Music in Quarantine
By: Julia Pryor
The coronavirus pandemic has impacted musicians and listeners all around the world. Many musicians have decided to delay album releases, reschedule tour dates, and temporarily close their merch and music sites. However, other musicians have found inspiration amidst all the chaos, and have been writing new lyrics and releasing singles for their listeners to enjoy. If you haven’t been keeping up with new music, here’s a list of the best songs that have been released during the pandemic. A playlist of all the tracks is available on Spotify.
1. Twenty One Pilots, “Level of Concern”: In my personal favorite single released during the pandemic, lead singer Tyler Joseph discusses the current struggles of the world but reassures listeners that “we’ll be okay.” On Twitter, he describes the song as “simple but hopeful,” and explains that profits will be donated to a charity called “Crew Nation” that provides funding for workers in the music industry who have lost their job due to the pandemic.
2. Twenty One Pilots, “Level of Concern (Live from Outside)”: An alternate version of the song performed virtually on the Tonight Show hosted by Jimmy Fallon, featuring a new bridge and an appearance from Ned.
3. Benjamin Gibbard, “Life in Quarantine”: In this acoustic rock song, lead singer of Death Cab for Cutie Benjamin Gibbard sings about the changes and struggles he's faced in these “days of uncertainty.”
4. The 1975, “Nothing Revealed/Everything Denied”: Lead singer Matty Healy comes clean in this song off the 1975’s newest record “Notes on a Conditional Form.” He explains how in the past, he has found himself revealing nothing as to accept any praise or deny any criticism from the public, and continues to see other artists act similarly to this day. This song seems to be a shift in the 1975’s music as they now wish to send important messages to their listeners, especially now during this pandemic.
5. The Weeknd, “In Your Eyes”: Off of his new record “After Hours” released in March,
the Weeknd provides listeners with an upbeat love song perfect for summer.
6. One Republic, “Better Days”: In another upbeat song, One Republic looks to the future and reassures listeners that better days are ahead.
7. Hayley Williams, “Simmer”: Released in May, “Simmer” is the opening track on lead singer of Paramore’s debut album “Petals for Armor.” In this song, Williams discusses bottled up anger and ways of controlling it, which seems fitting with both the current state of the world and moving forward.
8. Troye Sivan, “Take Yourself Home”: In this calm pop single released on the first of April, Sivan relates his lyric “there’s nothing that can’t be fixed with some honesty” to the way other countries have handled the crisis and the uncertainties of the media.
9. Frank Ocean, “Dear April”: In this emotional love ballad released in early April, Frank
Ocean sings about falling out of love, and expresses feelings of loneliness and renewal.
10. Bon Jovi, “Do What You Can”: Released during the first week of lockdowns in many states, Bon Jovi provides a positive outlook, and encourages everyone to “do what they can” to help others in difficult times. He also encourages fans to share their stories and feelings by writing a second verse for the song. This song is only available on YouTube, stream it here.
Despite the isolation that quarantine has brought on, music has been the one thing that has united and connected us from all around the world. If this virus has proved anything, it’s that music is alive and is always there to support us and open a conversation. Continue to support music by streaming on Spotify and adding songs to our playlist - we love hearing from you!