Not every day needs to be life-changing to be a good day. Sometimes all it takes is one tiny moment that reminds you life isn’t so bad after all. The smell of rain, a stranger holding the door open, finding money in an old jacket, or hearing your favorite song at the perfect moment. These little things won’t solve your problems, but they can make today feel a little lighter.
For me, there are days where I wake up with a bad or a headache, and then the entire day is ruined. But then there is that one thing that makes things better for me.
Here are some tiny moments that somehow make an ordinary day a whole lot better : The List
Instead of one long list, I came up with certain things in the entire days that makes it better for me.
☀️ Morning Wins Waking up before your alarm feeling rested : This is actually quite good. It makes me feel better about myself actually. 😀
The first sip of lemon with chia seed water : As soon as I wake up, one of the first things I do is drink a full glass of water with lemon and chia seeds. And it makes me feel awake.
A really good hair day : As a curly hair girly, it is really hard for me to have a good hair day, especially in summers, so when I do, it is a good day for me.
Exercising / meditation : Now, I know that exercising is not for everyone, but I personally am getting into it. So, every day I exercise, it is an automatic good day for me.
🍰 Tiny Everyday Joys Finding money in an old bag : I do know I have money lying around all the time, but when I don’t remember that I have money saved somewhere and I find it, it is such a good feeling.
Your online order arriving early : This is my favourite. I order stuff all the time. So when I do get my orders early then remember, I get so excited to open them. Just on Saturday, I got my order of journals delivered to me, which was supposed to come on Sunday. So this was a win! 😂
Crossing something off your to-do list : I have so many things I want to do, but don’t have much time. So when I cross off something I did it feels good.
Finding a forgotten snack : Very rare, but when it happens, it feels so good.
🌿 Nature’s Magic The smell after rain : I love rain, it is one of the most beautiful and romantic weather. And the smell it leaves behind is so nice.
A cool breeze on a hot day : It’s summer, so everytime I am out, the air is usually hot. But when the weather is a little better, the cold air hits so hard.
Seeing stars at night : I love watching stars at night. It is such a stunning view.
📚 Cozy Comforts Starting a book you instantly love : Oh this have to be my favourite thing. When I go into a book knowing nothing and ends up falling in love with it.
A warm blanket : In cold weather, a warm blanket is such a delightful feeling.
Lighting your favorite candle : I don’t know about favourite, but I do love scented candles. It’s a pity that I can’t use it in the summer.
Watching your comfort show : I have watched TVD and Friends millions of times, and I still watch it. I love those shows.
💛 Human Moments A genuine conversation : When I am with my people and we have genuine conversations. It has to be one of my favourite things to do.
Receiving an unexpected text / call : A friend or someone I used to know calls to check in is lovely.
Helping a stranger : It does feel nice when a stranger comes to you for help. Kinda makes me feel useful. 😁
💤 Night Moments Journaling : My favourite thing in the entire days is journaling, and writing every thought and every thing that happened in the entire day.
Gentle stretching : I do stretching before sleeping. I work from home on a desk everyday. So stretching helps a lot and makes my body feel relaxed. Listening to music : I listen to music before I sleep. It calms my mind.
🐈 The Little Unexpected Things Seeing a cat on your walk : I absolutely love cats. So when I see cats out and about, I just keep looking at them, and want to pet them, all the time. It’s a joyful feeling.
Catching every green light : I hate travelling, and hate traffic, so the green lights just make my mood better. At least I don’t have to sit around in a car longer than required.
Finding the cold side of the pillow : This only a summer thing (I think ) because in winters I would hate it.
Your phone charging faster than expected : I have a samsung, so it does charge faster.
Your pen writing perfectly the first time : I love a good pen, which is why ink pens are my favourite.
Bubble wrap : This is nostalgia. I did that as a kid, and I still do it today.
Your food looking exactly like the menu picture : Oh god, every time I go to a new cafe or restaurant and the food is not good, that’s like a heartbreak and disappointment.
Conclusion We spend so much time waiting for vacations, promotions, birthdays, and big milestones that we forget how much happiness fits into an ordinary Tuesday. Maybe a good day isn’t made by one extraordinary event. Maybe it’s built from a hundred tiny moments that quietly remind us life is still beautiful.
We document every meal, every vacation, every milestone. But are we preserving our lives or slowly replacing the experience with the performance of it?
Everytime we go anywhere, do anything, we always have to film it.
Before eating, we photograph the food. Before watching the sunset, we record it. Before laughing with friends, someone says, “Wait, let me film this.”
Whenever I go out with my friends, we take so many pictures all the time. Of every single thing, while getting ready, while on the way, after arriving, food, our picture, multiple videos of the places and people around it. It’s like we have forgotten to live in the moment.
When did living become something we needed proof of?
