5 Interpretations of Anxiety in Music
Anxiety is one of those things that touches absolutely everyone in the world in one way or another. As someone that deals with general anxiety quite often, I have used music to help grasp the concept that anxiety can mean something different depending on the day.
Here are 5 representations of anxiety from artists who use unabashed lyrics to give listeners a deeper look into mental aversions we’ve all brushed shoulders with before.
1. Questioning Happiness ("Nitrous Gas" by Frightened Rabbit)
Anxiety has a wonderful way of needling its way into seemingly uplifting situations. In “Nitrous Gas,” lead singer Scott Hutchison explains how he denies happiness even when he is in a situation that would traditionally give people comfort. This song is an homage to anxiety’s tendency to welcome doubt and second guess joy.
2. Fear of Judgement ("Aphasia" by Pinegrove)
Nothing is worse than being replete with emotions while lacking the ability articulate them to others. This song details the condition of “Aphasia” in which one loses the ability to express themselves or understand speech. For this type of anxiety, the side effect of never expressing yourself is usually paired with the frustration that others are unable to understand you. Evan Hall of Pinegrove does a wonderful job of explaining this frustration and delves into the complex reactions involved with holding things in and finally letting them out.
3. Dependence ("Emotions and Math" by Margaret Glaspy)
An idle mind is the devil’s playground, and Margaret Glaspy agrees. In this case, Margaret is talking about her tendency to overthink relationships whenever her significant other isn’t physically by her side. This is often the case with the anxiety-prone in that the lack of an anchor leads to feelings of restlessness and being out of control. “Emotions and Math” refers to Margaret over calculating situations and letting her emotions get the best of her when she isn’t grounded by a physical connection to others.
4. Self-Esteem ("Mediocre at Best" by Sorority Noise)
As one of the blunter lyrical interpretations of anxiety, Sorority Noise never dances around a subject and, in turn, delivers brutally honest lyrics to listeners. In this case, lead singer Cameron Boucher self-deprecates in a song all about his inferiority to an ex-lover. He communicates a lack of confidence in himself and claims that he’ll never live up to what others want him to be. These lyrics represent the emotional lows experienced in moments of deep depression and are tailored to two common themes in anxiety: the tendency to derive your self-worth from the hypothetical opinions of others, and the inability to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
5. Failure to Remain in the Present ("Fine, Great" by Modern Baseball)
Retrospective thinking is an anxiety magnet, and Modern Baseball’s lead singer is no stranger to this fact. Brandon Leukens has dealt with anxiety and depression for the majority of his life, and this song touches on his propensity to dwell on the past while simultaneously worrying about his future. The best way to overcome anxiety is to remain grounded in the present, a concept that is easy to understand yet wildly difficult to put into practice. Listen to the rest of Modern Baseball’s catalog for more insights into this common challenge in Leukens’ daily life.
