It was around middle school when the inevitable happened – I went through my “angsty” phase. Started changing my wardrobe for much darker colors. Covered half my face with my hair. Claimed Hot Topic as my favorite store. Was super moody with my parents. Yikes. Luckily, it didn’t last very long...
However, one good thing came out of that and no, it wasn’t my borderline obsession with the Twilight series. It was most definitely my emo love for Paramore. And though that wannabe angsty girl (I just wanted to fit in!) is a thing of the past today, and despite the embarrassment strongly tied to her... we go way back and we have some good memories together – like blasting Paramore’s album “brand new eyes” on my iPod whenever I felt annoyed with the world.
So of course last year when their newest album “After Laughter” dropped, that angsty girl was tugging on my sleeve and I caved in completely. Seriously, it was a big deal... they had not produced another album since 2013.
Rose-Colored Boy is this week’s track and it’s about refusing to see the world in an overly-optimistic, rainbows, butterflies, and campfire “Kumbaya” type of lens. It’s about making the deliberate decision to not put on a happy façade and pretend everything is okay when it definitely isn’t. We can’t deny that there’s this pressure we are under that says we always need to have a smile on our face and have it all put together. If not, we’re scrutinized for our messiness or our awkwardness and get labeled as a pessimist. This track is not having any of that. Honestly, the message it gives is an important one. It’s a call for less empty words of positivity and more empathy. Heaven knows this world could use more people who know how to empathize. If they welcome and acknowledge your angst, then I’d take that as an added bonus.
You can learn more about Paramore here:
About The Curator - Jordan Yutan
Jordan finds joy in simple things like brunch, naps on the grass, and long car rides with the music on high. Her version of fun consists of dance parties, movie marathons and – of course – karaoke. Music has been such a key part in shaping her spirituality. She believes the first time she felt God reaching out to her was through a song and that still happens time and time again. She sees music as a vessel to vulnerability and will gladly invite anyone to listen, but especially wants to hear the songs in their own hearts. She dreams of visiting cafés all across the world, and meeting all kinds of people over a cup of coffee. But for now, she’s making the most out of college, soaking up the sun in her beautiful campus of UC Santa Barbara.
