We all have seen this girl at some point in our lives, whether that be trying to study for the exam tomorrow, just relaxing while playing some video games or feeling a certain way. There is something so common about this sound you can hear right now, without even listening you can hear the music playing, transporting you to focus, sleep and calmness.
Personally I go through spouts of loneliness, during these times I struggle to move, focus or do anything really and I listen with this girl. It makes me feel more pain but yet I feel better afterwards, it makes me feel kind of like I’m not alone and the other 20,000 people viewing live with me are just experiencing the same thing. If you was to go through my Youtube history you’d see titles like;ｓａｄ ａｎｄ ｌｏｎｅｌｙ lo fi hiphop mix. Yes this is a reflection of my mood but is also the way I fix my mood and how my mind comes to terms with the world around me.
Lofi has an odd healing factor on myself that I can’t describe, and looking through the comments on videos I see that others feel the same. ‘Who feels like “that” right now’ the that, is in-explainable but we know when we feel it what it is. This part of the internet is surprisingly not as meme’d nor is toxic, it is calm like the morning ocean. Just flowing with life. Some people leave comments like ‘To that one soul reading this, I know you’re tired. You’re fed up. You’re so close to breaking. But there’s strength within you, even when you are weak. Keep fighting.’ and others just ask for someone to hold them. It is a truly blissful area.
I actually found Lofi through XXXTentacion and his pre-blow up music. The most prominent of these songs was ‘I spoke to the devil in Miami, he told me everything would be fine.’ I must have heard this melodramatic beat about 300 times but every-time it brings a nice warming feeling, paired with X’s lyrics the song hits home. Partnering with my feelings of being lonely and lost in a chaotic world it’s kind of nice to hear this in song. One lyric that stood out to me is at the end, ‘Anima Vesta’ meaning ‘your soul’ or ‘evil in heart/soul’ in Latin, the phrase itself sounds truly beautiful, as does most Latin but the meaning behind it describes the very feeling most Lofi listeners have. It’s not evil to commit wrong but more evil has tainted our existence, causing us some pain that we are just wanting to figure out.
Distorting the vocals of a well known song or mixing in a sound bite from an 80s TV show is very common in the world of lofi. Which I feel, adds to the grounding and feeling of the music. The distortion kind of echoes the way it feels to talk about what hurts us and the sound bites resonate a sense of ‘yes, I feel like this, I’m not alone.’
Right now I’m listening to a sad and melodic playlist of songs I must have heard 100 times already but yet they always sound new. Its refreshing and calming, allowing my mind to roam for a little while, explore some memories, create some new ideas and more.
Whether you’re going through something right now or just wanting to get a good grade, we’ll probably meet at this girl while she studies for an exam that might never come. I hope to see you there.