We’ve Always Wanted to Remember
The desire to hold on to memories isn’t new. Humans have been doing it for centuries.
Long before social media, people wrote diaries, saved letters, filled photo albums, made scrapbooks, and recorded home videos. They kept ticket stubs, postcards, pressed flowers, birthday cards, and little reminders of ordinary days that meant something to them.
We remember because memory is part of who we are.
It helps us make sense of our lives. It reminds us of where we’ve been, who we’ve loved, and how we’ve changed. Memories connect our past with our present, and they become the stories we tell ourselves about who we are.
For thousands of years, memories were deeply personal. Even when they were shared, they were shared with family and friends, not with thousands of strangers.
That’s the biggest difference today.
The goal wasn’t an audience.
It was remembrance.
Today, many memories are created with the expectation that someone else will eventually see them.
From Remembering to Performing
Somewhere along the way, something changed.
Experiences stopped being just experiences.
They became content.
Going out isn’t simply about spending time with people anymore. It’s also about finding good lighting, taking enough pictures, filming a few videos, choosing the right music, writing a caption, and deciding the best time to post.
It almost feels like every experience happens twice.
First, you live it.
Then, you package it.
It makes me wonder: would this moment still feel just as meaningful if nobody else ever saw it?
Social media hasn’t just changed how we share our lives. It has changed how we design them.
Restaurants are built with photo-worthy interiors. Cafés create drinks that look better than they taste. Tourist attractions have designated photo spots where people line up to recreate the exact same picture they’ve already seen online.
Even the way we travel has changed.
Instead of wandering through a city because we’re curious, we often chase locations we’ve already seen on Instagram. Sometimes we spend more time looking for the perfect angle than actually looking at the place itself.
Without realizing it, we stop asking ourselves, Am I enjoying this?
Instead, we ask, Will this make a good post?
That’s the moment our experiences stop belonging entirely to us.
They become performances for an invisible audience.
Why Do We Feel the Need to Capture Everything?
Of course, this doesn’t happen because people are shallow.
There are real reasons behind it.
We don’t want to forget.
We don’t want to feel left out.
We want to remember birthdays, vacations, concerts, and quiet afternoons with people we love.
Social media adds another layer to that.
Every like, comment, and view tells our brain that sharing is rewarding. Over time, posting becomes less of a choice and more of a habit.
Slowly, our phones become external memory banks.
We trust them to remember everything for us.
Nothing really disappears anymore.
Every photo, every video, every story sits somewhere in the cloud, waiting to be revisited.
But that raises another question.
If our phones are remembering everything for us, are we remembering any of it ourselves?
Are We Actually Remembering More?
You’d think that taking more pictures would help us remember more.
Ironically, research suggests the opposite can happen.
Psychologists call it the photo-taking impairment effect. When we know our phone is recording a moment, our brains sometimes become less invested in storing it. We trust the camera to remember for us.
Instead of remembering how cold the breeze felt, how loud everyone laughed, or how excited we were, we remember the picture.
We remember the angle.
The filter.
The caption.
Our phones have become external hard drives for our memories, and while that’s incredibly convenient, it can also make us less present.
Have you ever come home from a concert with dozens of videos you’ll probably never watch again?
Or realized you spent an entire sunset looking at it through your screen instead of with your own eyes?
Sometimes we’re so focused on preserving the moment that we forget to experience it.
When Relationships Become Content
It’s not just places and experiences anymore.
It’s people.
Relationships have quietly become one of the internet’s favourite forms of content.
Couples vlog their dates. Friends post photo dumps after every outing. Pregnancy announcements become elaborate productions. Even breakups sometimes become public statements before they’ve been privately processed.
None of this is necessarily wrong.
Sharing joy has always been part of being human.
But it does make me wonder:
Does every meaningful relationship really need an audience?
Some of the strongest friendships I’ve had aren’t defined by photos. They’re defined by conversations I’ll never be able to capture. The stupid inside jokes no one else would understand. The moments that mattered because they belonged only to us.
Not every memory becomes more valuable once it’s shared.
Sometimes it becomes less personal.
Children are another example. Many now have thousands of photos online before they’re old enough to understand what it means to have a digital footprint. Their childhood becomes part of someone else’s online story long before they can choose whether they want it to be.
It’s worth asking where we draw the line between preserving memories and publishing lives.
When Your Life Becomes Your Brand
The more we post, the easier it becomes to confuse who we are with how we’re perceived.
Without realizing it, we start curating our lives.
We choose what gets photographed.
What gets posted.
What gets remembered.
Slowly, we begin editing our lives the same way we edit our feeds, keeping the polished moments and quietly hiding everything else.
The messy days.
The boring days.
The lonely days.
But those moments are just as much a part of our lives as the beautiful ones.
The danger isn’t that we become dishonest.
It’s that we start believing our edited version is the complete story.
We’re no longer just documenting our lives.
