Cheerfully Dystopian
These songs are getting me through.
Everything sucks, everywhere you look. I’m miserable. The only way I’m coping is by watching old episodes of Law & Order and listening to music. So instead of my usual trauma dump content, here’s a few songs I’m thinking about adding to my “cheerfully dystopian” playlist.
“Anxiety” by Doechii
And it's like
I get this tightness in my chest
Like an elephant is standing on me
And I just let it take over
You’ve likely heard this song if you spend any time online. It heavily samples Gotye’s Someone I Used To Know, and is the ideal match for Doechii’s powerful voice.
I think Doechii is absolutely brilliant (I love Alligator Bites Never Heal), and her recent single Anxiety is HOTTTT on TikTok. The video is fun, and offers an homage to the song she samples.
“The Flood” by Ben Caplan
The rising tide doesn't raise all boats
There are some of us who can't float
Some of us are working in the mud
Not being innocent don't make me guilty
You can't keep your hands clean when it's filthy
Ben Caplan is a Canadian singer I first sort of learned about when he was a featured artist for a month on my local radio station back in 2015, but I stumbled across the video for this song while browing music on YouTube, and I’m now a full-on Ben Caplan stan.
His gorgeous baritone carries every song on his latest release, also titled The Flood, which has seven great pieces on it, including another favorite I will share below, but I also absolutely LOVE the song The Main Thing which only consists of the lyrics, “The whole world is a very narrow bridge | And the main thing is to have no fear at all.” CHILLS. The video is fantastic, too!
“The Deep Blue Okay” by Self Esteem
I'm on edge, I make it work
I know that digging in the dirt
Is how someone like me gets there eventually
And, yeah, there's shame, that I'm not okay
But the Deep Blue's there inside of me
And I have my doubts, but know I'll always work it out
Listen, I won’t lie: I struggle with this artist’s name. Mostly because I am so damn sceptical of all the new-age, self-help bullshit that targets women’s insecurities, but this artist is so badass, self aware, and fun I accept it: Self Esteem is her name. She was part of a folk duo in 2016, but broke away to become the unapologetic pop star she always wanted to be.
This song introduced me to her, but I really love the whole album, A Complicated Woman. Worth a listen for sure!
“Abracadabra” by Lady Gaga
Pay the toll to the angels
Drawing circles in the clouds
Keep your mind on the distance
When the devil turns around
If you haven’t tuned into the newest album offering MAYHEM from the queen of the style, the one who wore the meat dress and, my personal fave, the one who said, “So what if I do?” when asked if she has a penis.
The whole album is FIRE, but Abracadabra is a song that makes me want to hit the clubs and dance until I need two knee replacements instead of just one. When she sings “Feel the best under your feet | the floors on fire” it does something wonderful to my brain. Don’t skip the other songs on the album, though, they are really phenomenal.
“The Oracle by Ben Caplan”
The future's uncertain, except for the ending
There's no return address for the prayers we've been sending
The great ship is sinking, the air is full of fear
And the map is on fire and no one can steer
The heavens will roar, the mountains will rumble
There's no way to know when the cookie will crumble
I didn’t know a song could be both incredibly romantic AND dystopian at the same time, but this song does. With a chorus of “this we can trust | all turns to dust” between professing his love (and lust), this song threads that needle perfectly.
The video itself cracks me up and looks like the kind of party I’d want to be invited to if I ever went to parties or, you know, anything. That IS his wife in the video.