by Jen Capriola // September 24, 2020
Gone are the blissful summer days of quarantine in which all our playlists began with MC Hammer’s “U Can’t Touch This,” and, after a witty array of virus-themed throwbacks, concluded with “Don’t Stand So Close to Me,” by The Police.
Now, we listen to Phoebe Bridgers’ “Would You Rather,” and start to cry at her lyric: “quarantined in a bad dream,” and wonder how she predicted this all so well back in 2017 as we log on to our fifth Zoom call of the day.
Whether you’re breathing in that glorious, musty scent of your Dartmouth dorm room, waking up at 2PM in your childhood bedroom, or somewhere in between, here are some new songs that just make sense in quarantine that are not “Toxic” by Britney Spears – or worse, that celebrity rendition of “Imagine.”
“Beach Life-In-Death” by Car Seat Headrest
Word on the street is that the album Twin Fantasy was actually written about Will Toledo’s failed relationship with a furry, but hey, it still works for this listicle so I’ll go with it.
Why? For starters, this 13-minute epic is one of his best songs. The piece feels like a form of mixed media, with voice-overs, silences, and screams all pasted on top of each other. It also does an excellent job of taking the listener through the multiple cataclysmic mood shifts of the narrator, not unlike the ones I go through when stuck inside. Also, he really hits home on my current routine with,
What should I do? (Eat breakfast)
What should I do? (Eat lunch)
What should I do? (Eat dinner)
What should I do? (Go to bed)
Where can I go? (Go to the store)
Where can I go? (Apply for jobs)
Where can I go? (Go to a friend’s)
Where can I go? (Go to bed)
If anyone is doing something other than this right now please let me and Will Toledo know immediately.
“City Looks Pretty” by Courtney Barnett
Maybe Aussie Barnett is referring to Sydney when she sings, “The city looks pretty when you’ve been indoors for twenty three days, I’ve ignored all your phone calls,” but I’m choosing to apply the sentiment to Atlanta, Georgia (where I’ve been quarantining) as well.
Barnett, known for her deadpan wit and indie rock sounds, wonderfully captures the apathetic loop of doing nothing by chalking up her lengthy list of dilemmas with a hasty, “oh well.” The song draws to a close, falling into a meandering half-time before briefly speeding back up with an almost-urgent guitar riff, just to slow down once more. This mimics the anxiety felt from not being productive, but how, despite that, apathy triumphs still.
“It’s Afternoon, I’m Feeling Sick” by Sidney Gish
20W FNR superstar Sidney Gish, AKA my lyricist idol, perfectly captures the stifling boredom of being stuck in one (suburban) place for too long in this song. Gish playfully employs the use of random household objects like ping-pong balls and chopsticks to create her signature, spunky mashup of sounds. Listening to this song, which doubles as a stream of consciousness, I feel immediately transported to a Lady-Bird-esque bedroom alongside Gish as she records (as captured in her iMovie-made music video.)
I recommend reading through the whole song since it’s all applicable, but the most relatable lines to me are: “…Retire to her room, sit around and count the hours down till June, July and August end, and in this state I got like 4 friends left.”
“Bored in the USA” by Father John Misty
You can call him pretentious, snobby, elitist, and inaccessible, but Father John Misty is also pretty close to perfect when he sings, “How many people rise and say, ‘My brain’s so awfully glad to be here for yet another mindless day?’ ” With his aloof tone, detached lyrics, and artificial laugh track echoing in the background, Misty passively details the ennui of the quotidian. (He actually ghost-wrote that last sentence).
“Nobody” by Mitski
Obviously, I have to conclude with the Queen of Angst and Loneliness herself, Mitski Miyawaki. Because how can you not hear her opening lines of, “My god I’m so lonely so I open the window to hear sounds of people, to hear sounds of people,” and not relate, even if in actuality you’re perfectly fine?
Each song on Be The Cowboy seems to cover a new facet of isolation and loss, but I find this one especially compelling as it tackles heavy topics with musical lightness. Opening taps on the high-hat set a fast pace, piano chords push the song towards its catchy chorus, and the repetition of the title word begs to be sung back by listeners. Yet, when you listen to the lyrics, Mitski is far from the buoyant ease of these musical cues.
I admit, quarantine has not truly been filled with such angst and misery that these songs convey– my ABBA playlist has made many appearances and there’s always 100 gecs to listen to. But, there is something to be said about the above-average levels of loneliness many college kids feel at home or in isolation right now. Hopefully these songs can ease some of those feelings of isolation, or at least remind us how these artists are just as disconsolate as we are (but they make it look cool).
While these songs all thematically link to the quarantine experience, they are each fairly disparate from the others, both musically and emotionally. Yes, this is a testament to idiosyncratic musical styles, but also, each artists’ different approach to a shared theme of confinement reflects how there is no singular right way to feel in quarantine, and that’s okay. Isolation, sadness, and anxiety can manifest themselves in lots of different ways: raw guitar riffs, quippy lyricism, sparse instrumental interludes, or anything in between. In quarantine, I can experience all these musical motifs and corresponding mental states in just one day, one playlist. And now you can too.