We’re writing an autobiography in real time, one post at a time.
What We Lose
Not everything needs to be documented.
Some memories become more meaningful precisely because they were never recorded.
A conversation that lasts until 2 a.m.
A road trip where nobody thought to take a picture.
A joke that only two people remember.
A sunset you watched without reaching for your phone.
Those moments don’t become less real because they weren’t posted online.
If anything, they often become more special.
Private joy has a different kind of beauty.
It doesn’t need likes to prove it mattered.
Maybe that’s what we’re slowly losing.
Not our ability to take photos.
But our ability to let a moment exist without feeling responsible for turning it into content.
Conclusion
Maybe the question isn’t whether we should stop taking pictures.
I don’t think that’s the answer.
Photographs have always helped us remember the people we love, the places we’ve been, and the lives we’ve lived. They preserve pieces of history that would otherwise fade with time.
The real question is why we’re taking them.
Is it because we genuinely want to remember this moment?
Or because we want other people to know we were here?
There’s nothing wrong with documenting our lives. The problem begins when documenting the moment becomes more important than living it.
Not every sunset needs a time-lapse.
Not every meal needs a photograph.
Not every conversation needs an audience.
And not every beautiful moment needs proof that it happened.
Some memories are meant to stay exactly where they were created—in the hearts of the people who lived them.
Maybe the richest memories aren’t the ones sitting in our camera rolls.
Maybe they’re the ones that made us forget our phones were even there.
What happens when every quiet moment is replaced with a scroll?
I don’t remember the last time I was bored. I’ve always found a way to fill every empty moment. It’s either a show, movie, a video or just random doom scrolling.
I just cannot sit in silence.
That made me question if we really just killed boredom or also killed imagination with it.
Honestly, I don’t think so, because I am still the same imaginative person that I was as a child. So, as much as I don’t believe in this argument, I want to see it from both sides of the coin.
What boredom looked like before the internet?
Before the internet took over, boredom meant so many things like, staring out of the car window, waiting at doctor’s clinics, lying on the terrace watching clouds, making random stories in your head, doodling in notebooks or reading shampoo bottles in the bathroom 😂
Boredom wasn’t empty. It was waiting for your brain to create something.
Anything.
And I miss it.
I miss being able to just sit in my pitch black room and just being in my thoughts. Creating random stories with stupid scenarios. Or think of myself as the lead in a movie and just narrate all the things I would have done. Pretend to be a singer and win an award (Let’s be fair we all have done this 😂).
Today, boredom lasts about five seconds
Every pause gets filled with the internet. No one wants to just be in the movement.
I mean we have done it, standing in line → Instagram, elevator → phone, sitting alone → YouTube, bathroom → scrolling, waiting for food → Reels.
This is our daily life now.
Even I do this, I could be out with my friends, and if we stop talking for 5 minutes, all of us whip our phones out and start scrolling. We don’t really talk anymore, just spend our days sharing reels.
When was the last time your brain had nothing to do?
I don’t remember this… Do you?
What constant stimulation changes
Creativity
I would like to think I am quite a creative person, I have a lot of ideas. Not just about writing or reading, but about art too. I am working on my drawing and painting skills, because I want to be able to draw. It seems so fun.
So, why is there such a lack of creativity today?
When I tried to learn about it more, a few things stood out to me
Lack of original ideas : Ideas need quiet. If every empty moment is filled, your brain never wanders.
True innovation happens when the mind is under-stimulated and forced to connect disparate concepts. Constant input fills that void with other people’s ideas, leading to derivative thinking.
Surface-level problem solving: The brain defaults to quick, algorithmic solutions found online rather than enduring the mental friction required to invent unique solutions.
Fear of the blank page: Because the brain is unused to emptiness, starting a creative project from scratch feels overwhelming and anxiety-inducing rather than exciting.
Reading
Oh my god, this has to be my favourite thing ever. I love reading.
I’ve loved reading since I was a child. I started out with children’s books, expanding to Fanfictions and then to actual published books.
I just love reading.
Even though I do see people online talk a lot more about reading now (Well, this could just be my Instagram feed for all I know.. 😌), I still think people are still unaware.
And when I did a little digging why that could be, I found out a few things
Loss of deep linear focus: Continuous scrolling trains the eye to skim text vertically for keywords rather than tracking lines horizontally. This makes reading long-form books feel physically exhausting.
Eroded narrative patience: Dense world-building and slow-developing plots feel boring because the brain expects immediate narrative payoffs every few seconds.
Weakened visualization: Books ask you to imagine. Videos imagine for you. When screens instantly provide vivid images, the mental muscle used to construct characters, settings, and scenes from plain text atrophies.
Hobbies
Instead of making things, we consume other people making things. We look at the videos or lifestyle the other people are living, instead of doing things ourselves to get to where we want to be.
