Spring is a season that invokes many feelings for me. As a person who suffers from seasonal depression every year, I’m always looking forward to spring. As soon as the flowers begin to bloom, the sun shows face on a more consistent basis and the weather gets warmer, my mental health does a complete 180. Everything is colorful, more and more people are outside frolicking in the greenery and the collective vibes are undoubtedly better. What better way to accompany this mood boost than music? Here are five of my favorite songs that embody springtime like no other.
“Bluish” by Animal Collective
From the mid-to-late 2000s, there were no indie rock groups who simultaneously boasted experimental sonic leanings and dominated the indie charts like Animal Collective. On their 2009 album, “Merriweather Post Pavilion,” the band reached their commercial peak, fully embracing the reverb-drenched psychedelia that has defined their best moments. Nearly every track on this album could’ve fit into this mini-playlist, but “Bluish” is the most emblematic of the feeling of springtime. From the first seconds of the song, you are surrounded by the sounds of water and erratic, monotone guitar plucks that fully envelop you in the song’s universe. Lyrically, it is distinctly romantic and tender. The opening line, “I’m getting lost in your curls / I’m drawing pictures on your skin / So soft it twirls,” tugs at the heartstrings right away with strong imagery. One constant throughout the song is the subtle drums that give the track a steady pulse. Speaking from experience, going on a walk on a bright spring day soundtracked by this song is incredibly blissful.
“Gymnopédie” by Tapir!
A deeper cut, this song starts off relatively slow but steadily builds into a beautiful explosion of choral backup vocals and saxophones. Tapir! is relatively new to the indie folk scene, and their only released music is their three-act debut album “The Pilgrim, Their God and the King of My Decrepit Mountain,” which was released in January of this year. The album is narrative-driven, and a character known as “The Pilgrim” acts as the narrator, taking us on their journey. “Gymnopédie” comes in the second act of the album, when The Pilgrim is out at sea and seemingly encountering a near-death experience: “And if the waves are chilly / They wash over your shells / Make yourself look pretty / And damn those waves to hell,” followed by, “‘Cause I’ve been told in heaven / The rooms are filled with mice / There’s breadcrumbs in the bedsheets / And Jesus had head lice.” Despite its diverse sonic palette, the song doesn’t feel bloated. It only adds to the overwhelming sensations of warmth and color.
“What If You Hypnotise Me?” by Sampha (ft. Léa Sen)
Sampha is an ivory tickling wizard. This track is one I associate more with the earlier days of spring when we still see a healthy balance of sun and rain. It is rather meditative, and the instrumentation is so lush that it feels like a warm blanket. Like many songs in Sampha’s catalog, this track is immediately atmospheric, but its lyrical content separates it from its counterparts. The song articulates my feelings toward spring to perfection with its opening lines: “If you could gift my feelings language / Speech is a necessary magic sometimes / Please articulate my anguish / Please explain to me why these raindrops accompany better times, yeah.” Describing the feelings spring invokes can be a difficult task, but this track’s lyrics and atmospheric sonic nature make it a perfect spring song.
“(They Long to Be) Close to You” by Isaac Hayes
Iconic Memphis-based R&B artist covers The Carpenters and takes this song to new heights. The song opens with joyful, buoyant pianos and soulful, feminine group vocals backed by beautifully orchestrated strings. Everything about the instrumentation in this nine-minute jam screams flower blooms. Hearing Hayes sing “Why do birds suddenly appear / Every time you are near? / Just like me, they long to be / So very close to you” in his signature bass croon is both off-putting and comforting. If this song doesn’t scream springtime to you, I don’t know what does.
“Sun It Rises” by Fleet Foxes
There may not be a group who captures the feelings of a Pacific Northwest spring as well as Seattle-based indie folk titans Fleet Foxes. “Sun It Rises,” the first track from their debut album, is an undeniably gorgeous introduction to the band’s transcendental sound. The song begins with 20 seconds of acapella vocal harmonies which lull you into the song’s ethereal landscape. Acoustic guitars coat lead singer Robin Pecknold’s airy vocals. Coincidentally, the sun rises and sets later in the spring, adding to this song’s undeniable feel of a dewy Pacific Northwest morning. Lyrically simple but sonically textured, this is the perfect track to start a tranquil spring morning.
Spring is undoubtedly a transitional period for everything and everyone, and music is a great thing to lean on to ease through that transition. Music is inherently subjective, and people find meaning and emotion in it from a wide variety of perspectives. However, these songs have been perfectly emblematic of springtime for me, and I hope they can add some juice to your playlists like they do to mine.
