Music can give us a way to communicate about collective ideas, which is one of the reasons why this mode of creativity is so important. In light of this concept, turning or being a certain age is one of these ideas that music discusses so often. Whether said directly in songs like “Fifteen” by Taylor Swift, or appealing to the vibe of a year of one’ s life like albums such as “Ribs” by Lorde, many musical artists have beloved songs or albums because the population at large can relate to the work. With this in mind, I find that this conversation of what it feels like to be in your twenties has created some of the most beautiful albums to date.
Your twenties is a decade about transition; finding your way in the world by discovering your passions and ultimately leading your consciousness to its truest form. While I personally am on the younger end of being in my twenties (22 for those curious), I have still been able to find great meaning in albums directed towards these years of life. Here are some of the musical works that I think those in their twenties should visit during this decade.
“Ctrl” by SZA was my inspiration for writing this piece. SZA was 27 when this album was released. Off the bat, you have the track “20 Something” which not only sits as the last song on the album, but pieces together the work’s commentary about life in your twenties. “CTRL” stems from conversations about relationships and love, to harsh truths about how maturing is also about recognizing that you aren’t the so-called “main character” in everybody’s lives. This is not only one of the greatest albums of our generation (in my humble opinion), but it is a vulnerable work of art about navigating the world from adolescence to adulthood.
John Mayer was 28 when he released “Continuum”, another album that adds to the idea of what life is like in your twenties. The album leads with the track, “Waiting On the World to Change”, which is a powerful song on its own in terms of politics and worldwide happenings, but also has a lot to say about how when your in this time of your life; you don’t quite have the full confidence in the impact of your actions as someone who is older (say in their 30s) might. It’s this idea of a “collective bystander” effect-like mindset that is relatable to so many at this age. This album also includes “Stop This Train”, a beautiful song about not wanting to grow up and experience the change that is already in effect. This album helps put into words the thoughts and feelings we might all be experiencing as we enter this new decade, and it makes the unfamiliar feel just a little bit more known.
While not perhaps intended to be an album about existing in your twenties, The 1975’s “A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships” fits right into this list. Matty Healy, the lead singer of The 1975, was 29 when this album was released. Many songs on this album show Healy’s reflection on his twenties. “Give Yourself A Try” has lines like “You’re getting spiritually enlightened at twenty-nine” and “I was twenty-five and afraid to go outside.” The album also includes the track, “I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes)”, which has one of the most telling lyrics of being in your twenties (again, in my humble opinion). Healy says, “I bet you thought your life would change/But you’re sat on a train again.” These lyrics are evidence of how one might think because they’re in this new decade or period of life where they’ll be leaving everything they once knew behind—for better or for worse. But Healy points out that that’s not entirely true, and sometimes there are things that just can’t ever be changed. I think there’s a lot being said in this album that shows just how different the reality of being in your twenties is from the expectations of what one thought it would be like.
It wouldn’t be a list of albums about your twenties without including “25” by Adele. Adele has two albums that she released in her twenties, but “25” gives a more mature perspective on the decade than I think her earlier album, “21” does. With this record, we dive deep into the exploration of love and relationships that one might find in this era of life. Adele gives us the tracks “When We Were Young”, an ode to remembering the feelings of young love, and “All I Ask”, a piece about coming to the realization that a relationship has run its course. “25” shows how maturity interacts with relationships of all kinds, and reminds listeners that it’s okay for those relationships to change as you move forward in life.
Another unsuspecting album that encompasses being in your twenties, and the last record I will mention in this list, is “Currents” by Tame Impala. Kevin Parker, the man behind the stage name Tame Impala, was 29 when he released this album. The song, “Yes I’m Changing” is evident of both the movement into this decade of your life, and the transition into the next decade. Parker says that, yes, he’s changing, but that change is coming for you, the listener, too. The other hits in this album promote the central idea that time is going to keep moving and there’s nothing we can do to change that. And while this might be a scary notion, “Currents” reveals that it can be so much fun too. This was a big album for me in my teens, but listening to it now, in my twenties, it lands so differently.
These albums have guided me through the first few years of my twenties, and I’m sure they will continue to make more and more sense about this decade of my life as I grow older. If you’re in your twenties you should definitely give these albums a listen too!