The more I looked into it, the more I realized it wasn’t just me
Abandonment of slow-skill tracking: Hobbies with steep learning curves (like woodworking, knitting, or learning an instrument) are often dropped because they do not offer immediate digital gratification. And some of the factors could be :
Performative engagement: Hobbies shift from private acts of joy to content creation, where the value of the activity is measured by views or likes rather than the process itself.
Micro-niche burnout: Constant exposure to hyper-optimized, expert-level hobbyists online creates intimidation, causing beginners to quit before they build competence.
Daydreaming
This is something I have mastered a lot actually.
I daydream even when I am watching something, like a video, a show or a movie, or even reading a book. All I do is pause it for a minute, imagine what I would have done, daydream about it for a while and then get back to it. (Yes, I know it can sound weird for a 29-year-old 🙄)
Those moments disappear when attention is constantly occupied. It turns out there’s actually a psychological explanation for this.
Extinction of the Default Mode Network: Daydreaming requires the brain to drop into a resting state to process memories and identity. Constant stimulation overrides this, completely eliminating idle thought.
Loss of internal narrative: Instead of reflecting on personal experiences or imagining future scenarios, the mind’s inner monologue is replaced by a loop of recently consumed audio, memes, and videos.
Decreased self-awareness: Without the quiet space of a daydream to untangle emotions, people become less connected to their own underlying feelings and motivations.
Is boredom actually a skill?
You know what, maybe boredom isn’t a problem. Maybe it’s a muscle we’ve stopped using.
Children naturally invent games. Adults immediately unlock their phones.
Boredom itself is not a skill, but tolerating and utilizing boredom is a critical psychological skill called “boredom tolerance.”
In a world engineered for instant gratification, the ability to sit with emptiness without reaching for a distraction is a modern superpower that must be practiced and maintained.
When you actively build this skill, it unlocks advanced cognitive abilities like deep focus, emotional regulation, and original creativity. A bored mind is forced to activate its “default mode network,” the brain state responsible for daydreaming, processing memories, and making unique creative connections. Without this necessary friction, the brain never learns to entertain itself, leading to short attention spans and a low tolerance for real-world delays.
You can practice and rebuild this skill through small, daily moments of intentional emptiness. Try leaving your phone in your pocket while waiting in lines, washing the dishes without background audio, or commuting in complete silence. Choosing to endure these minor gaps of under-stimulation trains your brain to handle low-input environments, transforming boredom from an uncomfortable emotion into a powerful tool for mental clarity.
The irony
We have more entertainment than any generation before us.
Yet people constantly say
“I don’t know what to do.”
That’s a fascinating contradiction.
This paradox is driven by choice overload, where an abundance of options leads directly to anxiety and indecision.
Before the digital age, people chose from just a few books, three TV channels, or a handful of physical games.
Today, opening a streaming service means browsing tens of thousands of titles, triggering a constant fear of making the wrong choice. This mental fatigue makes the act of selecting a task feel exhausting, causing people to scroll aimlessly for hours and ultimately conclude that there is nothing worth doing.
When I try to open Netflix or Amazon, I just get so confused on what to watch. I have a lot of shows I was looking forward to watching, but then I just get so overwhelmed that I just stop, and exit and end up just doom scrolling instead.
At the same time, instant digital entertainment has turned us into passive consumers rather than active creators. When stimulation is always available at the push of a button, the brain stops practicing the skill of initiation, which is the mental effort required to start a hobby, read a book, or invent a game. When faced with free time outside of a screen, the mind feels temporarily paralyzed because it has forgotten how to bridge the gap between emptiness and action without a digital prompt.
Finally, continuous exposure to fast-paced content keeps the brain’s dopamine baseline unnaturally high, desensitizing our reward pathways. This constant hyper-stimulation raises the threshold for what we perceive as interesting, making traditional activities like cooking, practicing an instrument, or taking a walk feel incredibly dull. The exclamation that someone does not know what to do really means that nothing in their immediate physical environment can compete with the effortless dopamine rush of a smartphone.
Conclusion
Now, I won’t tell you to delete Instagram.
Social media isn’t inherently bad. It helps us stay connected, learn new things, discover communities, and even find inspiration. The problem isn’t that these platforms exist. The problem is that they’ve become our default response to every empty moment.
But wandering isn’t wasted time. It’s where ideas collide.
It’s where memories resurface. It’s where questions become stories, problems find solutions, and creativity quietly begins to grow. Some of your best thoughts will never compete with a feed that’s constantly demanding your attention.
So, instead of reaching for your phone the next time you have ten spare minutes, try doing nothing.
Look out the window.
Watch people walk by.
Let your thoughts drift wherever they want to go.
It might feel strange at first. Maybe even uncomfortable. That’s okay.
You’re not failing at being productive. You’re simply making space for your own mind again.
