Songs to Heal Your Millennial Heartbreak, feat. alextbh
Let’s face it, breaking up is the worst. Even if you’ve got that lighter-than-air feeling after dumping an ex that held on a little too much for your liking, there’s no getting around the fact that finding love in the 21st century is akin to preserving it for public consumption. We’re all on social media, and it’s highly likely that our relationships are on display in some way, shape, or form. Finding love has never been so quick and easy; all it takes is a single swipe to match with a potential soulmate. But it also means that breaking up has never been so hard. In the era we live in, an ex-lover’s presence somehow finds its way to seep into almost every facet of our life, from running in the same social circles to those couple selfies you’re still wondering if you should delete off your feed. We’re riding the same emotional rollercoaster that Romeo and Juliet did, but with Snapchat thrown into the mix.
Cue the entry of local electronic music producer alextbh, who is crafting songs that articulate the woes of being in love in the digital age. Ahead of the musician’s appearance at Good Vibes Festival 2017, we’ve compiled a list of alextbh’s best heart-wrenching tracks to help you through everything from getting back up from your last heartbreak to soundtracking your latest romance; misery loves company, but it loves good, lovelorn tunes of longing even more.
Stoop So Low
In the aftermath of a breakup, sometimes all you need is a track to articulate the emotions that accompany it (anything to drown out all the white noise in your head). ‘Stoop So Low’ is a smooth r’n’b hit that not only encapsulates the anger and confusion following a breakup, but it also captures how public some separations can be:
My friends, they tried to warn me
But I’m stuck up and I’m desperate.
The end of your relationship might not be splashed on the cover of today’s tabloid publications, but your friends are starting to take notice of the passive aggressive tweets and blacked out Instagram stories with mysterious captions. Whether sharing your woes brings you comfort or pain, now would be as good a time as ever to seek some well-needed solace in music and friends.
Mornings (See You Again)
Learning how to be happy on your own again is always a challenge after ending a relationship. Even the most cold-hearted of souls would have to feel a twinge of sadness when they wake up in the morning to find the space next to them empty, or realise that even the most innocuous of activities, like eating breakfast or listening to music together, are now exclusively solo activities. The lyrics of Alex’s latest single pores over that longing for familiarity and security:
Mornings don’t feel the same
Ever since you’ve left my place
So let me see you again
why do you have to hurt me
Maybe you wiped the digital footprint of your relationship clean the minute it ended, but letting go of something you once cared about is definitely easier said than done. ‘why do you have to hurt me’ is a sombre electronic track made to soundtrack the nights spent wondering what to do with all those couple selfies left on your feed, now starting to resemble forgotten relics from another life.
Like That
There will be a day when things get better, and there will be a day when you’re ready to fall in love again. ‘Like That’ is alextbh’s most upbeat track, and the lyrics are just as playful and flirtatious as the song itself. It’s a long and winding road up to feeling like you’re ready to open up your heart again, but a good bop-worthy dance tune is always good at getting you back up to pace and hopefully, at sparking a new romance between you and that stranger sitting across the bar.
nothing’s gonna hurt you baby
A Malay rendition of Cigarettes After Sex’s ‘Nothing’s Gonna Hurt You Baby’, alextbh’s cover is an ambient pop tune that pays heed to the dreamy, indie rock sound of the original while giving it his own unique twist. It’s a song that sparks an instinctive need to protect the things you love, and even if you’re still flying solo, it’s your heart that needs the core message of this track more than anything. Learning self-love is as complex as learning to love someone else, and a little musical therapy can go a long way in helping old wounds to heal.
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