By: Marco Ovies, Editor-in-Chief
I’m concerned that people are assuming that 2021 is going to be better than 2020. Don’t get me wrong, I definitely think that there is hope on the horizon. But time is arbitrary and COVID-19 doesn’t understand that it’s a new year. So when you slowly come to the realization that entering the new year really doesn’t mean anything, here are some songs to help you cope with that reality.
If this isn’t the perfect song to describe how all of 2020 went (and how 2021 will probably continue), then I don’t know what is. “Tourist Trap” by Lowertown is a song about getting trapped in a repetitive routine, waking up everyday, and just going through the motions. Eating breakfast, logging into your Zoom lectures, staring at the black squares of your classmates refusing to turn on their webcams during breakout rooms, studying, and then going back to bed. All things we have to look forward to in the new year. Yay . . .
“Staring blank at the wall” is how I envision most of my 2021 going. This super mellow track is the perfect thing to listen to while doing that. As the title suggests, “Floating Out” has an ethereal feeling which makes me feel like I’m actually floating. It’s a great song for laying in bed and staring at the ceiling, trying to ward off the cabin fever.
This pandemic has forced many of us, myself included, to grow our hair out a bit longer than usual. dad sports is singing about the exact same phenomenon. They wrote the track after reminiscing about haircuts their exes had given them, and “gf haircut” was born. Similar to “Floating Out,” this track also has mellow tones with dreamy vocals and laid-back guitar, but the mix of synths gives this one a bit more of an upbeat feeling. Despite my overall pessimistic mood, this track still feels like an essential to my pessimistic 2021 expectations playlist.
“Our Song” by Rainbow Kitten Surprise
I think it’s important to remember that even though 2020 has been maybe one of the worst years in our lifetime, many of us have grown a tremendous amount. I think Rainbow Kitten Surprise sums it up best in this song. “This aint our song, these ain’t our old selves.” So even if 2021 is going to be almost exactly the same as 2020 was, we are going into it stronger, more knowledgeable, and hopefully as our best selves. Was that cheesy? Oh well, happy New Year!
