Recently I have been introduced to a phenomenal group known as Lovelytheband. This pop band, formed in 2016, is made up of three members: Sam Price, Jordan Greenwald, and Mitchy Collins. Their most recent album finding it hard to smile was released last year in August and has thankfully been introduced to me. The album consistently and ironically uses an upbeat rhythm to contrast the lyrics which focus on more serious content, such as relationships, self, and romantic love, bringing to light a multitude of internal issues.
Starting with the song “these are my friends,” vocalist Mitchy Collins sings the first verse, “I wish I was a little more loved/ Tryna find a way to fix that/ So many people inside my head/…But they’re pretty good company/They cheer me up when I feel bad/ Is it my insecurities/That keep me going?” This verse has a lot of contradicting statements making it difficult to pinpoint if the song is intending to be uplifting or not. Adding to the confusion, the chorus and rhythm could cause the audience to pass this song off as being a sentimental song about friendship. However, once the audience listens past the instruments, the lyrics take a more emotional turn. In the second verse, the singer confirms that the voices are his insecurities. In the bridge he describes these voices as, “We are the weirdos/ Inflated egos/ The filthy misbehave/ The ones you dream of/ The ones you can’t shake/ Living in your brain.” By making these voices seem as though they are friends, the artist touches on the complications of how one can become dependent on their insecurities. Self love is a struggle for many and Collins was able to capture the amount of influence it has on a person.
The next song touches on the doubts of going through a challenging relationship. Titled, “maybe i’m afraid,” the song was written by a collaboration of writers, including Mitchy Collins. The song focuses on the dedication and effort one is willing to put into a relationship. “It seems like we lost touch so hold me as the record skips/… Maybe I’ll run away/ Maybe I’m over you/ Maybe I shouldn’t stay/ Maybe I just don’t care/…But baby I’ll be there… It’s been a little hard/ I’ve been a little tough/ But maybe all along/ I’m afraid, I’m afraid, I’m afraid.” This chorus perfectly articulates how we make excuses in order to salvage what we have with a person. Even if there are countless reasons as to why we should let a person go, we don’t want to risk the chance of never being with them again. This is reiterated in the second and third verse: “She said ‘I hope that we’re worth saving/ Sometimes you will hate me, but that’s alright’… Maybe all we are is fools with hearts that tried too hard/ And maybe that’s just fine as long as you’re here in my arms.” This tender moment, described in song full of so much confusion, makes complete sense when lost in the idea of someone. Relationships rarely make sense and to an outside party, it’s a challenge to articulate what it means to need someone.
This album describes the hardships that we each go through concerning love. From the positive tempo to the band’s name, a significant amount of irony is created, paralleling the rollercoaster of emotions that one goes through in a relationship. As a couple, we put on a facade of happiness while internally you’re both struggling and fighting to be with each other. This technique causes the lyrics to become more relatable and eye awakening to the audience. Lovelytheband captures the harsh truths of any relationship and is vastly improving the music industry. I look forward to where this band will take their music because it’s clear that they’re only going to get better.