So like I know this has been a upcoming thing but I wondered if anyone else considered or coined this before.
Recently AJR came out with their new album "Ok Orchestra" and let me tell you it is a-mazing. But I had a thought, there has been a surge of things I like to call "existential pop" this included artists like AJR, Melanie Martinez, Jon Bellion just to name a few. (I could be totally wrong but) The reason I started noticing this is because these artists tackle topics that aren't just oh yah know "relationships, sex, drugs, and being rich" and a lot of the common tropes of a lot of pop songs. Now don't get me wrong, they are definitely mentioned but its done in a way that flips the script. For example Melainie Matienez covers relationships in her song "Highschool Sweetheart" but it isn't about "oh yes I have to follow all these gender defined roles in a relationship" its a song about her having standards for what she wants from a relationship and how she wants certain things ou t of that relationship and she's not going to just settle (which is what, honestly, a lot off people all over the gender spectrum are forced to do because they don't think they have a choice to do anything else.) Now a lot of people thought she was being demanding and unfair, but when you think of it all people are entitled to want specific things out of a relationship and to have their needs met while also being equals. Now Melanie Martinez since she started making content has broken a lot of preconceived song rules, from talking about tough topics of life in school in k-12 to talking about dysfunction in families and relationship in Crybaby. But thats a tangent. What i wanted to talk about was AJR because I can't help but think that this trend of basically having an existential crisis in song form is what AJR is now being immortalized as. In my opinion.
First off, the entire album is a massive hit and people can fight me on that (though I don't see anyone fighting) Second I wanted to mention a a handful of songs that just stand out and those songs are (but who am I kidding the whole album is fanstatic). I'll go in order of the album
"3 o'clock Things" by AJR is a this sort of collage of thoughts and questions that people realize that they have to keep hidden to stay in favor with the people around them from the bullshit of capitalism, to the truth that not everyone is great at sex and how thats a standard people are judged on so people fabricate or omit things to stay "positively veiwed" to the hot button idea that the American government is rigged and how people and artists are forced to keep quiet about their beliefs because of their ratings whether it be about race, religion, sexuality etc. (Those last two are not mentioned but implied as they are factors that can change someone's idea of you). The chorus "would you go running if you saw the real me. Maybe you'd love him , yeah, maybe you'd feel me. But I'll never ask you cause that super scary. Sorry to bail its already 3 o'clock, its too hard to tell if anything real or not" Sums up the gist of the feelings behind the song
"The Trick" by AJR, this song i relate to so much, the idea of lying to make yourself something you aren't ashamed of and to maybe start knew or just impress or relate to others. The idea that as the song states that one can't have full access to the life or emotional well being of the other because someone has set up their own pitfalls by trying to be authentic and how "oh my god [we're] screwed". I love how its realistic and understandable make song about the fact that you can lie about your life to find relationships but the truth is its not going to come without traps.
"Humpty Dumpty" by AJR, and entire song about repressing emotions and hiding true feelings because we want to give people "the best me" and how that only makes things more fragile and broken. Depression and numbness only be BROKEN up by panic attacks and anger or at least intense emotions. as any therapist will tell you repressing emotions just makes it so much worse in the long run. There isn't a full resolution at the end. I mean part the chorus is literally "humpty dumpy went downn He said screw it imma smile right through it and scream when no ones around" if that tells you anything.
"World's Smallest Violin" by AJR. (Not gonna lie this song is the whole reason I wanted to make this post.) I mean a song about comparing the past struggles of people in your life to yourself and how you as a person feel like utter shit that other people have "worse problems" and that we as people just want to feel validated and are looking for people to make us feel normal. Also its catchy as fuck so yeah!
And of course,
"Way Less Sad" by AJR which came out a little before the album came out but became a huge favorite, its kinda really similar and almost a follow up to "World's Smallest Violin " and happens to be right after, but the whole idea of settling for way less sad because your sadness isn't as bad as what it used to be and setting your bar lower and lower is....a big fucking mood but honestly if you relate to the line "but I'm not dead yet so I guess I'll be alright" then definitely check it out
To be honest I side tracked from what I originally made this post about essentially I think artists should be bold and break the mold of music and if like...."existential pop" is a fair name to call these artist or if you think it should be called something else then let me know because I'd love to know what to fucking call it.
Was a this a shameless attempt to get people to listen to AJR? Yes. Do I want people to listen to AJR? Yes. Am I looking for more existential pop artist? Yes.
So uh......yeah
