Kiersten’s Thursday Jams: 4/4/19

Kiersten Buckley, Staff Writer

“wish you were gay” – Billie Eilish

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This song comes right off of the release of Billie Eilish’s new album, WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? The melody is standard for most of Eilish’s tunes, but the track stands out on the album nonetheless. I personally love this song due to the raw emotion it gives off as she sings. You can truly hear the pain in her voice as a soft beat accompanies her vocals. In Billie’s own words, the track is about how it felt for her to be rejected by a boy she liked, and how she wanted some reason as to why he didn’t reciprocate her feelings. You should listen to this tune if you like popular music, or songs that make you feel strong emotions.

 

“What Once Was” – Her’s

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Her’s is a band that I have featured once, if not more on Kiersten’s Thursday Jams. Recently, both members of the band and their manager all tragically died in a car crash while on tour. To pay homage to one of my favorite indie bands, I have decided to feature them on my “Thursday Jams” once more. The tune ironically, in the band’s words, describes the passing of a family member. The band sings, “Baby, I’ve been there before/I was at the point where all I really wanted was someone/And now I’m still hangin’ on/I was at the end of every tether waiting for what once was”. The song has sweet and eerie guitar instrumentals to accompany the lead singer’s vocals. The tune, while already quite sad-sounding to begin with, takes on a whole new ominous meaning if you relate the lyrics to the band members’ untimely deaths. You should listen to this tune if you like indie-rock music or sad music.

 

“Drop the Guillotine” – Peach Pit

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The title Drop the Guillotine should not be taken as seriously as it sounds. The song, as explained by the lead singer of Peach Pit, is describing how his better looking best friend always unintentionally stole all of his crushes away from him. Now, with this description you may be thinking that the tune is just some run-of-the-mill average pop song. But, Peach Pit creates a lovely indie-rock track with amazing guitar instrumentals. And with lyrics such as, “You sure know how to drop that guillotine on me/Though you would never wanna see me bleed/I’ll just wipe off my neck then leave you in between/You sure know how to kill me,” the band certainly does not “drop” the guillotine reference (Pardon my pun, I just had to!). You should listen to this song if you like indie-rock music, or tunes that tell a story.

 

“Bad Things” – Cults

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I first heard this tune while watching the television show The Act, about the murder of Dee Dee Blancharde. From that context, you can already imagine that the song has an eerie subtext. And you’d be right, it does. The tune consists of lyrics such as, “Bad things happen to the people you love/And you’ll find yourself praying up to heaven above/But honestly I’ve never had much sympathy/Cause those bad things always saw them coming for me”. Even so, the lead singer’s high and airy vocals offset these dark lyrics. This contrast gives way to a very overall intriguing indie-pop song. Also, does the melody of this song sound familiar to you? You may have heard it sampled in singer J Cole’s hit tune She Knows. You should listen to this track if you like strong female vocalists, or bubbly tracks with dark lyrics.