1. “A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships” – The 1975
“A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships” is The 1975’s third album and looks into society’s connection with technology, mental health, addiction, politics, and overcoming adversity and what it is like living and growing up in the age of technology.
The songs “Give Yourself a Try” and “I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes)” touch on the topic of depression and mental illness as a whole.
For me and so many others, these songs express what a lot of us are feeling and put our thoughts into words. They also act as a way to comfort people and show them that they are not alone.
“Love It If We Made It” is another big song on this album. It’s a look into the political climate of 2018 when this album came out. While 2018 was six years ago so many of the lyrics still feel topical now.
While this album might not be for everyone due to the unique sound in songs like “How To Draw / Petrichor” or “The Man Who Married a Robot / Love Theme” — I think the messages from the album as a whole can still be understood.
The band took a risk with this album but they were able to use their music as a way to bring awareness to serious situations.
2. “Harry’s House” – Harry Styles
“Harry’s House” was Harry Styles’s third studio album and has a huge place in my heart. This album came out just two days before I graduated high school and I really credit it for helping me during the transition from high school to college.
From the good parts to the bad parts this album visits love of the romantic type to even the platonic kind.
This album was the positive thing I needed during what was a very stressful time in my life. The transition from high school and living at home to college and having my own apartment wasn’t easy. Honestly, I didn’t handle it well initially because I was so anxious due to how much was changing around me so quickly. This album though was something that felt so comforting and uplifting in a rather stressful time.
Songs like “Music for a Sushi Restaurant” or “Late Night Talking” have always had the ability to cheer me up. I have always been able to turn to music as a way to cope and I feel like this album came into my life at the perfect time. Songs like “Matilda” and even the upbeat song “As It Was” allowed me to come to terms with things from the past and embrace change.
While this album and Harry as a whole have been chalked up by some as just a pop artist I think his ability to write deeply emotional songs allows casual listeners and die-hard fans alike to find something to resonate with.
3. “Decide” – DJO
“Decide” is DJO’s second studio album. This album reminds me of a coming-of-age movie. Many of the songs are about new beginnings and change something that can be very scary. It allows listeners to embrace feelings that we often don’t want to face. I found these songs helped me realize change can be good.
“Change” is one of the first songs I heard off this album and I was hooked right away. The songs talk about changing when things go wrong. He uses simple things like when clothing doesn’t fit right and more serious things like when conflict is mentioned. It really puts into perspective that change is good. Change is something so many people I know fear including myself and this song has such a strong message.
My favorite song on this album is “End Of Beginnings”. This song talks about losing a part of you to something else. While in the song Joe is singing about how fame took over his life and lost a bit of his true self. While mine isn’t as glamorous I’ve dealt with depression and anxiety over the past 3 years and I feel that I am not really who I used to be before my mental illness. This song for me feels like the path of before and after and how we cope with it. This song especially reminds me of the coming-of-age feeling. We all overcome something difficult and even when it feels like we’ve lost a bit of ourselves we will be okay.
4. “Cuts & Bruises” – Inhaler
“Cuts & Bruises” is Inhaler’s second album and explores the topic of love and being young. While it can often be seen as cheesy it works because the band is so young so these feel like authentic emotions and experiences. They also have a sound that I feel we don’t hear from many artists out there right now.
My favorite song off the album would probably be “The Things I Do”. This song is about feeling confused by one’s actions. Everyone messes up from time to time and sometimes they are worse than others. This song is about not knowing why we make the choices we do even when we know they are wrong. This resonates so deeply with me because being young is a confusing time and we all make mistakes and it’s reassuring to know that
Another great song off the album is “These Are The Days”. This is a feel-good song that celebrates being young. I always got the feeling that this song supports the fact that we are young and should be living life and exploring the world around us. And even when days seem rough we will get through them and things will get better.
I think over the next few years we could see this band find even more fame and begin to make a name for themselves.
5. “GUTS” – Olivia Rodrigo
“GUTS” is Olivia Rodrigo’s sophomore album that perfectly expresses life as a young woman growing up. The album touches on topics of love, growing up, jealousy, and society as a whole. The best way to describe this album is like someone opened up a diary and just put all of their thoughts and feelings into words.
This album came out at the perfect time because so much of it talks about the change of being a teenager entering your 20s and leaving your youth behind.
The song “All American Bitch” focuses on the treatment and standards women are expected to meet in society’s eyes. It feels very topical as a young woman but also in the wake of “Barbie.” Olivia sings about very feminine expectations while yelling about them in the form of pop rock. It expresses female rage and angst in a way that feels relatable. She takes the thoughts and feelings many young people have and expresses them in a way that supports the message. It reminds me of the way me and my friends talk which is another reason this song is so relatable.
Another song that resonated with me was “Lacy”. This song heavily focuses on jealousy or envy of another person. I think this song is so important to me because jealousy is something everyone will experience at least once. It’s an emotional song that touches on feeling less than someone else and it tells the story of something so many people my age feel.
This album puts the thoughts of so many into words and really affected me and my friends.
Comments