Loaded with love, heartbreak, regret and depression, “~how i’m feeling~” is the perfect title for Lauv’s debut pop album as he opens up his head and heart, attempting to navigate real-world issues through music to his young adult audience. Released on Friday, March 6, the 25-year-old California native’s album includes 21 tracks, many of which were already released as singles in the years prior to the release of the entire record. Six of the songs feature other artists, ranging from Australian pop singer Troye Sivan to South Korean boy band BTS and Mexican artist Sofia Reyes. Lauv addresses relatable issues right from the first track, “Drugs and The Internet.” In this song, he speaks about the negative effects of social media addiction, like the tendency to develop an unrealistic portrayal of the world and one’s self-image. While the song starts off slow and with piano as the sole accompaniment, the last line before an attention-grabbing beat drop goes, “I wonder what it feels like to be more than I am,” which sets the chorus into motion, beginning with “I traded all my friends for drugs and the internet.” The second track, “fuck, i’m lonely,” features English singer-songwriter Anne-Marie and was originally released in August 2019. The song was also featured in the Netflix hit show “13 Reasons Why.” The song juxtaposes a fun, upbeat melody with the sad reality of missing someone, with a chorus that goes, “It's been me myself and why / Did you go? Did you go? / Oh, fuck, I'm lonely, I'm lonely, I'm lonely, lonely, I.” The third track, “Lonely Eyes,” also addresses the issue of loneliness. However, Lauv lightens the mood in the next song, “Sims,” as he fantasizes about a relationship. The track is set to an electronically produced melody and a driving bass line that strongly encourages dancing. Further down the track list, “Changes” provides another example of Lauv’s raw emotions. Speaking to American Songwriter magazine, Lauv said, “I wrote ‘Changes’ about being at a point in my life where it just wasn’t working for me anymore. I wasn’t happy with myself, with the way I was living, and I felt like I needed to grow and evolve. It’s one of my most personal songs, and a massive favorite from the album.” The chorus provides some of the most memorable lines of the song, as it says, “Changes, they might drive you half insane / But it's killing you to stay the same / But it's all gonna work out, it's all gonna work out someday.” Three of the final four songs offer what is arguably the most emotion poured into the album, as “Sad Forever” addresses Lauv’s struggle with depression and his realization that seeking help and medication was in fact okay. “I don't wanna be sad forever / I don't wanna be sad no more / I don't wanna wake up and wonder / What the hell am I doing this for? / I don't wanna be medicated / I don't wanna go through that war / I don't wanna be sad, I don't wanna be sad / I don't wanna be sad anymore,” he writes. All proceeds earned from “Sad Forever” will be donated to various mental health organizations around the world. “Julia,” the second to last track on the album, is a mellow piano ballad in which he speaks directly to former girlfriend Julia Michaels, whom he broke up with in the beginning of 2019. The album comes to a perfect ending with “Modern Loneliness,” the 21st and final track on the album. It begins as another piano ballad but builds into a much larger anthem with a finger-snapping beat and chorus of voices behind Lauv’s lead vocals. The song addresses the feeling of mental isolation in society despite being physically surrounded by people. The chorus that starts with “Modern loneliness / We're never alone, but always depressed / Love my friends to death but I never call and I never text” pours out emotion, and Lauv has said that his favorite part of the whole song is the second line of the chorus. “as we get older it becomes so easy to lose touch with people we care about for one reason or another. we’re busy..time passes and then eventually it gets to the point that it feels awkward to reach out. but we need each other. now more than ever,” Lauv said in an Instagram caption on Monday, Feb. 24, four days after the song’s release. In addition to the music itself, Lauv also released mini music videos known as “Official Audio” videos for every song, in addition to the full videos, accompanying the singles and diving deeper into each message. Lauv’s vulnerability in “~how i’m feeling~” is what makes the album so successful. Powerful lyrics combined with catchy melodies remind listeners that emotions ranging from love to depression are completely normal and that no one is alone in having them.
This article was originally published on www.thehofstrachronicle.com.
Photo courtesy of Lomabeat.com
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