gnatlistens

[gnatlistens]

Punisher by Phoebe Bridgers Photographed by Olof Grind, 2020.

[gnatlistens]

posting here because why not

[gnatlistens]

I forgive it all as it comes back to me

[gnatlistens]

Linying - “Paris 12”

SXSW 2017 - OEB Score: 8; Popularity Index: 5

Pairs Well With…Cloves, Lorde, Halsey

Linying is pop music from a Western ear, but there are interesting melodic choices and phrasing that reveal this music comes from the other side of the world. The Singapore artist keeps things mostly quiet and relatively minimal, using a baseline of piano ballads to create her airy but weighted sound. Linying’s debut EP is Paris 12, a collection of songs that start expected sparse, weaving dark threads to add depth to her music. The title track consists purely of light soundscapes and brief echoes of percussion, countered nicely by the full, peaking closing number “Speak Up Selah”. Her atmospheric approach to pop is both accessible and weird, a fine balance that allows her to stand out within such a crowded genre. The EP also includes some more traditional pop moments - the vocal line of “Alpine”, sweet bedroom pop track “Sticky Leaves” - a really strong mix throughout that shows an artist ready for big stages yet able to stretch into indie-minded circles.

[gnatlistens]

linying has another album under Doris Club, named after her mother who has suffered from trigeminal neuralgia for four decades. really good stuff <3

[gnatlistens]

my friend has started using the willoughby tucker album cover as a reaction picture btw. it's so awesome

[gnatlistens]

ETHEL CAIN PHOTOGRAPHED BY DOLLIE KYARN

[gnatlistens]

SAW GAGA LIVE

[gnatlistens]

seeing lorde on tour!!!!!!!!

[gnatlistens]

[gnatlistens]

In the theaters. straight up "Björkin it" and by "it", haha, we'll. Let's justr say. My Cornucopia.

[gnatlistens]

LORDE What Was That / Green Light

[gnatlistens]

tagged by @queenoftherodeoo (ty! <3)

create a list of your top 50 bands/artists and see how many your followers listen to

tagging @killherfreakout @jettlawrence @anticurser @restoremyssoul @millybrowm @ochrechirp @emergingghost @itsallhoney @pinkponygrl @summerbreakmixtapes @sun-lt @flamingears if u want to do this too and also anyone else who wants to do it as well <3

[gnatlistens]

modigliani - lucy & phoebe

[gnatlistens]

favourite album of 2025 so far <3

[gnatlistens]

hot & heavy by lucy dacus is one of my favourite songs of all-time :)

my personal interpretation of the song (as influenced by the music video) is that it’s about a conversation between an older self and its younger self. my reasons for my high impression of this song will follow this interpretation, although i love other opinions (such as thinking about an ex-romantic / ex-platonic partner, coming out/ queer awakening) as well.

• the intro to the song is very significant to me. i can name a few other songs with really good intros that immerse me immediately however, hot & heavy’s one is very notable in my mind. the lyric is instructional - u as the listener are asked to jog memories of ur own, evocative - u as the listener relate to places reminding u of memories, and also introductory to the song’s concepts and themes. it’s also really good imagery as she describes the sensation of emotion as “hot in the face” which packs so many complex emotions into it including sadness/ frustration/ shame/ embarrassment/ anger/ excitement

• ⁠for the title of the song, dacus alludes to physical intimacy, and i initially (superficially) thought it was on purpose in order to relate to mainstream sex culture. however, upon reflection i love that it implies that the song is about intimacy because it can be about intimacy with oneself. the word “heavy” can be about the metaphorical emotional baggage weighing someone down, and the term “hot” is unresolved emotion (very “hot to touch” / “hot topic” in mind). i like this because i can then add onto the interpretation about the burn/ ache i feel with unresolved desires and dreams. i also can add to the interpretation that the words “hot & heavy” imply a discomfiting sensation - which shows that being intimate with urself is a hard thing to do. this is so Human.

• one of my favourite lines of the song is: “led me to the floor even though im not a dancer”. the reason why i like it so much is because it caused me to reflect on how much a past self takes leadership (“led me”) over a current self (“even though im not a dancer”). i’m being led by a version of myself that i’ve outgrown but i still owe so much to. before this song, i’d never thought about past self in a state of influence over present self before (i’d always thought it was the other way around) which caused me to feel a lot more empathy towards my younger self and empathise with how hard it must’ve been for them initially to do so many things that i presently take for granted in doing, because im used to doing it. that must’ve taken so much courage.

my most favourite part of the song is the outro. it’s possibly one of the best (if not the best) lyricisms i’ve heard in my life. it’s tied to the song conceptually, and it also offers a bittersweet conclusion.

