Playlist: Stuck in the Suburbs
This holiday season, we’re stuck like never before.
Written by Kendel Jones
Illustrated by Nevika Chatterjee
To most, returning home for the holidays means revisiting the past. Living in a place you’ve outgrown has its challenges: being reminded of past selves, resisting old habits, and feeling increasingly misunderstood. For many college students living at home this semester, these burdens have felt cumbersome for a while.
If you’re feeling despondent about your living situation, this playlist is for you. Songs like Kacey Musgraves' “Lonely Weekend” and The Beach Boys' “In My Room” can romanticize a quiet night in, while medicinal picks by MUNA (“It’s Gonna Be Okay, Baby”) and Joni Mitchell (“Both Sides Now”) put time and growth into perspective. If you need to wallow, melodramatic Tori Amos and The Smiths selections await. These songs are the perfect soundtrack to many bedroom rearrangements, successful acquaintance-dodgings at the grocery store, and manic laps around the cul-de-sac. This playlist affirmed the challenges, benefits, and humor of living at home, and helped me accept it as reality. I hope it can support you too.