I kinda lost track of my time here in America, especially after the one-year mark. I mean, I was supposed to fly home in May, but then the pandemic happened, and things were always changing. Like seriously tho, AU was still planning to do dorm and offline classes a week or so before August, so when everything kinda settled down, I had already signed a lease. Anyway, while waiting for that fictional flight back home to my fam and friends, this was my heavy rotation! Some of which were from TikTok and y’all should really stop hating on it by now.

Bambi by Hippo Campus

I was super surprised as to how much I would love this song. The band was something completely new to me, even though their vids would occasionally pop up on my YouTube recommendations. Anyway, I have only listened to two of their songs and I have loved them both, but Bambi just hits different every time, and maybe that has something to do with the lyrics.

Setting aside the aesthetic that I’m sure we can all appreciate, Bambi is essentially about vulnerability and anxiety, and the feeling of being controlled by emotions while having no one to reach out to. The song is a soft jam that is also so depressing when you look at the lyrics as they sing, “I haven’t been much myself/ And I feel like my friends are being put through this hell I’m feeling.” It perfectly describes the struggle of dealing with isolation and the unwillingness to talk to your friends because of a constant fear that you are just using them (“serving myself”). In a way, it can be interpreted as a reminder to check on your friends, especially in these crazy and stressful times.

Say So by Doja Cat

Do I even need to elaborate? Doja Cat was literally everywhere during the start of 2020, thanks to TikTok and @yodelinghaley, but “Say So” rightfully deserves the spotlight anyway. And I’m pretty sure you have heard this catchy, R&B/ disco/ pop-influenced hit somewhere else even if you think TikTok is trash. Right from the start, you got the chorus with her vocals so light and sweet and effortless, it seems like the words are floating over the track. Yet, halfway through the song, you get to hear an entirely different sound that is so strong and compelling, as if there had to be at least two people involved. The song’s a masterpiece! But seriously tho, from making meme music (“B***h, I’m a cow!”), Doja Cat has made such a giant leap in her career, and her Internet persona is also as delightful as her songs.

As 2020 is gradually coming to an end, “Say So” may not be as relevant now as it used to be. Still, it will nevertheless be an anthem of having fun and being true to yourself, of speaking your mind and living in the moment. Also, go watch her 2020 Billboard Music Awards performance, she definitely killed it!

Supalonely by BENEE (feat. Gus Dapperton)

Let’s be real here. We all had that “I’ve been lonely… Supalonely” moment sometime during the months of isolation, a message appearing so many times throughout the course of the song. Yet, what’s so great about it is that BENEE hid it so well (without really trying to) under the lo-fi disco beats, and I bet you wouldn’t be able to tell right away.

Like many songs that have taken on new meanings during the pandemic, Supalonely stands out because of its simplicity. From being about getting over a breakup, the song now reflects a global collective uneasiness about the pandemic. And the best part: people actually wanna dance to it! Supalonely is a “sad banger” (as she described it) for the supalonely souls out there trying to forget everything in the world. The shared raw emotion of sadness and loneliness, paired with its funky tune, has led to a deserving success for BENEE as a rising artist. It is also a great temporary remedy to escape reality, which works for me.

Sofia by Clairo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9l8zCOwEII

Let’s end this on a high note. It’s weird because all my friends loved her, yet it took me some time to get to know and appreciate Clairo as an artist. And it was kinda a mistake because I accidentally played her song while looking up a song with the same name by Alvaro Soler (we will call this a happy accident).

“Sofia” is, in a way, my introduction to her music, even though I had passively listened to it with my friends, and I love how subtle and sweet and canny it is. Unlike her more popular tracks, “Sofia” definitely sounds a lot more upbeat and hopeful, with lyrics easy to remember and jam to, her vocals delicate, sugar-coated even, over an electro-pop beat as she sings about exploring her sexuality, finding love, and defining social expectations, but I’m sure you have all known bout it already.