week 6: potpourri to start 2023

I couldn’t figure out a way to describe the random songs of this week that just work so let’s go with the first potpourri of 2023. It’s a mix of discovering new artists and also retreating back to some of my comfort artists but from a new angle this time. An assortment of sweet and smokey notes.

Cotton Candy by Nic D

Even down to the title, there are nods to summertime vibes and leisurely feels throughout this song. Vibey. That’s how I’d describe this tune in one word. The beat is catchy and the overall song is easy-going and chill. It’s a mix of rapping and singing with a very ~ summery ~ style, which I definitely appreciate the middle of winter.

I found this song through Spotify doing its thing with algorithm and its automated playlists with new music. Nic D is a new artist for me and this song was a solid introduction for me to want to explore his music more. Apparently he also has a pretty successful podcast too?

He uses some clever word-play in his lyrics. The ones I could keep repeating are in this portion: Just a mix of the good days and the bad ones / Hope the good ones outweigh the bad ones / Get your money right, let it rack up / If I go, 'least I know I meant somethin' to someone / Yeah, mm / You meant somethin' to someone too.

Those ending lines man, they get me every time. It feels a little trippy when I try to slow it down and comprehend what they are saying. The “if I go, at least I know I meant somethin’ to someone” right before the “you meant somethin’ to someone too” is such a cool way to convey the idea as old as time itself: mutual, reciprocated love. It’s the more casual, everyday conversation version of thanking someone for their presence in your life because they make it so much more enjoyable and bearable. I can’t wrap my head around how basic it looks on paper and how much I adore it. It’s a little zing at the end of the stanza, like getting the last word in before moving on, not forgetting to let that special person that you value your relationship with them.

Through the Dark by One Direction

The story here with this song is that the speaker is having a conversation with someone they deeply care about who is expressing to them that they are really struggling. It’s a conversation you have with your confidant, someone who cares for you and you know you can trust back. The speaker realizes the role they need to play as the shoulder to lean on for their person.

Feeling burnt out emotionally and mentally is a new experience for me but it is something I’m learning more and more about as I’m growing through it. That’s why I think these lyrics, although almost a decade old, resonate with me in a way they never had prior: But don't burn out / Even if you scream and shout / It'll come back to you / And I'll be here for you.

I like how simple and clear the lyrics are here. There’s not a lot of metaphor or sugarcoating when it comes to acknowledging the threat of overwhelming burn out. I like how the speaker makes it a point to first reassure that whatever the person felt like they are losing (control, stability, support…) in the moment will come back to them. Then, they reiterate the fact that they will be around too.

I also can’t remember a song explicitly using the terms “burn out” before. The tune is also effortlessly easy to follow along to. You can have this on in the background to tune out the rest of the world or also to hyper-focus on the vibes itself in an attempt to not feel so alone.

Showing unwavering support is so crucial in these vulnerable moments especially when someone you really care about is approaching an exhausting phase/form of burn out, so it’s reassuring to know a similar sentiment exists in the form of the song that can be looped as many times as needed.

What I initially thought was going to be an innocent, unsuspecting walk down memory lane when I played my One Direction playlist (compilation of songs from every album) on shuffle turned into me coming to the conclusion that I can now appreciate new songs that my teen self couldn’t relate to back then. When I was in my peak One Direction era, I was in my early teens. I did not understand what burn out culture was at that point of my life yet. That’s probably why I could never appreciate this song until a decade later. You never realize how much life you’ve actually lived until something from your past pulls you back to an earlier version of yourself through pure nostalgia.

There for You by Martin Garrix & Troye Sivan

I was not expecting this song to be a dance-pop version of having a candid conversation between you and someone you love, but I’m all here for it. It’s reaffirming the speaker’s commitment and faith in the relationship as long as the other person is reciprocating healthy energy back.

This song is simultaneously romantic and groovy without feeling too cheesy or in-your-face lovey-dovey. It’s a genuine, endearing and honest depiction of the central core of trust in any relationship. It’s really easy to relate to the speaker’s (Troye) voice as he is having this conversation through his lyrics: So when your tears roll down your pillow like a river / I'll be there for you / I'll be there for you / When you're screaming, but they only hear you whisper / I'll be loud for you / But you gotta be there for me too.

He recognizes that he can’t do everything alone and appreciates having a partner to be able to turn towards. The lyrics emphasize that he just wants to have the certainty that there will be a reliable, dependable person ready for him when he needs them. I’m obsessed with the idea of there being this person in the universe that will use their voice to amplify your own while the world diminishes your screams into inaudible whispers. As others try to sandwich your voice in between static, there is someone who wants to dedicate their efforts into making sure you can be heard. That’s such a powerful form of being loved and truly valued.

As a big fan of Troye’s early music, I also appreciated the lyric: There was a time that I was so blue. This line reminded me of my favorite album by Troye titled Blue Neighborhood from 2015. The tones of that album featured hues, tints and filters of prominent blues (even a song called Blue). The album came out about 2 years before this song with Martin Garrix, so the symbolism was dope to find later. Highly recommend Blue Neighborhood too for the electro & dream pop soundscapes. It’s so easy for me to be transported to a different blue dimmension with that album <3.