SongBlogg_Comfort Songs
I have always wanted to make more of an effort to express myself in various mediums, whether that is out-of-comfort zone conversation, personable sharing, or writing. I have always been tentative about sharing the music I enjoyed because I felt a lack of resonation with present popularities in songs and artists. Over time I have become more confident in sharing what I’m listening to with friends and on social media. That’s primarily attributed to finding stylistic sounds I become infatuated with, prompting me to share my “niche” subset of music (even though it’s not niche at all). Moving forward, I want to share my batch of comfort songs that have pieced themselves together throughout my varying music phases over time.
I love how the idea of comfort songs are subjective to oneself and aren’t necessarily soft and soothing tunes. Aside from production, lyrics, and emotion, comfort songs are often associated with key memories and times in one’s life — making their beauty multidimensional. What has been comforting to me may be loud to another, but that’s perfectly cool. Because when sharing music with others, you don’t need to feel the same emotions when listening to both enjoy it. Without further ado, here is my misfit pack of comfort songs.
Snow (Hey Oh) — Red Hot Chilli Peppers
The guitar riff instantly hooked me when I first heard it on my iPod nano in elementary school. Out of all my comfort songs, this one gives me the most nostalgic and youthful feelings that have still stuck with me as I have grown up. The guitar riff loop is sticky and perfectly translates into a catchy melody throughout the song. I love how the barebones nature of the guitar leads the way to easy drumming rhythm for melodic support and stability. Underneath that, the simple bass line acts as a diluted riff that adds another piece of funk and calm to the song.
The intricacies of instrumental layers progressively added and taken away throughout the song support the laid-back and uplifting emotional waves invoked. Each verse, refrain, bridge, and chorus strays away from a linear pattern instead of acting as a unique music subset. Production and catchiness removed, the natural buttery smooth flow Anthony Kiedis rides what drives the song to another level. His delivery and lyrical flow are soothing to the ears and can manipulate positive emotions with each song section. The entire piece makes me feel a mixed bag of relaxation, optimism, and well-being. I have long fucked with the innate catchiness of the whole tune and honestly believe it’s a masterpiece of 2000s rock music. Jamability? Off the charts. Drumability? It’s there. Karaokeability? Step from the road to the sea to the sky….
Misery Business — Paramore
This song elicits feelings like no other — a holy combination of angst, passion, and insane vocals. Authentically embodying feelings of confusion, resentment, and anger — Hayley Williams belts the lyrics with power and grace like no other. In a sense, the mass combination of varying high-intensity emotions brings a calming chaotic feeling. I have countlessly relied on this song to achieve new gym PRs all because of the climatic journey and finish this song rides. The power chords and sick guitar flows gel with Williams’ vocals perfectly and create concentrated emotional outbursts that empower and uplift. The instrumental is honed and crafted perfectly with the electrifying guitars, loud drums, and slick basslines. Truly a timeless classic and an absolute anthem that I will never get tired of.
fuckboy — brakence
One of the more modern songs in my cycle hit home on the first listen in 2020. This song was what opened the floodgates to a whole universe of hyperpop for me. In a way, fuckboy has many of the same elements as Misery Business, strictly based on a loud, high-intensity instrumental and passionate vocals. I love how the song follows a bare-boned linear instrumental buildup that explodes after the second verse into a whole other emotional high. The spacey and raw percussions let the guitar melody steal the spotlight. brakence’s vocals are nearly flawless, with natural and authentic emotion leaking through every lyric. How he struggles to hold in an emotional outburst as the song progresses is fascinating to listen to, all leading up to a loud explosion of vocals and drums. The hyperpop drums at its climax lay out a loud snappy snare with booming 808s that open up Pandora’s Box. I enjoy this song’s raw, chaotic nature and emotional roller coaster. I have found out that many loud elements in songs have a calming accepting nature on me and put me at ease. fuckboy can achieve that like no other.
CAROUSEL — Aries
Carousel is the first anthem from one of my favorite artists, Aries, that had me officially hooked to his discography and artistic style. Carousel came before fuckboy, but it planted the seed of chaotic and controlled instrumentals that I have become obsessed with. The song has a creative, harmonious blend of various intricate sounds and melodies that cohesively work together in unison. Aries employs a consistent and varied flow rooted in melody, emotion, and angst. The anti-pop style genre that mixes emo, rap, and pop elements creates a special banger that is genreless and catchy. I enjoyed watching his Youtube video going into Carousel’s production and its many sounds and vocal layers (highly recommend). Rap has never entirely been my favorite style of music. Still, I appreciate how rap elements are used throughout the song’s production and flow. I can’t get enough of the first opening 10 seconds and never fail to backtrack the song many times for every listen.
DONTTRUSTME — 3OH!3
Beyond the ironic and comedic nature of the song — it absolutely bangs. All of the lyrics are beyond sticky and catchy and immediately glued themselves to my music brain upon first listen. The instrumental of the song is also reasonably experimental for a 2000s pop song in its time. It uses a lot of glitchy and random techno noises as support. The dragged-out and elongated vocal delivery create a great unironic ironic sense of elation. All of the lyrics are fun but lack any sense of meaning or significance, making it a great song to let loose to. I would be lying if I said I didn’t have DONTTRUSTME as an all-time 2000s banger — a great mix of comedic irony, goofiness, and catchiness.
