5 Non-Metal Songs That Are Total Bangers

Intro:

The title is pretty self explanatory. From metal-adjacent musical subgenres like rock and punk, to top 40 pop tracks, to psychedelic EDM numbers, I’ve been listening to a colorful smorgasbord of music as of late. Here are a few choice examples to express my diversity of styles. These are the ones that had me pressing the “repeat” button several times on a daily basis. Check it out and find out why! 

The Songs:

Starburster –  Fontaines D.C

Damn, that’s one hell of a catchy rhythm! I love that funky groove and twangy bass line. It makes me nostalgic for old school Eminem, with the tongue-twister lyrics, and high octane speed-demon tempo. But this song is unmistakably modern. It’s a great track to drive to. Makes an ordinary commute feel like you’re piloting a UFO throughout space and time to another galaxy, or even another dimension altogether. It’s cool, it’s weird, it’s trippy. It’s low-key and chill, and yet full of energy. It’s just like smoking the perfectly balanced blend of indica and sativa. 

Liar – Jelly Roll

Even though you-know-who broke my heart nearly two years ago, I’m still devastated. Healing is not linear, and there’s no expiration date on hurt, or a strict deadline for when you “should” get over something. Hell, maybe I never will truly “get over it”!This break up song expresses the frustration and resentment of loving someone who doesn’t even care about you at all. Feels bad, man. Each verse delves into the depression, the bridge is bluntly honest about the truth of addiction, and of course, the chorus is a self righteous condemnation of dishonesty. I’ll be damned if that doesn’t summarize my mixed feelings towards my ex! I used to love him unconditionally. Then I hated him more than I thought humanly possible. Now I’m totally numb and indifferent. We aren’t lovers, we aren’t enemies, hell, we can never even go back to being perfect strangers. We are literally nothing whatsoever to each other. Oof, that got dark. Let’s lighten the mood a little! 

No Fun – Armin Van Buuren x The Stickmen Project

Another nostalgic throwback, perhaps alluding to Seventeen by Ladytron. The lyric video is fairly minimalistic, with just enough random weirdness to keep you staring at it. Why are certain letters backwards, making you feel dizzy? What’s with the creepy imagery of a disembodied drooling cartoon mouth? Nobody knows. All I know is that this funky beat gets my heart racing and blood pumping, each and every single time. What an absolute adrenaline booster! It makes me want to stomp around in big gothy combat boots, or hula hoop in an abandoned building, or dance all night long in a crowded room full of strangers. So, basically, the most perfect rave song ever! This track just instantly puts me in a party animal mode! 

Emptiness Machine – Linkin Park 

Linkin Park has always resonated with me. The introspective lyrics about feeling isolated, alienated, or misunderstood rang true when I was a teenager, and they still apply to me now in my thirties. The chorus is more screamed than sang. The anger is palpable. I think that the new lead singer does justice to the legacy set forth by her predecessor, the late Chester Bennington (rest in peace). I know she had huge shoes to fill, and some fans aren’t happy about it. But I found myself banging my head to this track, before I even knew it was Linkin Park! I think, if given the opportunity to do so, the new lead singer can spread her creative wings and really soar. She seems to have good chemistry with her other band mates, and I’m excited to see them explore their interpersonal dynamics even further. 

Saviors – Green Day

Their latest album is yet another triumphant victory in their established career. Nearly every track has been blasted on repeat in my daily music rotation. It was difficult to choose just one single! Suzie Chapstick is a sweet and familiar melody. Again, there’s something nostalgic about it, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. Fancy Sauce is cute and silly, but the jokes are actually funny because they’re true, and the self deprecating humor and sociopolitical satire belies the quirky singalong ditty. Dilemna is an absolute barn burner, even if it’s a little overplayed on the radio. Since it’s nearly impossible to choose a single Green Day song to focus on, let’s just go with the title track. Saviors sounds like it came straight out of Rubber Soul. It’s got a edgy hard rock attitude, but also a surreal, psychedelic wall of sound. Sure, Green Day is probably more pop than punk at this point in time, but sometimes you just want simple, fun music that’s easy to enjoy. They have consistently been in my top 5 favorite bands of all time. 

Outro:

Well that was a fun little excursion away from my usual tastes. Don’t get me wrong, heavy metal is still my favorite genre of music… But just because it’s my favorite, doesn’t mean it’s my only one! Metal is like a diamond, and everything else is like sapphires, rubies, emeralds, pearls, etc. Each one is beautiful and valuable in its own unique way.