Because creativity rarely arrives when we’re consuming. It often arrives in the pauses between everything else.
What if the next good idea you’re waiting for is hiding inside ten minutes of silence?
What if the answer to a problem you’ve been trying to solve isn’t another video, another post, or another podcast, but a conversation with your own thoughts?
Maybe boredom was never something to escape.
Maybe it was the doorway to curiosity.
Maybe it was the quiet place where your mind could finally hear itself.
And maybe imagination was never gone.
It was just waiting for you to stop scrolling long enough to find it again.
The most important milestones in our lives are often the ones no one else sees.
We celebrate promotions. We celebrate weddings. We celebrate graduations. But nobody congratulates you for finally sleeping through the night without thinking about someone who broke your heart.
I myself have been through things in my life and it took me 5years to heal myself and get out of that head space. There is so much trauma we all go through, some get it together easily and for some it takes time.
But one thing I have learned is, no one can heal you, you have to heal yourself. You have to take that step yourself.
What healing actually looks like?
Talk about how healing isn’t dramatic. Healing isn’t a straight line and doesn’t mean forgetting the past. Instead, it looks like pausing before reacting, setting boundaries instead of people-pleasing, and bouncing back faster from bad days. It’s about integrating your experiences so they don’t dominate your present. True recovery manifests in a few subtle but profound ways: A quieter nervous system: You feel physically safer, experiencing fewer stress-related headaches or muscle tension.Mindful responses: Instead of instantly spiraling or snapping, you can take a breath and name your emotions (e.g., “I feel overwhelmed”). Reclaiming your energy: The past no longer monopolizes your mental space. You can engage with past triggers without being hijacked by them. Practicing self-compassion: You allow yourself to feel grief, make mistakes, and say “no” without judging yourself.
Is Healing ment to be seen? Healing is absolutely meant to be seen, both by you and by the world around you. This realization is often a major turning point because it shifts your perspective from hiding your pain to honoring your growth. When healing becomes visible, it shows up in clear, tangible changes: In Your Body and Presence • Open posture: Unclenching your jaw, dropping your shoulders, and making steady eye contact. • Calmer voice: Speaking with a grounded, unhurried pace because you feel safe being heard. • Brighter energy: Carrying less physical heaviness, which naturally makes you look lighter and more present. In Your Daily Choices • Visible boundaries: Saying a clear “no” out loud without over-explaining or apologizing. • Active self-care: Leaving a stressful environment or choosing to rest without hiding it as a secret guilt. • Openly seeking joy: Actively participating in hobbies, laughing freely, and accepting compliments. In Your Connections • Authentic sharing: Speaking about your past struggles in the past tense, without shame or emotional spirals. • Healthy vulnerability: Letting safe people see your imperfections instead of masking them behind a perfect facade. • Deepening relationships: Attracting people who respect your growth and phase out those who only liked your old, people-pleasing habits.
Conclusion We often think healing ends with a grand moment. A dramatic realization. A version of ourselves that no longer hurts.
But healing rarely announces its arrival.
It quietly slips into the ordinary moments. The day you stop replaying the conversation in your head. The moment you choose peace instead of proving a point. The first time you laugh without guilt. The day you realize you no longer recognize the person who once carried so much pain.
Maybe no one will ever know how many nights you spent putting yourself back together. They won’t see the boundaries you fought to build, the habits you had to unlearn, or the courage it took to choose yourself over what was familiar.
And that’s okay.
Because healing was never a performance. It was never about convincing the world that you’re doing better. It was about creating a life where you no longer have to survive every single day.
No one may clap for your healing.
But one day, you’ll wake up and realize you don’t need them to.
The peace you’ve built for yourself will always be louder than the applause you never received.
A track-by-track review of Olivia Rodrigo’s You seem pretty sad for a girl so in love from someone who wasn’t expecting to become a fan.
Album Overview
Artist: Olivia Rodrigo
Album: You seem pretty sad for a girl so in love
Release Date: 13 June 2026
Genre: pop album
Number of Tracks: 13
Length: 54:45 minutes
Before I Pressed Play
The last time I reviewed an album was “Life of a showgirl” and I was really disappointed. Her album has not been a hit as much to me since “Folklore”. To me, that was her last best album.
I have been searching for a good album since and I did get “Man’s bestfriend” and “Arirang” but I’ll talk about those albums next time (maybe do a review of those albums after ♾️ times).
I am not an Olivia fan at all, nor do I hate her. I personally do not get connected to her songs much. I do have a few I like, like deja vu, vampire and happier. But that’s all, she is too young so naturally her previous albums have been about teenage experiences. I have been out of it for a while now.
And the album name is too big?? “You seem pretty sad for a girl so in love” that is a huge name for an album. It took me 2 business days to learn it.
The only reason I decided to hear this album is because I really liked her song “The Cure”. So I decided that I should check it out.
