I have recently come to terms with something I have been fighting all my life: The genre of music I listen to is depressing. In middle school, I never wanted to be the edgy kid I was. I just liked wearing black clothes and had cool shirts that happened to look edgy.
However, this last year has made me realize everything I listen to is super emo and melancholy. Although, in a way that doesn’t really affect me, I just like the way it sounds. Albums like “Deathconsciousness” by Have a Nice Life and “The Fragile” by Nine Inch Nails make their way into my rotation fairly frequently, but I never outwardly feel depressed because of it.
The album “LOVE + POP” by Current Joys made me feel like I was listening to someone who felt just like me, but tried way too hard to make it fit in with the depressing kind of music that they like.
Whiny White Boy Music
The album alternated between a few styles. Cloud rap, some screamo adjacent stuff and a pretty banging electronic track at the end. I think the last song was really the only song that had me hooked. I was very intrigued by “bb put on deftones” but it was too sad boy music.
The best way I can describe this album is modern day “whiny white boy music.” Whiny white boy music is like Green Day, XTC, The Cure etc. All music that sounds very different but is united amongst a common theme. The same goes for “LOVE + POP.” I know Current Joys has multiple albums, but if you told me this was the first album from a new Soundcloud bedroom pop artist I would 100% believe you and move on with my day. I haven’t heard any of their other stuff, and actually only decided to listen to this because my friend said they have one good song. However, I don’t see myself listening to this album or any other songs by them any time soon.
Self Awareness
I am a sucker for good whiny white boy music but this album just teeters on the edge of being self-aware that works but can be really annoying. The lyrics “I don’t wanna fuck I just wanna vibe” will be forever be engrained in my brain as the perfect way to view the kind of person who would make or listen to music like this all the time.
The last song “U R THE REASON” is a good, fairly long song that just repeats the same words over and over again, but the instrumentals are interesting enough to start out and changed enough to keep me interested throughout the song. That may be the only song I will ever return to. At least until I figure out what that supposedly really good song my friends likes is and I give that a shot.
All in all, if you like the music I have described, definitely give this album a shot. It just isn’t for me, at least not right now.
