Anxiety Within.... 

Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3Jz3Z8fgtjTH81CjJbQ0Tr?si=wcdAir8ESWOOHM0_CiKM7A  

 

                                                              

 

1. The Neighbourhood: Wiped Out! 

In 2013, The Neighbourhood released Sweater Weather which turned out to be the hit song that brought popularity to this band. This song was released previously before Wiped Out! Made its debut. Wiped Out! is an alternative rock/r&b music album. There are various instruments used like piano, guitar, and unique sound effects.  In this album the tone completely changed with more melancholy songs about Jesse Rutherford’s personal life and his tribulations in his youth. In the Rolling Stone article it mentions, “But the warmth of “Sweater Weather” and the rest of the Neighbourhood’s debut album is gone on Wiped Out!” (Rolling Stone). Daddy Issues is a prime example of how harmful it can be to live without a father which ties in with the suburban gothic theme of the nuclear family. In this genre the nuclear family is a key element to the horrors that occur behind closed doors. Having an absent parent or a parent who is physically present but not emotionally can lead to the children seeking validation elsewhere. The article Song Meanings and Facts states, “And more macrocosmically, the singer then proceeds to identify with all victims of such an upbringing, as personified by the “little boy” who is also referenced in the refrain” (Song Meanings). Growing up without a father can impact someone’s life even when the father dies because it leaves a void in your heart making you wonder why he left which can manifest into trust issues for the future. Most of the time our first heartbreak comes from a childhood love, but the pain is even more depressing when the first person to break your heart is your father. Songs within this album create a sense of melancholy caused by older generations leaving wounds on the newer generations causing some to repeat the pattern of absent love. The Beach is also a song that can be interpreted as feeling tired of everything and wanting to leave everything in this world behind. There is a lyric within this song that talks about feeling sick and just wanting to go home which can be relatable to most teenagers who want to give up and find alternative ways to feel euphoric. Temporary love, drugs, alcohol are all forms of filling a void from past trauma.  

 

 

Daddy Issues: https://youtu.be/_lMlsPQJs6U  

• This video shows the consequences of growing up without a father 

 

2.Evanescensce: Fallen  

Fallen was one of Evanescensce’s breakthrough albums that helped revolutionize the rock genre music. The use of the piano mixed with the drums and guitar with slow lyrics changed the perspective of what the rock genre incorporates. In the Better call creative album it shows, “The most obvious difference is the female lead of Amy Lee allowing the band to have softer tones whilst also creating these darker & twisted songs as well” (Better call creative). Amy Lee’s vocals paved the way for more female rock artists to present their music to others. At first some of the songs on this album start with very soft melodies like lullabies and then there is a shift to rock. My immortal was one of my favorite songs in this album because of how relatable it is when you would do anything for someone you love even if they wouldn’t do the same for you, but it is too hard to let them go. This feeling of unrequited love may come from a past relationship or even a friendship that ended due to the emotions being one sided. Bring me to life depicts how it feels to be dead inside and needing someone to be the light in your life again. A background male voice echoing the desires of the lead singer make the song feel like a conversation between two broken people. The songs in this album let the listeners know that they are not alone and feeling empty can be overwhelming, but the feeling does not last forever. It is a recurring theme in the Surburban Gothic genre to feel broken and wanting someone to fix them while searching in the wrong places.  

 

 

 

3.Billie Eilish: When we all fall asleep, where do we go? 

In this hip hop/pop album released by Billie Eilish in 2019 there is tone shift within the starting songs. Previous albums depicted how it feels to fall in love or being powerful while this album talks about unrequited love and being the one in control of others. The Guardian mentions, “Her voice is soft, lilting and sweet, though she’s not afraid to push it through odd, squelching effects either” (The Guardian). This citation provides details on how Eilish sings with a soft voice, but it is lyrics with darker meanings. The use of random sound effects compiled from her normal life, piano, and drums all contribute to the success of this album when singing about her raw emotions. Bad Guy shows how Billie Eilish would put herself in certain situations where she is the one in control. In this song Eilish is the one who has the power to manipulate others into doing what she wants and having control of the outcome. Bury a friend also ties in with the suburban gothic on murder and death from the people you least expect. This song depicts how we hide from the “monster” when this whole time we are the monster.  In the Genius article it mentions, “The album is basically what happens when you fall asleep. For me, in every song in the album there’s sleep paralysis. There are night terrors, nightmares, lucid dreams…” (Genius). This album gives the audience the perspective of being the monster from our nightmares and describes the perpetrator’s thought process while having intrusive thoughts that don’t go away. If as a society, we let the intrusive thoughts win instead of controlling the urges to cause pain then the world will continue to lead in the path of self-destruction.  

