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Can a danceable song really speak to your heart?
Damn straight it can and here are five artists who really give substance to the idea that your music can have really bounce and vibrancy to it and yet have you feeling all of the deep and sometimes painful things.
The songs are all insanely addictive and repeat listenable and you will be glad that there are artists out there prepared to wear their hearts very much on their sleeves and to do it to music that gets your feet moving every bit as furiously as your heart and mind.
So get on up on the dancefloor and let your feet start you out on the best therapy session you will likely ever have …
“Night at the Opera” by Emei
(courtesy official Facebook page)
I absolutely love the quirky theatrics of this song.
While “Night at the Opera” by American alternative pop musician Emei (a combination of her first and last names) has a very serious intent, which is to beautifully parody the impelling need we all have to project an okay vibe when we are internally, quite manifestly, NOT, it comes with a fabulously melodrama queen vibe which Artist Track rather wonderfully describes:
The title might sound like a nod to Queen, but the vibe is pure, unadulterated Emei. It’s a theatrical middle finger to the “performance” of being okay. She’s leaning into that specific brand of alt-pop that feels like a chaotic group chat—sharp, self-deprecating, and a little bit unhinged.
It’s addictively, flamboyantly repetitive, a song that demands to be listened to again, its incisively observant lyrics marrying perfectly music and delivery which is appropriately theatrical in exuberantly performative ways.
It’s calling out the need we all seem to have to project something we are not, and I love how Artist Track absolutely nail the fact that “she writes internal monologues that we’re usually too embarrassed to say out loud”, all of it to music that will us singing these unexpected confessions with gusto too.
“COMING OF AGE” by METTE
(courtesy official METTE Facebook page)
Summoning up some serious ABBA and Eighties pop vibes, “Coming of Age” by American dancer, actress and singer METTE is a buoyant danceable slice of music nirvana.
It surges with a vibrant giddiness which leaves you feeling damn near euphoric and yet dives deep lyrically to really speaks to the heart as this summation of the track from da.paper makes beautifully clear:
‘COMING OF AGE’ explores themes of personal transformation, identity, self-acceptance, and emotional growth. The track’s hypnotic atmosphere and striking visual direction create an experience that feels both intimate and empowering.
There’s a melancholy beauty to the track that sits perfectly with its bouncingly vivacious beat, making this one of those tracks that will have you dancing like an intense fiend while feeling everything.
It’s a superb track that absolutely delivers on every possible level and your feet and heart will thank you for indulging yourself in its many pop wonders.
“Missing Me” by MARIS
(courtesy official MARIS Facebook page)
Another artist riding the modern trend to capitalise everything, MARIS (full name Maris Maddux-Ward when she’s not embracing and owning her mononym stage name), absolutely knows her way around a banging pop tune, the kind that immediately invades your earworm and refuses to ever move out (trust me, you won’t mind a bit).
Her second-to-most-recent track is “Missing Me”, which comes with a video which proudly proclaims it’s made by humans, radiates all kinds of joyous musicality while serving up lyrics which examine how you feel when you feel recall a fond memory of you and your ex and wonder if they are missing you like you’re missing them.
Do you look at it and smile at the memory?
Or do you thinkIt’s missing me
Missing you
Are you missing me?
Missing me (missing me)
This is serious, deeply heartfelt stuff wrapped in music so inherently, compellingly danceable that it’s damn near impossible not to scoot up a storm while belting out words that will completely rip out your heart with hugely relatable content if you let them.
“Malvern Star” by Scratching
(courtesy official Scratching YouTube channel)
Aussie artist Grace Sanders, better known by her stage name Scratching, and who works closely with co-writer and producer Ezekiel Padmanabham, don’t like to just do any pop as their triplej Unearthed bio makes brilliantly clear;
Exploring the boundaries between pop, electronic and indie-folk, the duo infuse the spirit of experimentation and playfulness into their performances and recorded works.
An exuberant mix of pop and folk and a thousand kinds of heart-infusing joyfulness, “Malvern Star” (an iconic brand of bike with a lot of affectionate love here in Oz) feels exactly like it clip looks – an effusive journey through all kinds of places, thoughts and feelings that feels like a hug, happy memories and a happy romp all at once.
It celebrates coming home where you’re loved and embraced and adored and doing it all on what feels like unconditionally loved and supported journey through the very best and most wonderful things in life.
“White Noise” by Holly Humberstone
(courtesy official Holly Humberstone Facebook page)
Drawn from her sophomore album Cruel World, “White Noise” uses upbeat music to beautifully encapsulate how sometimes you need to just lean into the huge sadness of a moment as a step towards healing from it.
There’s a school of though that says you should just move on with extreme prejudice but what’s the good of that if all that hurt and pain and loss is still ricocheting in the depths of your heartbroken soul, causing all kinds of damage as it does so.
English singer-songwriter Holly Humberstone is more than happy to wear her heart on her sleeve, pouring a sizeable measure of sadness into a song which embraces how you can be so alone in places full of people and that giving into a need to mourn all on your own is no bad thing.
The song, which comes with a jaunty step in its musical feet which beautifully marries with its incisively introspective and quite affecting lyrics, is a beautiful admission that we all feel far worse before we feel better and that maybe letting the worst of moments do its thing is just what we need to move onto better places.
SONGS, SONGS AND MORE SONGS EXTRA!
Sadly Stephen Colbert had to wrap his high-rating show, The Late Show, thanks to cancellation by a network in search of media favours from a certain infamous U.S. President currently in power, but not before putting on a brilliant final show with none other than the amazing Paul McCartney.
If you have to go out after 11 years when you manifestly don’t want to, this is the way to do it!