So here I am 😁
I actually do not have much expectations because of how music is right now, the songs aren’t really hitting anymore. Also I don’t keep up much with her, so I probably won’t get the references.
I am gonna read about each song, what their stories are and everything to try and understand this album as much as I can.
Here I go with my headphones 🎧 on where everyone in my house is sleeping at 4:20 am….😶
It is in fact, going to be my late night thoughts 💭
Track 1: [Drop Dead]
First Listen
It was a nice song, I liked it. It’s a good opener, letting the listener into her album.
It’s quite catchy and growing up in me. I had to listen to it 2-3 times to form an opinion. I really liked how she started alternate rapping in the middle part of the song.
And she is talking about her being a Pisces and him being a Gemini, water signs and air signs aren’t really that compatible. So using that to show how even though at first it seems like they are not compatible she thinks they could work well.
Lyrics
So, the song is about meeting someone for a first date, and the date goes well. More like giddy and lovesick about the person or the date itself.
She sings about Pisces and Gemini too, which I learned she is a Pisces and her ex is a Gemini.
The theme is basically the nervousness of meeting them for the first time.
Production
It sounds good, for an opener it is a good song. I really like the pacing of the song. It’s a synth pop or pop rock song. Quite upbeat and happy.
Standout Moment
There is this alternative-rap inspired segment in the middle of the song that was unexpected.
Replay Value
I am not sure if I would willingly come back to it, but if the song plays I will not skip it.
Rating
⭐ 9/10
Track 2: [Stupid Song]
First Listen
Okay, I am half way through the song… and I absolutely love this. (Will report back once done. 🙂)
I am back, and I love this one a lot. This is an amazing song. I can already tell this will stay with me.
There is a theme of undermining herself and showing herself as the crazy and insane one here. She keep talking about how he is the spark, even though this is her talking about how she is falling, there is still insecurities seeping in.
Lyrics
There is a lyric “They say that honest love is a cage that makes you feel free” I really liked it. This song is actually awesome. This is some of the strongest writing on the album.
The other lyric that stands out to me is “You’re a spark in the dark and my clothes are caught aflame”
Production
The beats are pretty pop-rock, but the lyrics are sad. It felt like being so overwhelmed with your own emotions, you don’t even know what to do.
Standout Moment
The entire song is a standout actually.
Only 2 songs in, and I already found my top 5?
Replay Value
Going straight to my playlist. It’s an amazing song. The lyricism is just too good on this one.
If you’re only listening to one song from this album, make it this one.
Rating
⭐10 /10
Track 3: [honeybee]
First Listen
A love song, this is a love song. It’s cute. I like this too. She is good with her pen I have to say.
Okay, this is adorable, it is such a cute song, I am tearing up a little. 🥹
Again, the anxiety she has about the relationship is showing itself the more the song goes on. It is a love song, but she seems like she is scared to lose this.
Lyrics
A love song, there is this one lyric I actually really like “And I hope I never see What your face looks like going.” This was the line that stayed with me.
I actually had an amazing story idea because of the song.
Production
The production complements the lyrics beautifully. I am actually big on great instruments and this is fantastic.
Standout Moment
Oh enchanting instruments in this one. My god, it’s so pretty.
Replay Value
Another top 5 Olivia!!!
This one completely won me over, going straight to my playlist.
This is worth checking out.
Rating
⭐ 9.5/10
Track 4: [Maggots for Brain]
First Listen
Ohhhhhh I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this as much as I did. The start with drums, very 80s inspired.
I just learned it is inspired by Sex and The City’s Miranda Hobbes. But the song is about codependence in a relationship. This is good too. Okay, some lyrics are relatable to me. But I don’t have a baby, so I feel like this everyday.🙂
The continuation of the same “I am the one that is off hinge”. The codependence in relationships can get really bad. This might be clingy to others, or even to him. But she is not afraid to tell him that.
Lyrics
“My day was so mundane I don’t think I left the house Tried to write, nothing came out” Is so me. 😂
Production
I am absolutely in awe of the instrumentation of these songs. The start from drums and ending with guitar is perfect. There’s also piano, bass and saxophone with background vocals.
Standout Moment
It’s another good song, altho I liked the others better, but some of the lyrics were relatable. I liked this better than Drop dead.
Replay Value
Yes, I’ll play it again but when I am bored of those songs.
Rating
⭐ 8/10
Track 5: [U + Me = <3]
First Listen
Hmm at first listen, I can tell this song is more about hope in a relationship, while being aware how unpredictable love can be.
I am kind of mixed now. It’s not bad, it is leaking towards good, but I don’t know if it doesn’t hit the same as others.
To me it seems like she is assuring herself with this one by saying they are forever, because there is an underlining of a relationship slipping away. She is trying to cling on the hope of making the relationship work with her partner.
