singer released the visuals for “What Was That,” the lead single off her upcoming studio album “Virgin.” Strutting through the streets of Manhattan in a white dress shirt, baggy jeans and a pair of AirPods Max – later discarded into a street trash can mid-verse – Lorde stares straight into the camera as she delivers lyrics reflecting on a 2023 breakup.

Two-thirds into the video, Lorde rises from a sewer ladder and emerges into a gathering. Earlier that day, the NYPD shut down the crowd Lorde had invited to Washington Square Park but later, she returned to dance freely among them – footage incorporated into the video itself. Backed by a minimalist synth beat, the video’s raw simplicity marks the tone for Lorde’s rollout: an unfiltered, modern rebirth of an artist whose work has always surrounded the act of becoming.

In her typical four-year pattern, “Virgin” promises another intimate look into Lorde’s ongoing evolution.

– Jacob Tristeza

“party 4 u” by Charli xcx

This spring, Charli xcx proves once again she will do anything 4 u.

Celebrating its viral resurgence and reappearance on the Billboard charts, the long-awaited video for “party 4 u” dropped May 15, five years after the track’s debut. Initially part of her fourth studio album, “how i’m feeling now,” – Charli xcx’s 2020 pandemic album written over just five weeks – the song has quickly become a fan-favorite for its heavy synth production and emotional resonance. The video unfolds in the aftermath of a party, following Charli xcx as she wanders through the party’s remains and culminating in the vandalization of a billboard of herself. With no guest cameos or extras, the video mirrors the track’s emotional intimacy, layering disorienting visuals under heavy strobe lights.

Announcing the video’s release on Instagram, Charli xcx shared that this release marks the album’s fifth anniversary, acknowledging the fans’ requests for the track’s video on social media. Prior to the video’s release, Charli xcx clarified the song’s highly debated meaning on TikTok, asserting that the song encapsulates the feeling of knowing the person you want most is not coming to your party. Her emotional distress and heartbreak take center stage in the video’s final moments as she sets her own billboard ablaze, proving the video’s delay was worth the wait.

With her intimate visuals and evocative storytelling, Charli xcx proves that no one throws a party like her.

– Ruwani Jayasekara

[Related: Album review: Miley Cyrus continues to enhance musicianship in new album ‘Something Beautiful’]

“Don’t Say You Love Me” by Jin

Jin explores the complicated emotions of heartbreak in his new song.

Filled with vulnerability, the Korean-pop idol and BTS member released a music video for his solo song “Don’t Say You Love Me” on May 15. With sad blue visuals that match the heartbreaking lyrics, the video shows Jin flipping through books on the floor while he sings, “Too late to save me, so don’t even start.” Switching from happy and disheartening scenes of the idol’s relationship, the music video showcases Jin’s acting abilities, particularly in a fighting scene between the artist and his lover in the music video.

Creating visual intrigue, Jin’s actions implicitly contradict his lyrics. Throughout the song, he tells his lover to “just tell me that you wanna kill me,” saying she needs to let him go. Yet the music video ends with him longingly looking at her as if he is wishing she would talk to him.

With beautiful visuals and hard-hitting lyrics, Jin showcases the relatable challenges of love.

– Amy Wong

“Easy Lover” by Miley Cyrus

Miley Cyrus is making music videos easier to enjoy than ever.

In the video for her new tune “Easy Lover,” the three-time Grammy winner casts viewers further into the Hollywood-infused aesthetic of her latest project. The song is the sixth track on her ninth LP “Something Beautiful,” and its video was released May 29, a day before its parent album. With lines such as, “Tie me to horses and I still wouldn’t leave ya / But you’re not an easy lover,” the song expands beyond its romantic title to form one of the most lyrically evocative moments on the LP.

Despite these relationship-focused lyrical themes in “Easy Lover,” the song’s music video carries imagery of the entertainment industry by placing Cyrus on a film studio backlot. Through several outfit changes, Cyrus strides confidently from set to set, all the while exuding a self-assurance reminiscent of her energy in 2023’s “Flowers” video. Notably, Cyrus struts and dances in a pair of vintage 1991 turquoise Thierry Mugler chaps, with the ensemble’s fringe fabric elevating Cyrus’ playful choreography against a red backdrop.

With the assertive visuals for “Easy Lover,” Cyrus’ musicianship and artistic expression continue to be easy to love.

– Reid Sperisen