Photo by: Lexus Jacobs
Rain is something that happens constantly in East Texas. The smell of the rain, the grey skies, and water hitting your windowpane is both beautiful and a nuisance. It’s one of those days when the campus becomes a lake, and you have to force yourself to put on your rainboots and drag yourself to class. Nothing beats getting back to your dorm after a dreary day, putting on your fuzzy socks, and wrapping yourself in a blanket. This playlist is dedicated to cozy moments of drinking tea and staying indoors. I feel like all these songs fit the mood of a dreary day with just enough energy to head bang to. Give these songs a listen on your next rainy day or if you’re just searching for new music!
https://open.spotify.com/user/lexijay/playlist/4Rh65yPhVudBfZeSWPdK3t
1. “Two (Bare) Hands” by Homesafe
Homesafe is a rock band from Chicago, Illinois. Their EP Evermore dropped in 2016, and they’re gaining a successful following by opening for other bands such as Knuckle Puck and Movements on tour. For the sake of this playlist, I chose the song “Two (Bare) Hands,” because it’s slower and fits the theme better. The song is about a person who appreciates the hard work that his father put into building a life for him with his bare hands. And though this person has never met his father he is determined to make him proud. This song is beautifully written and will tug on your heart strings. If you want to hear their heavier music, my favorites are ‘Float Away” and “Hourglass.”
Grayscale is another recent band. They are a 5-piece alternative rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The band recently signed with Fearless Records and released their debut album called Adornment in 2017. I chose “Fever Dream” for this playlist because I have literally been listening to it every day since October. The build of this song is incredible.
The song itself is quite morbid as it details an actual fever dream the lead singer, Collin Walsh, had. He says in a track-by-track explanation of Adornment that “Fever Dream” was about a dream he had of himself walking down a cobblestone road screaming a person’s name and the person could not hear him no matter how he loud he screamed. And at the end of road there was a lake. He felt as though a spirit was calling him down to the bottom of the lake telling him that he can start his life over if he jumps in. Regardless of the surreal dream Walsh had, the melodic build of this song is what gets to me. The whole song is building tension up into the bridge where we can actually hear these voices in a canon behind the lead vocals. The lyrics are so hauntingly beautiful, the way they are sung makes you feel cornered and anxious like how Walsh must have been feeling. If you don’t want to listen to any other song on this list I urge you to listen to this one. The backbeat is a perfect sound for a rainy day.
Movements is a band from Berkeley, California. It’s difficult to describe their sound because it’s a melting pot of so many. They draw inspiration from pop punk, emo, post hardcore and even spoken word. “The Grey” is off their debut album Feel Something (2017). I chose “The Grey” because this song is about depression and often people attribute rain to a depressed mood. Also, I felt it was fitting considering it’s the color of the sky on a cloudy, wet day. The song is about lead singer, Patrick Miranda, struggling to get out of his depressive state. The lyrics describe how fed up he is with his mental health. The singer even says, “There’s comfort in the quiet, solitude on rainy days.” Miranda has always been vocal about his depression and OCD. In an interview with Rocksound, he says “…what I want more than anything else is for people to be impacted by our music. I want people to hear it and literally feel something and be able to look back and think, ‘That music hit me like no other music has.’” The best part of a rainy day is that you can’t distinguish between tears and rain drops.
4. “Laps Around a Picture Frame” by Broadside
Broadside is a pop-punk band from Richmond, Virginia. Their music tends to more upbeat and makes you want to jump and down, even if the context of the song is sad. “Laps Around a Picture Frame” from their second studio album, Paradise (2017) is about struggling with anxiety in a crowded room–a feeling I know all too well. Though the lyrical content is heavy, the pop rock music will distract you from the melancholy undertones. When the weather is bad, I tend to gravitate towards sad songs. If you want to hear a happier song by Broadside, I would definitely suggest listening to “I Love You, I Love You, It’s Disgusting.” It is the most adorable song ever and is guaranteed to make you smile, even when the weather is gloomy.
5. “If I’m Lucky” by State Champs
Speaking of adorable songs, “If I’m Lucky” is syrupy sweet. State Champs are a pop-punk band from Albany, New York. The Acoustic Things is an album with acoustic versions of five tracks from their debut album, The Finer Things, as well as two new songs including “If I’m Lucky.” I chose this song because nothing says rainy weather like an acoustic guitar and a sappy song about a girl. It’s the classic breakup song about wanting the person you lost. This was the first song Derek Discanio, vocalist, ever wrote– he was only 15-years-old. The raw emotion in his raspy voice and the sting of first love is what makes this song special to me.