Lyrics
Hope, that’s what the song is about, there is not much to it for me. I can’t relate honestly.
Production
The instruments are very 80s inspired pop, it’s nice. It feels nostalgic and romantic. The instrumentation elevates the song.
Standout Moment
There aren’t really many standout parts for me. It is a cure song. I like the guitar tho.
Replay Value
I would not play it, I might skip it. Maybe it’s a grower, but the initial response, not a fav.
Rating
⭐ 7.5/10
Track 6: [My way]
First Listen
Is this her “Better than revenge”?
Well it is better than that. She is calling someone out for crossing her boundaries with her boyfriend.
I love when women take a stand for themselves and create boundaries, absolutely love that.
About the song, it’s again giving me mixed feelings, I am somewhere in the middle with this one.
I don’t have much thoughts about this song in particular, it’s pretty to the point.
Lyrics
The lyrics are kind of calling someone out, this also doesn’t have any specific lyrics that stand out to me here.
Production
The production is good with guitar and drums. The arrangement creates the perfect atmosphere.
Standout Moment
Nothing much stood out here/
Replay Value
Willingly won’t play the song, but I will not shut it either.
Rating
⭐7.5 /10
Track 7: [Purple]
First Listen
Oh I love interpreting music as I go, and it seems this one is more like her realising the relationship is going south.
This is good, it’s not a bad song, the lyrics and music complement each other too, but again for me there is something missing, I can’t pin the point where, but there is something missing for me.
She is using the colour purple as a metaphor here because she is becoming too tangled with her partner. Which is again clever, but as much as I love this metaphor I still don’t like that song that much. The depth is there, I give her that. The pen game is super.
Lyrics
I liked the lyric “You kiss my neck Made out paths intersect”
“And i melt in your blue, your red and my blue Now I see the world in purple”. Beautiful.
Production
There is a lot of use of guitars and drums in this album… Sonically, this is one of the stronger tracks (for me.)
Standout Moment
The song is pretty actually, Ofcourse what stands out for me the most are the lyrics (writer’s brain), followed by guitar and drums. The imagery is beautiful.
“Melt with you till it all turns black When you smooth it out, but it feels too flat”.
Replay Value
Yes, I would replay it, the lyrics were good, and I liked the song.
Rating
⭐ 8.5/10
Track 8: [The Cure]
First Listen
Another masterpiece on the album. This is the song that made me do this whole review and listen to the album.
The song is about self doubt, emotional struggles and how relationships cannot fix what we have inside us.
This clicked instantly.
One thing I don’t like about it is, she keeps comparing herself to others, her partner, other girls and more.
The cure she is looking for is not there, it never was the cure is in us. And I could relate. I was like this once too, I thought “maybe there is something wrong with me”.
I have come out from a chapter similar to this, probably why I got instantly hitched.
Lyrics
The whole song is actually really good, kinda relatable too.
My favourite lyrics are the chores actually “My head is full of poison And my heart is full of doubt I got toxins in my bloodstream.”
“I’m unraveled”
Okay, I find this lyric funny in a good way. “Feeling so alone, might as well be on the moon.”
Production
The production is good. I love the acoustic guitar in the back a lot, and Strings. The production gives the song a nostalgic feel.
Standout Moment
The song is mesmerising and I can relate to this one off. Another one of the top 5.
The standout are the lyrics of course for me. As a writer, I am always drawn to the lyrics of the songs. So, I love when artists are great writers too.
Replay Value
Yes, replaying it. Instant save… oh wait it already is.
Give this one a chance.
Rating
⭐ 10/10
Track 9: [Begged]
First Listen
This one is her begging for affection from her partner. I don’t like when people beg others, but then again she is young and definitely not like me.
The song is pretty fabulous actually, I was not expecting to like someone begging their partner this much, but I did. And I related to some of this too.
The way she described herself as an anchor, because it’s heavy and stays there until lifted out. And then she called herself a penny. In a way saying she cannot be away from him or she would sink.
I like interpretation of arts differently, maybe she mentioned something else, but that’s what I think.
Lyrics
“And my endless well of needs I’m an anchor in the ocean You know I could never leave” Chef’s kiss 🤌🏻
Production
The production on the album is immaculate. It sounds more like a sad song, like a realisation and the song portrays it so well.
Standout Moment
It’s very melancholy, the song is another great one on the album. It’s a ballad and I absolutely adore Olivia for this.
The lyric that standout the most for me is “I’m a penny in a fountain Just waiting on my luck to change.”
Replay Value
Yes, it has replay value, I will be playing it again. This one’s staying in my rotation.
Definitely recommend this one.
Rating
⭐ 9.5/10
Track 10: [What’s wrong with me]
First Listen
This is a collaboration with English musician Robert Smith of The Cure, I haven’t heard much about The cure to be honest.
