writing

Pop music exists as a living archive of each decade’s defining trends, and on a personal level, a dreamy utopia where the president is Beyoncé, the currency is escapism and the language is love (and as of 2020 Britney Spears is a socialist icon).

The reality of the COVID-19 pandemic is that most people around the world are currently stuck at home facing social isolation, economic uncertainty, and existential dread about what exactly is going to happen next. Trying times like these call for actionable, easy things we can do for our mental health while we wait it out at home. Enter the humble pop song.

The pop music we hear most often around is primed and engineered for enjoyment with pleasant voices, fun lyrics, and catchy hooks that are specifically designed to induce a high. In our pre-social distancing days, we couldn’t help but get exposed to at least a dozen pop songs while just going on with our days. We would half-hear them, tapping a foot to one song, but ignoring another. Due to their sheer volume and ubiquitous presence, their full potential to affect our moods would go unnoticed.

Now that we are responsibly staying at home, pop music can serve as an unexpected source of comfort. It can function as a tool to balance out our constant alertness through emotional release and expression. As we have the time to consider the music in earnest, mindfully listening to bangers can actually help us get through this time.

Read the full piece at lowercase magazine.