 

 

 

The Lovely Bones clip: https://youtu.be/M-APah17AQA  

- Shows how disturbed someone’s mind can be to trap a young girl  

 

4. Lana Del Rey: Born to die

Lana Del Rey’s Born to die album contributed to her successful music career after Summertime Sadness became a hit. In the article by Discover music it states, “Raw and perfectly sculpted, Lana infused every moment with uncensored emotion, tapping into her fans’ feelings at the same time” (Discover music). This quote explains how Lana Del Rey’s honesty in her songs resonates with her fans. For example, most of the time Summer is shown as having the best time of your life and just letting go off all the stress but this song is the complete opposite since it talks about being sad during a time where most people are having fun. With the song Summertime Sadness, the listeners can relate to feeling lonely and in distress while everyone around is having the best time of their lives. This album is part of the ballad genre and uses the piano and guitar to evoke feelings of regret and depression. Blue Jeans show how a pretty face can hide the most terrifying emotions that we simply ignore because the person is attractive. The same way Connie fell for Arnold’s lies and attractiveness is how Lana del Rey describes this song. Focusing only on someone’s charm instead of their intentions is one way to break your trust process. Seeking love somewhere else because it is not provided at home can lead to many dangerous situations that could have been avoided with the right amount of attention from our parents.  

 

Ted Bundy: https://youtu.be/hCxfk9ckdEg  

-Wife extremely confused on how her own husband was a serial killer but he got away with it many years because of his charm and career 

 

 

5. The Bravery: The Sun and the Moon

            The Sun and the Moon rock album includes piano, guitar, and background vocals that add a sense of false reality when listening to the songs. In the article by Pop Matter it states, “The Bravery, on the other hand, are a major label wolf in sheepish indie rock clothing” (Pop Matters). This quote could be described as a metaphor for the dark topics that The Bravery sing about while using calm melodies. Time won’t let me go is one of those songs that emphasize regret about the past and wanting to go back to change the outcome. This song connects to the suburban gothic genre by wanting to change something from the past thinking it would make things better in the future. For example, wanting to return to a situation without wasting any time could lead to a great opportunity. Above and below has a more obscure topic by discussing suicide ideation but staying alive with a little bit of hope left. Society has implemented the idea of suicide having a bad connotation but even the happiest of people who smile daily could be the most depressed. This connects to people who have desires of wanting to commit suicide but deep down they know they won’t jump. In the Healthline article it mentions, “It has the power to change moods and help people process their feelings” (Healthline). This quote can help reflect how depressed human beings can continue to push through their daily struggles after listening to music that gives them hope for the future. Music can change your entire mood with one song. People may feel more hopeful to keep living and surviving every day because no one knows what the future may hold. 

 

                                              

                                                             

                                                             Works Cited 

Turner, David. “Wiped Out! “Sweater Weather” crew chill out, lose the plot”. RollingStone(2015). Wiped Out! - Rolling Stone 

“Evanescence, Fallen Album Review:”. Bettercallcreative (2020). Evanescence, Fallen Album Review: – Better Call Creative 

Joshi, Tara. “Billie Eilish: When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? review – a hugely assured debut”. The Guardian (2019). Billie Eilish: When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? review – a hugely assured debut | Pop and rock | The Guardian 

Forbes, Sorrell. “’Born To Die’: Behind Lana Del Rey’s Life-Changing Debut Album”. Udiscovermusic(2022). ‘Born To Die’: Behind Lana Del Rey’s Life-Changing Debut Album (udiscovermusic.com) 

Keefe, Micheal. “THE BRAVERY: THE SUN AND THE MOON”. PopMatters (2007). The Bravery: The Sun and the Moon | PopMatters 

 Stanborough, Rebecca. “The Benefits of Listening to Music”. Healthline (2020).  

Benefits of Music on Body, Mind, Relationships & More (healthline.com) 

 London, Amanda. “’Daddy Issues” by The Neighbourhood’”. SongMeanings + Facts (2022). "Daddy Issues" by The Neighbourhood - Song Meanings and Facts 

 Genius. “WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO”. Genius (2019).  

Billie Eilish - WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? Lyrics and Tracklist | Genius 

Movieclips. “The Lovely Bones (3/9) Movie CLIP - I'm Not Gonna Hurt You, Susie (2009) HD”. YouTube (2012). https://youtu.be/M-APah17AQA   

LEEQ. “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019) - Ending”. YouTube (2019). https://youtu.be/hCxfk9ckdEg  

The Neighbourhood. “The Neighbourhood - Daddy Issues (Official Video)”. YouTube (2016). 

https://youtu.be/_lMlsPQJs6U  

 

 

                                    Suburban Gothic Craft Essay: Music Playlist 

         The Suburban Gothic genre impacts various media to portray a melancholy state of mind. With portrayal in film, music, and writing, the exposure of predators attracting the attention of their victims is all created using aphoria, ethos, and logos. Suburban Gothic is popular in the film industry, but music lets the audience take in dive into the subconscious of the perpetrator. Music has the power to analyze the thought process to a plethora of intrusive thoughts inside the mind of a “monster”. Artists like Billie Eilish, The Neighbourhood, and many more pave the way in the music industry to write songs about grim lifestyles. A prime example of how to describe this genre is by discussing what happens behind closed doors. Absent parents to abusive relationships are all part of society’s ignored dilemmas. The music playlist genre model is the prominent way to implement the emotions of sadness and make the listeners interact with different perspectives. Therefore, the music playlist is preeminently the most accurate way to demonstrate the impact of the Suburban Gothic genre because of the way the genres intertwine about pain and tragedy.  

