Lauv is Soft but Strong in ~how i’m feeling~
Lauv was an artist that would check in with every once in awhile, as I was a huge fan of his first big hit “I Like Me Better” and he often works with other musical favorites of mine (LANY, Troye Sivan) and released a decent debut project, but I wouldn’t have actively called myself a fan of the pop vocalist until I listened to his 2020 album entitled ~how i’m feeling.~
Lauv really dug his nails into the music industry with a “soft boi” persona and songs that were dreamy enough to make a nihilist pessimist like myself swoon, and this project is no different. There are several infectious tracks that are incredibly relatable to young adults dealing with infatuation. The single “Tattoos Together” and the the gorgeous collaboration with Alessia Cara called “Canada”, paints a enamored getaway journey would make every Hallmark Channel movie envious, filling the listeners brain with matching tattoos and freshly fallen snow.
This inflated sense of what love looks like is seen in a more melancholy way in later tracks like “Sims” where Lauv explains his wishes that he could craft his relationships like a online game and Mean It with the pop trio, LANY where the singers explain that they could know the moment their partner fell out of love, it would change everything. These songs effectively capture the young love narrative that if lovers could just do everything right, they could build the perfect love story and the healthiest break up. I think that this concept is extremely relatable for those dealing with heartbreak for the first time, dwelling on what could have changed to make everything better.
However, I think that several music listeners discredit Lauv as strictly a love-obsessed pop star. Yes, the crooner is definitely able to create content that would be place perfectly in the backdrop of a romantic comedy, but there is another facet of Lauv that I admire: His ability to creatively craft the workings of someone battle mental health issues into his lyrics.
I think that this sophomore release definitely discusses topics that many 20 somethings may feel uncomfortable talking about. The album begins with a thunderous track titled “Drugs & The Internet.” The song’s production may be playful, but the underlying theme that several people in our generation do dispose of true relationships for a more surface-level digital persona and dopamine supplements stings as you shimmy along.
The album takes an even sharper turn with the duet with pop singer Anne Marie “fuck, i’m lonely.” This song is just a crystal clear vision of what it means to be lonely. Loneliness is a topic that I feel that several male artists have a hard time capturing without making the antagonist or ex in the situation look like a terrible person. Lauv is able to take the break-up narrative and twist it so that instead of discussing the hurt this other person caused, he explains the effect that heartbreak has on the individual.
Lauv plays with the idea of inner turmoil in the third song on the project, “lonely eyes.” Lauv really describes the unspoken understanding that two people who have gone through trouble can create. Claiming that one can tap into the invisible hurt through simple eye contact,t is extremely powerful and strangely comforting.
One of my favorite tracks was the closer, “Modern Loneliness.” I feel like it was the perfect song to end an album filled with hurt and love and struggle. Lauv brings up the conversation of yearning to understand the purpose behind experiencing the problems of the past. The singer-songwriter is able to bring up how difficult it is to see the light at the end of the tunnel without relying on the often used closing narrative that he is “fixed” or that you can just love yourself out of poor mental health conditions.
Overall, I think that Lauv’s latest project gives the younger generation the space to feel valid, while also challenging the way that they think about their invisible illnesses.
Rating: 4.5/5
Favorite Tracks: Drugs & The Internet, Lonely Eyes, Modern Lonliness
