Songs that encompass the feeling of environmental dread

Music about our messed-up society
By Sonam Kaloti, Arts Editor

The song title says it all; what we’re currently living in is worldwide moral panic.

The environment is on the minds of some in the Lower Mainland—and more specifically, the slow destruction of it. After the heat dome and multiple heat waves some BC citizens are feeling the heat in more ways than one. If you feel the constant anger, helplessness, and frustration that comes with thinking about the demise of our planet you’re not alone. Here are some songs that may encompass your feelings while assuring you that you truly are not alone in suffering these confusing states of emotion.

“Love It If We Made It” – The 1975

The 1975 have a few songs dedicated to the messed-up tragedy of our society and environment. “Love It If We Made It” is a colourful, upbeat, overall fun, and happy-sounding song that acknowledges all the bad stuff but has an overarching theme of hopefulness. Referencing stealing from POC and the murdering of them, racial inequality in prisons, children dying in Syria, fossil fuel overconsumption, immigration issues, and the ultra-rich living how they do, and paired with the pre-chorus line “Modernity has failed us,” then going into the chorus “And I’d love it if we made it” just proves how incredibly powerful the song is.  

“Moral Panic” – Nothing But Thieves

The title says it all; what we’re currently living in is worldwide moral panic. There’s a fine line between closing our eyes to what’s happening because it feels like we can’t make a difference versus doing something about it. However, this song still targets what some believe is the lead cause of these problems: large corporations and politicians. Quoting Greta Thunberg in the first verse, “And now we’re running out of time,” the rest of the song feeds on this time-pushing feeling and while it is slightly uncomfortable it awakens a need to fight in your gut.

“This Feels Like The End” – Nothing But Thieves

Nothing But Thieves went off with this one. The casual vocals with the fast, thumping rock music puts you in the mood to be an environmental activist for sure. The sadness of looking at the world is captured beautifully with “This feels like the end, we’re addicted to the pain, but we can’t look away,” with the chorus singing, “Right before your eyes, and I don’t wanna see what we’ve become.” Being blamed for the problems the Earth is facing right now feels extremely heavy, but it’s true—we are all to blame.

The bridge is what truly hits in this song. A narration begins above the lead vocals, simply speaking, “There’s a tension in the air. Everyone can feel it. Seven reported dead in the street. It permeates everything. It’s in our homes, our chlorinated chicken. Seventeen reported dead… Fifty-seven reported dead, where does it end? Is this it? At what point do we say, ‘No, we are people, surely we are better than this?’”