It’s already September, and while Boston’s weather might not have caught up just yet, fall is on the horizon.
September is overwhelming, regardless of the temperature. I start sweating just thinking about opening my Google Calendar during this time of year. Classes have begun and club meetings are ramping up. I looked ahead yesterday — even though I probably shouldn’t have — and my first midterm is less than three weeks away.
It’s easy to feel like you’re drowning. I definitely do.
So how do we beat it?
To be honest, I don’t really know. It’s hard to ignore that nagging feeling that there’s too much to do and not enough time to get it all done.
I might not have a magical solution for managing stress, but taking an hour to walk and listen to music every day, regardless of how far behind on assignments I might feel, is my current remedy of choice.
Last week, I walked from West Campus to MIT on a whim. I planned on walking to the Esplanade and turning around, but my playlist was so good, I kept going. For the first edition of “Liv Listens,” I’ve picked out some of my favorite songs from that walk for the next time you need to tune out the noise.
“warm glow” by Hippo Campus is one of my favorite songs to walk to, especially during sunset. Listening to it makes me feel exactly what the title says: warm. It starts slow, picks up at the bridge and ends with a full minute of no vocals, just the synth from the beginning. It’s my go-to song for when I need to calm down.
My next pick is “Let It All Out (10:05)” by COIN, which is off of my favorite album of theirs, “Dreamland.” In this song, they contemplate what to do when things are so bad that you don’t know how to go on. COIN’s solution is in the title and repeats throughout the track: “Let it all out.”
The song peaks at the bridge, when lead singer Chase Lawrence, accompanied by a choir, sings , “Oh, I’ve been waitin’ / For something to change, but / I can’t escape this / Waterfall of doubt / All my blood, sweat and tears / For twenty-some years / All bottled up and broken / Let it all out” in a moment of auditory bliss. This song is so lyrically and sonically cathartic that I often start it over before it’s finished.
I’m a sucker for a good love song, and I always will be. I’m also a sucker for anything by Phoebe Bridgers. “Phoebe Bridgers” and “love song,” rarely go hand in hand with her more grunge and alternative style, but in 2022, Bridgers released “Sidelines,” a song that’s slow, calming and simple in all of the best ways. It’s probably the closest she’s gotten to a love song yet. The production on this track makes me feel like I’m floating.
For all my fellow Harry Styles fans, I turn to his first, self-titled album for more calming songs such as “Meet Me in the Hallway,” “From the Dining Table” and, one of my all-time favorite songs, “Ever Since New York.”
I wanted to throw a few relatively new songs in here, too. Luke Hemmings released his EP “boy” in April, and it’s perfect for walking. “Garden Life” and “Shakes” are definitely my favorite tracks.
I also finally got the chance to listen to Lizzy McAlpine’s most recent album, “Older,” all the way through. “Staying” is a heartbreaking song, but it’s somehow perfect both for when you need time to think or for when you don’t want to think about anything.
I believe McAlpine to have one of the best voices of our generation. I often zone out listening to her vocals on most of her songs, but they are especially clear and crisp on “Staying.”
Other albums I listen to when I feel overwhelmed are “evermore” by Taylor Swift, “Deeper Well” by Kacey Musgraves, “Stranger in the Alps” by Phoebe Bridgers, “For Emma, Forever Ago” by Bon Iver, “Freudian” by Daniel Caesar, “Notes from the Archive: Recordings 2011-2016” by Maggie Rogers, “Immunity” by Clairo and “Wasteland, Baby!” by Hozier.
I want to close this week’s Liv Listens by recommending “Junior Varsity” by Dayglow, a song about getting accustomed to fast-paced change. Lyrics like “Can you see it now? / The changing in the leaves” make it the perfect fall track, but more than that, it’s a good one for when you need to be reminded that “Everything here / Has pointed you this way.” As suffocating as everything might feel right now, we are all where we’re meant to be.
I’ll be back with more music next week. Until then, don’t forget, I’m always here to listen.
