It's been almost a year since I first came across Aaron Taos' music, and I can say with the utmost honesty, that I don't regret hitting play on "Hands" last summer or "Off My Mind" earlier this year.
In this relatively short amount of time, his musical releases have occupied a space between genres. Not quite pop, not quite R&B, not quite rock, and not quite blues; but an amalgamation of all these sounds.
However, "These Days" is, by far, the most straightforward Aaron Taos release I've covered on this site. But know that when I say straightforward, I don't mean that in a way that implies shallowness or sonic simplicity. What I'm referring to is the way this song uses its blues/garage rock influence to unapologetically take on sentiments felt by so many people in the modern world of social media and constant exposure to bad news.
On this track, a voice narrates the thoughts of someone who is deeply disturbed by the normalization of violence in the world. The voice is a distorted version of Aaron's usually smooth delivery, as if it's been run through a dozen Instagram filters and is being projected to the world via nothing more than a crappy Wi-Fi signal, drawing even more subconscious attention to the singer's critique of disingenuous behavior.
What also makes this song hit hard is the constant feeling of remorse the narrator feels about the role they're playing in this system. In the second verse, they lament that they were "Trying to save a best friend...But [they] was too busy flexing," referencing how their penchant for self-indulgent behavior came at the expense of someone close to them losing themselves to a bad situation.
These themes really stand out to me, especially since I recently published a blog post where I put together a short playlist for the end of the world. My goal wasn't to feature music that was literally about the end of the world but to use songs that showcased emotions felt by people when we feel like stuff is falling apart.
And with lyrics like, "Cuz in these days we just need something to wake us up, / Don't breath too hard or think too much or else your fucked, / And every other day I see a shooting or a movie where the world crumbles faster than we ever would have thought..." I'd say this track definitely deserves a spot on that list of timely and highly relatable jams.
Check out the music video for the track here:
SIMILAR SONGS
