We all need a reminder that despite what is going on in our lives, things will work out and our worries today will be what we laugh about tomorrow.
Here are five songs to help realign your perspective:
#1. Do Your Thing - Peter Cottontale
'Do Your Thing’ is a standout song on Cottontale’s recent project, CATCH. Cottontale’s signature soulful, churchy RnB, with gospel choir vocals over trap drums, fills the track with an uplifting tone.
It feels like a return home, a return to happiness and security after a long journey.
Darius Scott sings a beautiful verse over soft keys that says, “Sometimes/ We forget to smile/ Don’t you worry/ I’ll show you how/ Whenever I’m down/ Can’t catch a break/ I look to the sky/ From which comes my strength”
It is this verse alone that, without fail, clears away all the bad thoughts and negative emotions clouding my mind. I return to it constantly for this reason, as well as the choir, which is easily the best aspect of the song apart from the lyrics.
#2. Looking Up - Paramore
Normally, a prominent artist like Paramore wouldn’t be placed in my posts (simply because I wish to focus on lesser known artists). They need no introduction. Still, I wanted to include this song because it is a lesser known Paramore song and it’s been on repeat all this week.
I love this song because it has one section of the song that really inspires me and I hope it lights a fire in you if you’ve been second guessing going all in towards something you love.
Hayley Williams sings in the bridge, “God knows the world doesn’t need another band/ But what a waste it would’ve been!/ I can’t believe we almost hung it up/ We’re just getting started...”
I fell in love with these lyrics because there is so much conviction and heart in them. There is so much confidence. That despite how it used to look when the picture wasn’t clear, fuzzy with all of their (and their onlookers’) doubts, after committing to what they loved, they realized it was all worth it. She says it would have been such a waste if they had given up.
And I hope that this empowers you! Yes, there are countless artists, bands, painters, speakers, nurses, producers, chefs, teachers, designers, players, etc. There is no shortage for sure. But dang... what a waste it would be if you let your dream die.
So, this is your permission.
Do it. Go for it. Even if no one understands. Get after it. It may not make sense right now, but that’s okay. You may (and will) screw up. That’s okay. Chase what you love! No one can do what you do, which means the world needs what you have.
#3. cheerios - IMRSQD, Moflo Music
IMRSQD is an indie artist that I heavily recommend you listen to. He has a completely unique sound in the realm of CHH (Christian Hip Hop) and music in general, mixing lo-fi, RnB, gospel, and rap. Not only does he champion the independent artist, but he uses every track to drop gems of wisdom, talk about Christ, and build a lighthouse for his listeners.
‘cheerios’ is a perfect example of IMRSQD’s dedication to ministry through music, reminding his audience that chasing materials is worthless because they won’t last. Rather, it’s all about the heart.
He says, “Look, it don’t even make sense/ why you wasting your time/ you don’t need to pretend” It is a welcome reminder of how easy it is to get caught up in trying to get positions, wealth, and things and lose our authenticity, as well as our soul.
The rapper continues saying, “fake smiles like cherrios/ don’t waste your life/ don’t spend your time on materials” over a slow paced lo-fi instrumental that strolls leisurely to a watery hi-hat, snare, and bass kick.
This track is powerful and may help you realign your priorities. You have everything you need at this moment.
Andy J. Pizza, an artist and designer who teaches a class on developing your style, said, “This journey (of style) isn’t about finding the gift or what you don’t have or attaining something you don’t have… it (the journey and the struggle) is about finding what you already have. It’s about becoming the vessel that can contain what is already within you.”
This quote may be translated to life and I hope you hold onto it!
#4. Brighter Days (Are Before Us) - Meet Me @ The Altar
ATTENTION! I actually wrote a separate review for this song... (pssst! That means go read it! Click here:))
#5. Jumping from Jaded Heights (The Rush Pt. 2) - Kings Kaleidoscope
Wow. Words cannot explain how much I love Kings Kaleidoscope. Their album, Zeal, has held the spot of (one of my) favorite album(s) since its release in 2019.
Kings Kaleidoscope is the embodiment of finding life in music. They are the band of the great epic. Their music is truly beautiful, daring, and extraterrestrial, yet so human. There is no piece of the heart left unexposed in their songs, and every project is an attempt to find beauty and illuminate hidden things.
If you haven’t ever done it, I 500% recommend listening to Zeal, in order, at least five times. The head of Kings Kaleidoscope, singer, songwriter, and producer, Chad Gardner, is a one of a kind lyricist that truly raises the bar for lyrics.
This group creates music for poets, and I couldn’t love them more.
‘Jumping from Jaded Heights’, in a way, encapsulates the entirety of Zeal. The singer is on a journey to rediscover passion for life and God after becoming jaded and pessimistic. Learn more about the inspiration for the album here.
The track starts with a single note drone, continuing for too long, mirroring where the artist finds himself at the moment: consumed in apathy.
After a while, Chad sings, “Waking up to face the haze of apathy/ show every grace I lost the fight to see”, directly acknowledging he is in the midst of this dark headspace, but yearns to be free of it. He continues with, “remedy the piece of faith that broke in me/ take away the weight and flip the gravity/ I’m leavin’ the ground/ Oh/ Jumping from jaded heights/ I see a rainbow”.
Later on, as the drone joined by horns, bells, drums, and a myriad of sounds, he sings, “I need to taste again/ savor and tremble/ take me to where you are/ burn in me.”
As the song closes out in a grand orchestral crescendo, Chad begins the transition to ‘The Rush Pt. 3’, chanting “We know where we’re going.”
This song is an acknowledgment of the negatives and the places (whether emotionally, physically, or spiritually) where you are lost, but also a stubborn search for the rainbow, that is, the promise of restoration.
I highly recommend you listen to ‘The Rush Pts 1-3’ in order for the full experience and a deeper context for ‘The Rush Pt. 2’.
