YUNGBLUD – Lowlife
July 14th 2023
British alternative singer YUNGBLUD’s newest release “Lowlife” is a brutally accurate depiction of isolating yourself in some state of depression. The 25-year-old artist explores the dullness as well as the childlike innocence that comes with alienation, with a choir of children joining YUNGBLUD in the main chorus. In collaboration with producer Paul Meany, “Lowlife” was created with no ideas or references in mind. YUNGBLUD claims that the two would “start with a blank canvas each time, bring up a beat and see what the f**k happens.”
When referencing his new single, YUNGBLUD says that “I wrote ‘Lowlife’ because I just didn’t want to leave my house. I was sick of people, of games, of myself, my friends, anytime I did anything some idiot had an opinion about it. What I should do or be. The truth is I didn’t want to be anything at all sometimes, I wanted to be nothing. So I just didn’t leave bed. I was dissatisfied and craving some sort of boredom. The type of boredom where you sit in your house, in the same sheets and watch f**king mind-numbing TV, so I wrote a song about it.”
The song itself heavily revolves around the chorus of ‘Lowlife,’ with halfly-spoken fragments of vocals and a repetitive bass line with some screams incorporated into the mix. YUNGBLUD makes it clear that he is at a low point within life, with similar sounds to the Gorillaz song, “Clint Eastwood,” “Lowlife” expands on the lack of motivation with darkly themed lyrics.
He is highly aware of his mental state, with not-so-discreet verses like “In the world of normal people / I’m a monkey / It’s painted on their faces that they think I’m a junkie,” and the chorus being “I’m not gonna go out today/ I gonna sit right here and wish the world away / ‘Cause I’m a lowlife, lowlife.”
In comparison to YUNGBLUD’s other work, the “Lowlife” allows the artist to navigate other styles and intentions within his music, such as hip-hop. The complexity of being a young male artist and expressing feelings of depression in men is huge, however, the song itself lacks composition but fully leans into self deprecation. The electronic number differs a lot from what his fans are used to hearing, but it has a relatability to it: somedays, we just want to be left alone. The effort feels minimal within this song, but the beginning beats invite listeners in an intriguing way, almost how country in the 60s sparked singing in rhythmic sentences that rhyme, also called ‘calling,’ a similar concept to rapping.
To listeners, “Lowlife” may resemble a confessional. With his latest album YUNGBLUD from late 2022, the artist’s sarcastic-sounding undertones come from a place of authenticity for him. He seems to be escaping from his original sound, and for a more experimental track, the artist uses his weaknesses to express his vulnerability with his listeners.
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