How the 1975 Got Me Through the Early Days of the Pandemic
Rhythm Reverie #16
The following story is part of a larger series that you can read more about here. Check out this Spotify playlist to hear the songs referenced in the series.
Earlier this week, my favorite boys announced they were coming back with a new album set to be released this summer. The 1975 is one of a handful of groups I love that divvy out an immediate dose of serotonin no matter what song comes on.
And if there was ever a time when I needed an extra strong dose, it was in the early months of the pandemic.
A week into lockdown in March 2020, I was pacing around my one-bedroom apartment showing the early signs of boredom and irritation. Little did I know that these feelings would only escalate when the reality sunk in that we weren’t going to return to normal in “just a couple weeks.”
Mindless social media scrolling and lackadaisical internet surfing were my go-to activities to escape this feeling of restlessness that was growing stronger with each passing day. I don’t even remember how I fell down this rabbit hole on this early pandemic evening, but suddenly I was Alice looking through a key hole to see a magical garden in the form of this YouTube video.
The 1975 had yet to officially release “If You’re Too Shy (Let Me Know),” but the band had performed it live at one of its final February concerts before we all were forced to hunker down.
Hearing that first guitar lick felt like opening up that tiny door and finally stepping into the garden. The melody was an ear worm, one that I happily let live in my brain for the next few months.
One listen wasn’t enough that evening. I grabbed my AirPods to tune out everything else and pressed play on that YouTube video again. and again.
And again.
Suddenly my mindless pacing turned into foot tapping and head bobbing to the beat. The apartment was my garden and I was Alice finding beauty everywhere she looked.
Now two years later, I listen to this song and think about that lonely March day. My kitchen table had morphed into my office, so an Instacart food order for one was set up on my coffee table.
Then I remember that this was also the day where I fell down a random internet rabbit hole to be met with that sweet universal bearer of solace — music.
