Somebody Else by Pynch Single Review
Written by Karina Abbott
9/10
‘Somebody Else’ has this unfaltering bass line, drum beat, and key progression just sitting in the background throughout the entire song; while the guitars and vocals dance all over it, adding color to the story that the lyrics lay out for us.
The song follows the monotonous life of a young adult living for other people by doing what their told: going to school, getting a job that pays well, etc. Living for yourself can be a really hard thing to do, because it’s scary knowing there is a possibility for failure. So many people would rather not even try, and just live the life they are ‘supposed to’; a stable and predictable one in the eyes of their peers and parents. The protagonist of this story reflects the feelings of many a young person, if not every single one throughout history, because this song is essentially an ode to the ‘quarter-life crisis’. No one wants to fade into the abyss, no one wants to “lead a life half lived”, and everyone wants to “really know [they] exist”.
This song is subtly restless; it’s targeting the uninspired and desperate youths trying to figure out how to survive in our rapidly changing world, while somehow staying true to themselves and their dreams. It feels especially relevant with how the last year has been for so many people: a monotonous nightmare with no end in sight that you just have to take day-by-day to get through as it persists like the consistent driving backbeat of this song.
During the climax of the song they reference the classically reckless nature of being in your 20s; with all this uncertainty and placelessness creating some pretty serious anxieties that just keep mounting until you feel like you want to “drive a car into the sun”, "feel everything at once”, “quit [your] job and move to japan”, or just "stay in bed as long as [you] can”.
In the falling action of the song there is this statement: “I wanna die doing what I love, I wanna feel like I'm doing enough”; so simple, yet it nearly brought me to tears, because many people, including myself, do not see this as a guarantee. This is something we might have to really fight and even face ridicule for, but it’s such a basic request; like the line about wanting to “feel something real”. We should be able to have lives that make us feel purposeful and fulfilled everyday! We should be able to relax enough to feel things other than anxiety.
Anyway, it’s a beautiful song and I’m super in love with it. Hope you enjoy it!
RIYL: Attawalpa, Youth Sector, Drug Store Romeos
Bandcamp: https://pynch.bandcamp.com/album/somebody-else-the-whole-worlds-going-crazy-for-love-double-a-side
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pynchband/
