Angelina’s Corner: Roundup
Words by Angelina Singer
Another song about finding yourself, whether you’re in your twenties or reinventing yourself — this is a tune about the wandering and the waiting for your life to take shape. Bright pop-oriented electric guitar creates a feather-y atmosphere alongside the bright, clear vocals sharing blatantly honest lyrics and feelings. “Been looking for that deeper well to cool my hand / been digging down until the dirt turns red” are visceral lyrics that provide an effective tactile image to drive home the point of the metaphor. “What if I never find what sets my soul on fire? / How did you?” is the theme at the center of the song, and something that I know countless people will relate to. Here’s to finding your purpose in life, and hopefully this song can bring you some comfort until then.
Chris Rafter
This is a great patriotic song about supporting those who fight for the freedoms in America that we enjoy every day. While it’s easy to take our military for granted, this song will really put things into perspective: “Here’s to the tough ones / to the brave ones / for the ones who sacrificed”. I liked the country feel, and the smooth vocals that are totally on-brand for the genre that it’s geared toward. Great to play at a Fourth of July barbecue, or on a random Tuesday night around the dinner table, this song will remind you to be proud of your country and to always honor those who protect it for us. Ambient electric guitar and relaxed percussion ground the lyrics in just the right sonic space to drive home the message.
Carole (acoustic version) by Valentina
I love that this is a song about friendship — a topic not too many songs want to address. It’s super bubbly and fun, with vibes similar to Gracie Abrams or Phoebe Bridgers. Bonus points for sounding like it’s straight out of a ‘90’s coming-of-age movie. Sonically, this acoustic version is more about the guitar than anything else, but it’s still got some great percussion alongside the bright, enthusiastic vocals. Listen to it on a girl’s night out or anytime you miss your besties and want to daydream about all the memories you’ve made over the years.
The snarky lyrics in this one are what kept me coming back for more (“when every bar looks like a Carhartt outlet”, for one example). But the biggest message here is the uncanny discomfort of coming home for the first time in a while and things just aren’t the same as you remember. I also love the rich sonic landscape and the dynamics that create such an effective ambience to depict the emotions of the vocalist. Guitars and banjos take center stage, and the added crowd vocals in the background really amp it up a notch or two. Here’s hoping you arrive home to find your old high school crush still remembers you, or if not — that you at least show them what they’ve been missing out on.
This song has such a fun, relaxed, laid-back vibe that will encourage listeners to take life easy. It’s got a summer-y, vacation sort of ambience perfect for a beach day (or even just a winter day that you wish was a beach day). Syncopated guitars punctuate the dilemma of knowing whether or not to call someone that’s been on the speaker’s mind (“I know I’m not supposed to call / but you never showed”). I also loved the beautifully-phrased guitar solo outro that effectively echoed the message of the choruses. My only critique for this song is that I wish it was a bit longer; I wanted to sink into the sunshine-y vibes for much longer than just two minutes and forty-four seconds. But I guess that’s what the repeat button is for.