        To continue, a way to connect with the audience is by using rhetorical elements like aphoria, ethos, and logos. In the Wiped Out! Album by The Neighbourhood the rhetorical choice to assert doubt in oneself by adding aphoria in the songs with lyrics that show how even the artist doesn’t always know what he feels. Doubting yourself because of past relationships creating trust issues in the future is a way to explain why some people are more naturally vulnerable in situations that pose danger. This also combines with the choice of ethos since predators use trust to manipulate anyone who believes their lies. Ethos is one of the biggest parts of the Suburban Gothic since the “monsters” in this genre make the victims trust them first before they make any deceitful move against them. Such an idea is shown in the album When we fall asleep, where do we go? By Billie Eilish with the song Bad Guy when Eilish portrays herself as a innocent girl who wouldn’t do harm but in reality, she is the one in control of the situations with older men. Using charm to captivate someone’s attention can also be seen in the story “Where are you going, Where have you been?” where Arnold who is a grown man uses his looks and charisma to trap Connie into his web of lies, eventually manipulating her into doing whatever he desires. Daddy Issues by The Neighbourhood mixes with the theme of the Suburban Gothic since absent parents create lonely children who go out to find temporary love that they lack from a young age. To add on, having a present father means he is there to support you and take care of you when you are feeling down. Logos on the other hand uses intelligence and the intellectual ability to use one’s thoughts against them. In the album Fallen by Evanescence this thought comes to life when the song My Immortal talks about the love that she has for the other person, but the other person knows how to string her along just enough to keep her around. Also, in the book IT Pennywise uses his logic about vulnerable children to make Georgie genuinely believe that the clown wants to be his friend and return his boat with the exchange of Georgie going down into the sewer with him. All these rhetorical choices that are subconsciously imposed in the Suburban Gothic genre make the audience aware of what the attackers do to take advantage of their targets.  

      The audience for the music playlist manifests itself in a way that young teenagers and people in their early twenties can relate to the hardships that make society mature at a young age. Listening to this kind of music that talks about a range of topics like daddy issues, unrequited love, and suicide ideation is not something the general public can relate to. Teenagers and young adults are among the group that goes through the ups and downs of life at an early age causing them to be the audience for this music. Young adults have the problem of having to focus on school or work while also dealing with problems are home and trying to find your authentic self in the progress. For example, many films that depict teenagers in their natural setting include depressing songs by Lana Del Rey and The Bravery. The majority of the shows on TV during this time period depict teens filling a void with toxic substances to feel an emotional high. Not knowing what the future holds for them and dealing with personal issues at the same time can manifest itself in anxiety and depression. Over time once we grow up and see there are more positives in life in comparison to the negatives is when the mentality of feeling alone shifts into an enthusiastic mentality.  Teens putting themselves in risky situations without fully analyzing the danger it imposes could be managed with the right education on how to stay safe. The combination of anxiety about the future and worries about the present makes young adults the leading audience for the Suburban Gothic music playlist.  

          Genre conventions within the music playlist vary from emo to gothic or R&B. Emotional hardcore would be the best fit for the music playlist since it contains artists like Billie Eilish and Lana Del Rey. Writing about the hardships of feeling alone in times of need and feeling sick from the life they are currently living are just parts of what the Surburban Gothic genre contains. In the song The Beach by The Neighbourhood a sense of loneliness and not wanting to talk about it with anyone adds on to this genre of the fear of being alone. Even in a room full of people our minds still process the environment as being alone. Genre subversions also dictate the kind of audience the Suburban gothic attracts because it depicts horror and tragedy. The Suburban Gothic genre targets the outliers of the story and the younger population who are the most vulnerable with their own emotions. In the Suburban Gothic stories, the victim has a sad past that shows the audience why that character acts the way they do. Young people are characterized as risk takers who don’t care about the outcome. This exhibits why characters like Connie and Georgie make for the best victims due to their lack of life experiences to differentiate between good and bad. 

        To conclude, the music playlist is composed of the representations of tragedy and pain felt within the Suburban Gothic genre. The same pain felt from the victims and outliers from the Suburban gothic can also be felt by the listeners of emo and gothic music that is played within the playlist genre model. Even though the Suburban Gothic genre can be represented in divergent forms the music playlist genre model is the most accurate way to connect the audience with the experiences felt through an auditory form. Music has a way of connecting more directly with the listeners because of the environment it puts you through and the way the listener loses themselves in their own thoughts. Music is an escape route to disconnect with reality. Combining the Suburban Gothic genre and a music playlist is the best way to connect dark romance and horror. Listening to the problems built into society and how the pattern continues to strive instead of breaking free from the toxic ideologies within the world is the premier way to advocate while learning more about this genre. 

Changes between drafts in blue highlighter