Recently, The Backseat Lovers have been on repeat in my car, playing nonstop as I make my way around campus. I’ll hop in Sheryl, my 2008 Honda Accord, and turn up the music until my ears ache. And while there aren’t actually any of those aforementioned backseat lovers with me, it’s still quite an experience each time I listen to The Backseat Lovers.
I’m talking about the band, the alternative-indie-music releasing group of four who have single-handedly created the majority of my summer playlist. I have trouble committing to trying new things –– shows, music, books. I like to stick with the same six or so albums I know I enjoy — otherwise I might waste my time. At least, that’s the fear. But The Backseat Lovers actually managed to catch my interest, a feat that rarely happens (as my near-identical Apple Music Replays each year will tell you).
I first encountered the band in my friend’s brother’s jeep, windows rolled down and sun and wind streaming in as she blasted the upbeat, head-bopping tune “Davy Crochet.” The car was crammed full of people, all having gotten swept up in an unplanned Walmart run to get the jeep an oil change. Poetically enough, I was in the backseat.
Immediately, I knew this was a band I wanted to get to know better. As my friends sang along, I found myself looking up the lyrics just so I could share that experience with them. I wanted to get every word right, learn every turn of phrase. And that was just the first time I listened to the band. After I got a few reps in on my own, I realized what drove me to hear more of The Backseat Lovers. The band’s music was beautiful, their voices amazing, but it was the unique combination of content and style that so drew me to them.
Their song “Maple Syrup” is a fantastic example. Featuring zero maple syrup but quite a lot of heartbreak, it follows the story of a regretful lover looking back on past mistakes in a relationship. The chorus occurs after a slow, expectant chord of music, holding notes for what seems to be an eternity before the band begins singing. Though the lyrics are full of lament –– “Did it hurt / When I kicked you to the curb / Now I’m all alone / Guess I’ll never learn” –– the tune is lighthearted and catchy, building into a crescendo and turning surprisingly upbeat. Rather than becoming a mournful dirge, the song invites listeners to shout along, eyes shut and fists pumping to the beat. Listeners in this case being me, at least.
Feeling sad is important. Everyone needs a good cry every once in a while –– I speak from personal experience, but I have no doubt the science would back me up (I know some great candidates for case studies). It’s therapeutic. The Backseat Lovers’ music allows you not only to embrace that sadness but maybe even to feel some degree of happiness while embracing it. After all, reading those lyrics from “Maple Syrup” probably didn’t fill you with inexpressible joy. And I doubt you heard them as they sound in the song, either. Read as a poem, the speaker appears plaintive and the story is tragic. Heard in song form, the speaker seems to be celebrating, nearly yelling out the last two lines as the drumbeats intensify. And that’s what I love most about the band.
Their ability to take sad, relatable topics like breakups and dying romances and toxic relationships and pair them with cheery music really creates a dynamic unlike most other genres I’ve come to know (not that there are too many of those –– me not trying new things and all of that). It’s music you can yell in the car even as your heartstrings are pulled just a little bit. Music you can relate to if you’re brand new to a relationship or five years into it or not in one at all. Music that gets you hype and pumped and excited to blare in your car with the windows down even though the message is often pretty gloomy.
Maybe you’ve just gotten into an argument with your boyfriend, or your significant other forgot your six-month anniversary. You could still be in your honeymoon phase, and your man or woman can do no wrong. Maybe you’re married or single or anywhere in between. Whatever the case, you can’t help but tap your foot to the beat –– one that usually moves pretty fast. Be careful not to sprain an ankle.
There’s something for everyone, and mixing heart-wrenching lyrics with catchy tunes allows listeners in all stages of a relationship to find something to latch onto. The songs The Backseat Lovers write are not just about backseat lovers. They’re about backseat strangers and fighters and haters and friends. They’re every one of us, and that makes those songs even more moving. They’re reminders that no matter how rough life gets, we can recover. We can move on. We can look back months or years from tragic circumstances and maybe even laugh. Setting a few of those sad moments to peppy music gives listeners a way to find joy even in the difficulties they’ve faced and a way to shout it out with the volume, air conditioning and bass on high as you cruise down the freeway.
At the end of the day, we all have reasons to be sad. The Backseat Lovers just make it a little easier to find happiness in them, too.
