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Put In Your Headphones and Send Your Mind Somewhere Else
In this time where we are all staying inside and working a lot, it can be hard to escape this hard reality of what life currently is. I recommend putting in some headphones, listening to whatever your favorite music is, maybe doing some art, baking, or cuddling with an animal and relaxing—you deserve it. Here are some songs that have been helping me to keep my calm during quarantine. Enjoy.
Swim and Sleep (Like a Shark) – Unknown Mortal Orchestra
While in this song the message is quite dark, it doesn’t come off that way. The lyrics center around wanting to be in the ocean, being free of the pressures of life as the narrator feels overwhelmed. The music has a simplistic touch that makes it grounding and calming, which is a change from music with many fancy effects and high energy.
Always Forever – Cults
This song connects to what many people probably wish they had during this quarantine, an always forever person. The narrator wants to be alone with this person forever and while it’s acknowledged that the relationship might not be perfect, she only wants to be with him and is scared of him leaving her. While this has more energy and almost has an edge of rock, it’s still soothing and just works.
I Forgot That You Existed – Taylor Swift
This song, unlike a lot of Taylor Swift’s music, is very simple in the melody. The lyrics are more complex, as on the piano version of the song Swift opened by saying it was showing that you can “shrug off a lot of things that you’ve been through that have been causing a lot of struggle and pain. And just, one day you wake up and you realize you’re indifferent to whatever caused you that pain.” This song is definitely poppy but is slower and smoother than most uptempo pop songs.
Hey Kids – Molina and Late Verlane
This song has a complexity to it as it has so many different elements going on that all work together so well. The beat is very satisfying and compliments the vocals which change throughout the song as the voices of the two vocalists are different. The song has a retro feel because of the use of synths and how the vocals overlap and echo.
Girl on a Train – Skizzy Mars
It’s love at first sight and then she disappears as she gets off the train. This song details the story of the narrator becoming infatuated with a girl he sees on the train and begins dreaming what could be, although he has no way of finding her. Elements in this song that really work include the use of the higher keys of a piano, the combination of singing and rapping, and finally, the sound of the train signaling the end of the song.
C U Girl – Steve Lacy
In this song, the narrator is celebrating his girl and how beautiful he thinks she is. He also says how much he misses her and how far apart they’re going to be due to their different lifestyles. Notable elements of this song include the outer-space sound effects, singing over himself, and the complex outro. The outro is the first verse of the song backward and may mean that this girl has made him feel backward and confused as he has strong feelings for her.