Music Tastes In Challenging Times
A chat with a friend spurs a question on how much music helped me through the past few months. Spoiler: heaps.
Not to be a name-dropper, but I was chatting with Boiler Room’s Chris Schulz a few days ago, and we were talking about how music had helped us both out in different ways, as we dealt with different challenges, over the past few months.
I’ve alluded a couple of times to the end of my marriage: my wife and I separated back in May, but its been a net positive experience as our relationship moves into a different form, friendship and co-parenting. I’ve frequently used a piece of dialogue from the final episode of The Good Place as an allegory:
Picture a wave in the ocean. You can see it, measure it - its height, the way the sunlight refracts as it passes through - and it's there, you can see it, and you know what it is, it's a wave. And then it crashes on the shore and it's gone. But the water is still there. The wave was just a different way for the water to be for a little while.
Anyway, I mentioned to Chris (the other Chris … or, wait, am I the other Chris?!) that music had helped a lot during the last few months, and he asked an interesting question in response:
Did your tastes change over that time?
It’s a good question. I initially said no, that my tastes were the same as ever. And I do think that my base level tastes didn’t change; I still liked the same music, I still looked for the same things in new music, still appreciated musicality and vocal and performance in the same way.
But did my tastes change in terms of what I listened to in the moment?
Absolutely.
Chris used the phrase ‘noisebomb’ to describe some of what he was listening to, artists and albums and songs that engage your brain with sheer intensity. He mentioned JPEGMAFIA, which is a good choice. As a former metalhead, I tend to go in that direction at times like this.
To that end, I have found Knocked Loose’s album You Won't Go Before You're Supposed To a huge help - the metalcore outfit released their latest album the same week as the separation occurred, and its raucous guitar work and heavy drumming was the perfect carthasis for a while there.
Heavy albums were a running theme for a little while: Bring Me The Horizon’s post-nu-metal Post Human: NeX Gen, Gouge Away’s punk opus Deep Sage, Ulcerate’s heavy vibes on Cutting The Throat Of God, and Earth Tongue’s brilliantly retro Great Haunting all consumed me for a bit.
The other thing I’ve been listening to a lot: angry women.
Okay, this is not a new thing; I named Mannequin Pussy’s I Got Heaven my favourite album of the first half of the year, an album from a band fronted by an angry woman, to go with artists like St Vincent, Big|Brave and Sprints.
The second half of the year delivered my favourite angry-woman solo album of the year in Lola Young’s This Wasn’t Made For You Anyway. I don’t know who upset Lola Young this much, but I hope for their sake that they are now in hiding.
This week, Cassyette’s album This World Fucking Sucks scratched the angry-woman itch, but it isn’t just artists who sound angry. It’s female artists who are angry and who have something to say: Mystery Waitress’ Bright Black Night, Rachel Chinouriri’s What A Devastating Turn Of Events, Skilaa’s Tiger In The River and The Warning’s Keep Me Fed are all albums that had an outsized impact on me over the past few months.
But enough about me:
What music do you turn to when you’re going through challenges in life?
What is your favourite album to turn to in times of trouble?
Post your picks in the comments below!
Chris Schulz and I go back a ways and he has been a massive source of inspiration and advice and support and friendship over that time. If you love music content, I highly recommend giving his SubStack a follow. I loved this recent interview with Reuben Bonner, organiser of The Others Way festival:
Ngā mihi mo te panui, whanau - mental health is a big part of my life, and I hope that being a bit more open about that is something you’re happy to read.
Mā te wā, see you next time!
Chris
Jimmy Buffett is, has, and always will be, my go to. He's helped me through some ridiculously bad times, but always centres me - even if briefly.
I don't have a go-to album - I tend to go for a live one because there are so many good choices and the sound of the crowds cheering and him talking with the songs inevitably lifts my spirits.