This Week’s Theme Song: A Breath of Fresh Air Through Music

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Olivia Barclay

This week was a lot better than the last, making these songs feel like a breath of fresh air.

Welcome back to “This Week’s Theme Song,” did you miss me? Just kidding, anyway yes welcome back to my second column! This week was a lot better than the first week of my column, and I think the songs this week really reflect that.

Wednesday was pretty rainy and cloudy, along with the days before it. “I Think I Like When It Rains” by WILLIS perfectly captures the love-hate relationship I share with rainy days. On the one hand I enjoy those days because it makes me just want to put on comfy clothes and drink a warm drink while watching a good TV show. On the other hand, those days make me absolutely want to do nothing. This song perfectly captures those exact feelings with the drowsy tempo of the song, offset with the light hearted guitar melodies. Although the lyrics don’t reflect how I was feeling that day, it still put me in the same relaxed and nostalgic mood the singer is experiencing.

On Thursday, I had classes earlier in the day and then was leaving to go home for fall break in the evening. I come from a beach town in Massachusetts and have an entire playlist dedicated to surf rock that I like to listen to everyday in the summer titled “tan lines.” “T-Shirt Weather” by Circa Waves is one of my favorite songs off that playlist and really reminds me of home. The last time I was home was during the summer so this song really reminded me of that care free feeling I had during that time. “T-Shirt Weather” is also just a light hearted song and really puts me in a good mood. I was super excited to go home and see my family, and this song really represents that feeling.

On Friday, I went to Boston with one of my best friends from home and on that same day, Remi Wolf released her first album titled “Juno.” My friend and I are both huge Remi Wolf fans so we listened to the full album while on the train home from the city. “wyd” is one of our favorite songs off the new album as it has that classic Remi Wolf funk mixed with a relaxed tone in the lyrics. This song doesn’t really describe my day, however I thought it was necessary to add it as my Friday song as it was released that day and I got to listen to it for the first time with a friend I haven’t seen in a while.

Saturday, I went back to Boston with my friend and she showed me around her school. In Massachusetts right now all of the leaves are changing and it was especially pretty in the city. “Amoeba” by Clairo brings that perfect blend of fall in the city with its relaxed yet upbeat sound. This song just really reminds me of fall in its soft sound with the funky bass line in the background. It is then supported with the bright tempo and hints of piano and drums that really reminds me of hectic life in the city. This song also has a really good pace to walk to and reminds me of walking around the city admiring the contrast of buildings and turning trees.

Sunday was my last day at home and it was spent mostly just being with my family and doing school work. “I Listen to Your Radio Show at Night” by Grady Strange has absolutely nothing to do with that, however I usually would have had my radio show that day. I’ve only done one show for “My Playlist to Yours” so I was kinda sad to be missing my second one this week, but I was happy to be with family during that time. This song was shared with me by another DJ and it really gives you that feeling of a radio show. The tempo changes throughout the song, much like the various genres radio hosts play during their shows. Although the lyrics don’t necessarily detail that feeling, they still add to the many shifts that occur during a radio show. This song reminds me of the playlists I make for each show and how different some of the songs are from each other and the difficulty of making them all flow together.

On Monday, I had to wake up at five in the morning for my eight-am flight back to DC. I then had a class at twelve and the other one right after that was thankfully on Zoom. I’m not much of a nap person so I basically went through my whole day off with only a few hours of sleep and lots of coffee. “Brain Stew” by Green Day really reflects how I was feeling throughout that day. The song is about the singer suffering from insomnia and although that is a lot more serious than what I was experiencing, I definitely could relate to the lack of sleep the singer is talking about. The song is classic rock with a heavy guitar and drum sound that I felt reflected my ticked off mood throughout the day. The singer also talks about how his body is feeling achy and tired much like my own was that day. The singer also describes how his brain feels like mush, hence the song title, which I also really felt throughout my day.

Tuesday was a nice, early fall day. It was chilly in the morning and then warmed up just enough that you could comfortably wear a sweater and jeans. All around campus I could see everyone feeling the same way, except for the few who were in full winter clothes with big heavy jackets and hats. Anyway, “Campus” by Vampire Weekend really reflected this early fall feeling. Anything by Vampire Weekend reminds me of fall for some reason, especially this song as I envision a small love story unfolding at the beginning of the school year on a college campus. This song feels like a warm scarf and a good cup of coffee, which was all I wanted that day as I walked around campus from class to class. “Campus” also reflects that warm sun but cold air weather that I love and was experiencing this day too.

Wednesday was another nice early fall day. Again the air was cool and the sun was warm, which is why “Sol Del Sur” by Sun Room so perfectly represents this day. Although the song has a more surf rock sound, it’s still a great song to listen to any day of the year. This song just makes me think of adventure and enjoying the nature around you. As I was enjoying walking to get breakfast this morning this song just really put me in a good mood, along with the great weather.

Overall this week was filled with family and friends, good weather, and good music. This week’s songs include: “I Think I Like When It Rains” by WILLIS, “T-Shirt Weather” by Circa Waves, “wyd” by Remi Wolf, “Amoeba” by Clairo, “I Listen to Your Radio Show at Night” by Grady Strange, “Brain Stew” by Green Day, “Campus” by Vampire Weekend, and “Sol Del Sur” by Sun Room. These are some really good songs that I definitely recommend checking out no matter what mood you’re in today.