Coffee shops and Starbucks are no stranger to the average student. While some may go to a library or stay at home to do work, others will visit their favorite coffee shop. Not only does this change in the environment creates a new sense of productivity but it also helps people feel relaxed. However, you don’t need to visit a coffee shop just to experience this. Nicholas Roche is bringing these feelings to you with his song Lucid Dreams.
With the help of his writer/producer Robby Dougan and producers Jenn Garcia & Keagan Karnes, Roche was able to release his music video Lucid Dreams. Not only was the team able to share Roche’s music they also introduced a new genre.
The vibes of the music video, the colors and cinematography, and the overall music are the perfect fit for that coffee shop mood.
The beginning of the song uses a familiar melody, although it isn’t a sample of any other music, the first notes give the song a similar vibe to those lullabies we heard as little kids. It instantly makes me feel more relaxed. Not only does the song keep this same vibe throughout but for the rest of the video, the lyrics match perfectly. In fact, one of the first things we hear is “I’ve been sleeping all day” something most sleep-deprived college kids wish they could do.
Not only does the melody relieve your stress, but the video itself is also like a visual ASMR. All the visuals in the video are great at following a specific aesthetic. Each background throughout the video has a specific shade of blue and all the characters portrayed in the video feature a shade of gold in some way or another.
These visual and audio aspects can be used to set a foundation for this new genre of music. Not only will this help other musicians to produce their own work it can act as a guideline to perfecting those coffee shop vibes.
Despite the new ideas introduced by Roche’s music video, it leaves me the feeling of needing something more. The music and visuals are consistent from start to end and, while some may appreciate it, I feel like there could be something more.
I am no musician, nor do I know anything about music theory but I still enjoy listening to music. Roche’s music provides those relaxing vibes I need as a consistently stressed college student. However, I can’t help but feel like I am going to fall asleep while I listen to this song.
Although this makes the song great to listen to when you wind down from the end of the day it doesn’t feel like the type for casual listening. The music needs something to engage the listener while maintaining those coffee shop vibes.
We can’t expect all musicians to produce something similar to Roche’s music video. Just as everyone has their own style, everyone will have their own interpretation of this new genre. As more artists take on the challenge of creating music for this new category we’ll get to hear what others think of this vibe and maybe hear something Roche missed in his introduction to Coffee Shop music.