Tune Travel

The moment my earbuds are in, my mind surrenders itself to the solitude of sound, softening the harsh edges of my thoughts. With an increase in volume, I’m instantly put at ease, basking in the solace of my escape and making myself at home in my new reality.Much like the euphoria obtained from the swift inhale of a forbidden substance, music has become the consistent fix I’m always itching for.

As I sit in this crowded coffee shop, I wonder if this is a shared human experience. Does everyone feel this physical response to music, or am I the psycho in a seemingly intimate relationship with her Spotify? I lift my eyes slightly to observe those around me, noticing quickly that every ear in the room is occupied by a humming little robot. Expressions of varying emotions are plastered amongst their faces: some deep in concentration, others not so much. But one thing is for certain, each one of them confirms the glaringly obvious observation that not a single mind in the room was present.

I suppose it is possible for a room full of people to feel entirely empty. Under these particular circumstances, I couldn’t help but find beauty in that statement.

Certain music is designed to persuade certain emotions, such as putting on a rap playlist for a pregame or listening to something sappy when feeling lovesick. However, artists who put forth a significant amount of energy in their sound tend to provoke an entirely different and seemingly out of body experience from their listeners. The ability to transport yourself mentally through sound is the essential component of the decade’s star genre, I’m ecstatic to announce.

As we progress through the newest edition of the roaring twenties, I find myself feeling giddy about the re-emergence of psychedelic rock after the reign of rap music in the media for years. The popularity of psychedelic music really took its form in the 1960s and 70s during a movement of sexual liberation amongst the younger generation. Artists such as Pink Floyd and The Beatles (in their later years) began releasing music that emulated the physicality and emotions brought forth from experiencing a high without ever placing a tab on your tongue.

Artists today have begun to dip their toes back into the art of psychedelic rock. Rather than repeatedly emphasizing the fact that he did, in fact, have sex with your girlfriend, Lil Yachty instead chose to release possibly the most influential album of the year instead.

Let’s Start Here was released on January 27th, 2023, leaving Yachty’s fans in a haze of elated confusion. The album contains psychedelic undertones with hints of pop and rock, categories Yachty has shied away from thus far in his discography. After his collaboration with artist Tame Impala on his single Breathe Deeper, however, it was less than surprising for me to see this rebranded Yachty on social media preaching his new perspective of music.

I am a strong advocate in listening to an album from beginning to end every time, especially upon its initial release. Albums like Yachty’s Let's Start Here and Pink Floyd’s The Wall both take the listener on a journey, inflicting a plethora of contradicting emotions through sound. I found myself feeling incredibly grateful for being so quick to listen to Yachty’s masterpiece, for soon enough the backlash on social media began to sour the sweetness of Yachty’s new image.

In the past, Yachty has expressed his desire to keep a clean, sober image in his progression through stardom. Let’s Start Here, however, insinuates the opposite. This was evident in his disturbing visual portrayal projected behind him during his recent performance in California, one that was heavily influenced by past Pink Floyd performances without a doubt. As someone who eats that shit right up, my tendency to play devil’s advocate has led me to pace around the subject of glorifying drugs in music.

As I touched on before, the main objective of psychedelic rock is to create a high-like sensation when you listen to it. In other words, rather than describing their experiences with psychedelics through words, artists like Tame Impala and the Chemical Brothers tend to use sound to provoke that out of body experience.