Again a miss for me, this is not my taste. The song is good, but not for me. I don’t think it will grow on me either.
I didn’t like it much
Lyrics
It’s good, I am not that much a fan of this as much as I would have loved to be.
Production
Same guitar, bass, piano, Old-School Synths, but it all goes great with the album.
Standout Moment
The lyric “Went to the doctor and she said I was fine But every movie that I see makes me cry” is what stood out the best for me.
I also like the guitar in the middle.
Replay Value
Won’t mind playing it again.
Rating
⭐ 5/10
Track 11: [Less]
First Listen
Less talks about trying hard to save a relationship.
It is a ballad song. I love ballad songs. The way she explains her body physically suffering in this album with every song is really fantastic.
It’s like her body is physically telling her she needs to let go.
Not being okay, body and head protesting, stomach in knots, going insane, there are so many references of her relationship to her body physically and mentally going through it.
Lyrics
This is easily one of the highlights of the album, what else can I say. These songs are pretty good.
The writing feels raw and honest. She is suffering and the way she expresses it in her words on a song is otherworldly to me right now.
Production
The most beautiful track on the album sonically for me.
Standout Moment
The standout for me is the lyric “If loving me means letting go And wishing me the best I wish….. You loved me less”
Replay Value
Yes, I would come back to this every time. It’s a great song. I love the piano.
If you love ballads, listen to this one.
Rating
⭐ 10/10
Track 12: [Expectations]
First Listen
This is her comeback to herself. Talks about her developing herself and setting standards.
Love that for her.
The song is pretty simple, straight to the points. I like this one, it is not the best on the album, but is up there with top 8.
She is taking her power back with this one, after being in a toxic relationship.
Lyrics
Every line feels intentional, she no longer cares about men, and will prioritize herself over men.
Production
This is a very fast-paced 80s inspired song. This goes well with the lyrics, I have realised she is really inspired by Pop-rock a lot in her songs.
Standout Moment
Definitely the lyrics “won’t settle for a guy with a fake job They seem so desperate for lovin’, but, baby, I’m not.”
Replay Value
Sure, I won’t mind replaying it. But it’s not really for me.
Rating
⭐ 8/10
Track 13: [Cigarette Smoke]
First Listen
She is trying to get over her ex… But he still lingers
I just read about the song and I found out ; “On “cigarette smoke,” Olivia uses the smell of cigarette smoke—which notoriously lingers and is difficult to get rid of—as a metaphor for how hard it is to get over her ex.”
Which is quite a clever metaphor.
I don’t know what else to say, if there is a word bigger than love, I would use it to describe the song. It caught me off guard, because this was not my expectations, but this has gone beyond that.
Lyrics
The metaphors are incredibly clever. A comparison between her ex and cigarette smoke. She is talking about regretting staying so long. She talks about her resentment, a good ending to the album.
Production
I absolutely love the production on this album, this has to be one of my fav albums of the year actually.
Standout Moment
So many thing, but Lyrics. Specially lyrics.
“Some nights can be So fucking lonely But it’s better than begging for you to stand up for me, honeybee”
Replay Value
Another one for the top 5, my playlist is long, but I keep adding.
Even if the album isn’t your thing, I’d still recommend this track.
This has to be a perfect end to the album.
Rating
⭐ 10/10
(Bonus Track) Track 14: [Never do (demo)]
First Listen
This is a bonus acoustic track, it’s not in the album. So I am not sure how I feel about rating it.
Again, it’s an acoustic song, I am not even sure if I heard the correct song, because again, it’s not on Spotify.
Lyrics
This is a perfect other ending of the album. The lyrics are pretty simple; it talks about empty promises in a relationship. I liked this.
Production
It’s an acoustic demo.
Standout Moment
The songwriting really shines here.
“Alone, I feel alone Fresh out of things I can numb myself with on my phone In love, you’re so in love Is that why you went to parties and left me at home for a month?”
Replay Value
I would play it, but the song is not available on streaming sites yet… I think. I heard it on youtube.
If it is available, I’ll play and recommend.
Rating
⭐9.5 /10
Final Thoughts
Best Track: Less or Stupid love (I can’t decide) 💕
Most Underrated: Honeybee (I would say it is a grower, and quite cute)🥰
Strongest Lyrics: Cigarette smoke
Best Production: I think the entire album production is really good and it is really cohesive.
Biggest Surprise: Less
Favorite Three Tracks: Less, The cure, Cigarette smoke
Skip (if any): Right now, maybe “what’s wrong with me?” 🙃
Overall Rating: ⭐8.7/10
Would I Recommend It?: Yes!!🎧
Who would enjoy this album?: My best friend (I am gonna go ask if she have heard this yet)
Would I Listen to This Album Again From Start to Finish?: Yes, I would do it.
Let me know what do you think about the album below 👇🏻💕
Ladyink with love 