Living with depression is hard.
Pursuing your passion is hard.
Pursuing your passion while you’re in the middle of depression is damn near impossible, but somehow people do it. It’s really awe inspiring to watch people push themselves to success while a voice in their heads tells them things are hopeless. I think that great art comes from the effort of pushing beyond all fear and doubt, and that in turn motivates me to always push as hard as I can. I wouldn’t call myself depressed; not in a clinical sense. I don’t think there’s neurons and shit causing me sadness, but there are days that I catch myself moving slower than usual. Getting out of bed can be the ultimate chore, but still I find a way up.
Today was one of those days, so I fought through, left the house and listened to Tame Impala’s new album “The Slow Rush”.
I rock with it.
Usually I only listen to rap music, I like to fantasize about being a gang member or a legendary drug dealer. I could say some shit like “oh I relate to the passion of these niggas” but in reality I think it’s fun to fantasize about crime. I used to listen to a ton of indie music but I honestly hated a vast majority of it. I mostly listened because I wanted to impress my peers/have a manic pixie dream girl touch my penis; it was not worth the trouble. Today however, I like to get out my comfort zone, if only to break up mundane moments. Tame Impala totally scratched that itch. While this isn’t what I’m used to, there’s a familiar groove that I enjoy. It’s kinda like Daft Punk if they took xanax instead of MDMA. This is the type of music I imagine black girls hear in their heads on good dates with white guys. If this album was a person it’d be Paul Rudd. I don’t know how that metaphor works but I’m pleasantly surprised by both. It’s got a level of cuteness that eventually gives way to some deeper emotions.
Between the synths and sounds, there’s some interesting lyrics here. It took me a minute but I picked up that this album is about a young person’s battle with depression and disillusionment. You can notice this because every song title would make a good tattoo. The lyrics paint the picture of someone who’s been through an emotional ringer. The journey they’ve been on has taken it’s toll and they’re questioning its purpose. This is an album for when the train is taking too long and Uber prices are surging too high. There are no easy answers, but progress must be made. For me, it’s hella relatable.
I know this is a good album because I didn’t think about rap one time while I was listening to it. Not once did my thoughts wander to “I wonder what Gucci Man’s doing right now”. I let myself get lost in the moment while and feel a connection. In getting lost in the music, I discovered myself. I love it.
Tame Impala makes good music. If you like good music, give “The Slow Rush” a spin. I give it 8 ” white guys I’m surprised at the Tame Impala concert“ out of 8