• i love the choice of the imagery in “hidden gem // goldmine”. finding a hidden gem or goldmine implies that that the finder has done something very rare and is therefore very fortunate. alluding the symbols to their original meanings: the fact that *i* found my own goldmine (which is *myself*) shows i am very lucky to find/ be me. this is a slightly different way to look at the “love yourself” angle but personally i find it very meaningful because i rarely consider myself lucky to be me. thinking about it in this way makes it a very refreshing perspective.

• ⁠i love the line: “you were a secret to yourself you couldn’t keep from anyone else” because - everyone is a secret to themselves in the sense that they are continuously exploring themselves BUT the people in your life who love you know who you are deep down which makes us feel seen/ loved/ cherished. dacus sings this in a lower tone than the rest of the outro which further emphasises how important it is to be seen by the people around you whilst you self-explore, not for validation per se, but rather the thought of “i am here. i exist.”

• ⁠so much of the song is about the wildness / explorativeness / shedding ignorance / becoming self-aware / innate rebelliousness, as shown in the lines “basement of ur parents place” (i.e. the most sheltered location you can be in) + “ask me all the questions your parents couldn’t answer” (self exploration/ curiousity) + “bend the rules” + “firecracker” + “fire that can’t be tamed” etc. these are very “coming of age” thoughts and because i listened to the song a lot in my teens when i consciously recognised myself feeling such emotions for the first time, and becoming this new person, i find the song extremely reminiscent of that particular era.

• i really like how the song explores the relationship between past, present and future self in the sense that they all affect/influence one another but there are still boundaries to this influence. this is shown by the examples, “how did i believe i had a hold on you” + “how could i deny it, diamond in the rough” (how dare i deny that you were a strong person) + “when i went away it was the only option // couldn’t trust myself to proceed with caution // the most that i could give to you was nothing at all // the best that i could offer was to miss your calls”. i often do this thing where i frequently call out to my future self in my head asking what to do. yet, the song’s speaker said they purposely missed the calls of the younger self in order to offer her “best” to them, so actually the best thing my future self can do for me is to just let me be. this comforted the part of me that was so lost, confused, and desperate for direction. the speaker also says “it happens over and over” which shows how one has to continuously & consciously enjoy the present throughout their life, they can’t just decide to have that mindset once and make it their de facto mindset For Life. however, the speaker also contrasts it with “i wish i was over it, over it” which implies that the conscious decision to embrace the mindset of love for present life is a very hard goal to achieve and she’s still wishing for it. this is so immensely empathetic to the human experience of growing up.

• i think the last line is the best written line overall: “you’re better than ever but i knew you when // its bittersweet to see you again” because its so universal like yeah i remember who i used to be!! and reminiscing about is so bittersweet - the most apt word!!

<sum> why i find the lyricism to this song so meaningful: it gives me a lot of immersion into the shoes of the speaker. at the same time its very reflectional so i can compare my life and the speaker’s life. there’s also that feeling of “devotion” towards life that the song urges u to have.

after lyricism, i love some of the technical song aspects (i’m not very knowledgeable about this so i’ll only describe these lightly, i don’t want to mention any misinformation).

• i love that she sings it in a deep voice. personally, i find deep voices add Depth to lyrics emotionally.

• i love that the instruments at the back create a dreamy/ nostalgic feeling especially in the guitar chorus.

• i also love how far the “voice” feels from the “music/sounds” because it creates this feeling of emptiness to the music - this is Emo but also adds to the tone/ mood of the song such as that of a somber reflection or a diaristic confession.

lastly, i love the music video’s concept of watching a film of your past self, triggering memories. this is a very visual conceptualisation of the song’s themes, but it works because the song employs a lot of imagery that follows up with it (including tactile sensations, visual descriptions, anecdotal experience). the lyrics/ video/ song correspond to one another, blend in to form a coherent craft, and add to the depth of message overall.

yeah. i’m just simply amazed. i love this song a lot :)