Knuckle Puck is a melodic pop-punk band from Chicago, Illinois. This band creates thought provoking lyrics and meaningful melodies much different than the stereotypical early 2000s pop-punk scene. “Gone” is off their sophomore album Shapeshifter (2017). It’s about resurfacing feelings after running into someone the narrator used to know. He knows they are better off without each other and that they have both changed for the better for it’s hard not to wonder what might have been. You can listen to this song and do that cliché thing people do movies where they look out the window into the rain and ponder about all their life decisions and regrets. Or you can dance around the room and sing the lyrics at the top of your lungs, like me. If you like music that makes you think, you should give Shapeshifter and their first album Copacetic (2015).
7. “Phantom” by The Story So Far
Another song about a breakup. Get your tissues ready. The Story So Far is a pop punk band from Walnut Creek, California. Previous albums, Under Soil and Dirt(2011) and What You Don’t See(2013), are heavier than the self-titled album that the track “Phantom” is on. I chose this song because of the somber undertones in the music. “Phantom” is about missing a person so much that you feel like they’re almost with you. You can feel them all around you, but you can’t see or touch them. The Story So Far is known for their angsty breakup songs like “High Regard,” “Nerve” and their newest song “Out of It.” If you’re every frustrated and need to yell about your problems, The Story So Far is a great outlet for that anger.
Neck Deep are a Welsh pop punk band from Wrexham signed to Hopeless Records. Their music tends to be about getting through hard times and coming out stronger. “Serpents” is from their sophomore album Life’s Not Out To Get You. I chose “Serpents,” because it might be sad in context, but it’s a great headbanger. (And the bassline is sick!) This track is about a girl who deceived the narrator into falling for her before leaving him and breaking his heart. The resentment is so intense he compares her to a cold-hearted snake. Another interpretation of the serpent could be biblical, like Satan in the story of Adam and Eve. Neck Deep has another great song about the girl who ripped his heart out called “Kali Ma.” “Kali Ma” is a Hindu deity known as the goddess of destruction.
9. “How Do You Feel?” by The Maine
The Maine is a rock band from Tempe Arizona. Generally, they exist under the umbrella term alternative rock, but they have everything from pop rock to emo. The Maine has been around since 2007, and their sound has definitely matured along with them. Last year they reached their ten-year anniversary and released their sixth studio album Lovely Little Lonely (2017) which includes the track “How Do You Feel?” It is the closing track on the record, and it breaks away from their usual theme of having an anthemic ending track. “How Do You Feel” forces the listener to reflect on themselves. John O’Callaghan, vocalist, sings introspective lyrics like, “You are alive but are you living?” and “Are you complete or is something missing?” It fits the idea of reminiscing on a rainy day.
10. “In the Middle Of It All” by Citizen
Citizen is a band from Southeast Michigan and Northwest Ohio. Their sound depends on what album you listen to. It is an interesting mixture where grunge meets emo and indie rock. Their lyrics are vulnerable and meaningful while their music manages to be both aggressive and cinematic at the same time. Last year, they released their third LP As You Please which the band claims is, “undoubtedly…the best Citizen record yet.” If I’m being honest, I don’t fully know the meaning of their single “In the Middle Of It All.” I put it on the playlist because of the cinematic feeling it gives me. I can see this playing in the background of an indie thriller. As You Please in general would make a stunning film soundtrack.
Moose Blood are a British emo band from Canterbury, Kent. “Bukowski” is from their album I’ll Keep You In Mind, From Time to Time. I chose this song because of the cozy vibes it gives me. It alluded to the great novelists Charles Bukowski and Ernest Hemingway, talks about Earl Grey tea and wrapping up in warm sweaters and blankets. It is a love song about meeting a girl the narrator can easily see himself with for a long time, saying she can keep his sweater and that he wants to take her home. The song is everything I would want on a cozy, cloudy day.
12. “Naconowhere” by All Nighter
All Nighter is an emo/pop punk band from Nacogdoches. I wanted to put a local band on the playlist because who better to understand the Texas rainy day feels than a band that’s from here. “Naconowhere” is about feeling stagnant in where you are in your life. A feeling especially familiar to college students trying figure out what they want to do with their lives. I enjoyed this song particularly for the lyric: “I feel like this Texas weather, so bipolar but never colder.” A perfect ending for rainy day playlist.