“Don’t Forget About Me, Demos” | Dominic Fike

Spanning 15 minutes over six wonderful songs, this is by far the shortest project I have recommended so far, but it is easily one of the most solid and well-rounded ones. The EP was recorded and released in 2017 while Dominic Fike was on house arrest. At the time, he released it as an independent artist with no studio backing him. He would serve time in jail, but by the time of his release, the EP had gained so much attention that Columbia Records offered him a $4 million deal. 

They re-released the project, which received widespread attention. The song “3 Nights” becoming a top 10 song in many billboard charts around the world. Fike’s stardom quickly began to rise, and he was soon featured on Kevin Abstract’s album on the song “Peach” and performed with Brockhampton at a concert. He even got into acting, featuring in season two of “Euphoria.”

Many times I feel like artists will overextend themselves and try to reinvent music with every song. While I do think that is very important, it can be incredibly hit or miss. However, this project knows its limits and plays to its strengths. Mixing genres and soothing melodies make it a super relaxing and pleasing listen. It is simple in the sense that there are not a million things going on, you understand the music and what the artist is trying to say. The tracks on the project include: “‘3 Nights,” “She Wants My Money,” “Babydoll,” “Westcoast Collective,” “Socks” and “King of Everything.”

I can’t pick a favorite song because I really love certain aspects of each. In the song “Socks” he uses keeping track of his socks as a literal metaphor for his relationship and testing fate. In “She Wants My Money,” Fike is very much on the nose talking about his ex using him for his money when he needs it more than her. Lastly, in “Babydoll,” he finds a way to combine genres and creates a unique song that proves his musical genius. 

The song abruptly ends after consistent pacing, and I really love that he did that. Even if you’ve only heard “3 Nights,” I promise there is more to the album than just this song, give it a listen!

“Me in 20 Years” | Moses Sumney 

I was introduced to this masterpiece in an episode of “Euphoria” (“Trouble Don’t Last Always”) in what may have been the perfect tribute to this song. In the most elegant and devastating way possible, this special captured the emotion of the show and the emotion of the song. When you watch the scene it feels as if it was written for the song, perfectly matching all of the nuances and plot points. 

Moses Sumney is a 30-year-old singer/songwriter who bounced back and forth between Southern California and Ghana for much of his early childhood. His debut project was the EP “Mid-City Island” that eventually landed him a record deal with “Terrible Records." Flash forward six years later to Jan. 6, 2020, Moses released “Me in 20 Years” as the third single from his album “Græ.”

This song is not only a masterpiece in sound but is lyrically perfect. Sumney, grappling with the end of a relationship, essentially asks the question of himself 20 years in the future ‘Will you be alone forever?’ With lyrics like, “Will love let me down again? / No, it won’t get in / I’m left wondering / If it’s written on my urn / That I’ll burn alone / Like a star / I wonder how I’ll sleep at night / With a cavity by my side / And nothing left to hold but pride, will I / Hold out for more time?” 

There are many questions he asks in the song, but the one that sticks out to me is "Will I hold out for more time?” It is a universal question that we ask ourselves every day. How much patience is too much patience? 

This devastatingly beautiful cinematic song needs to be heard by everyone. Turn on this song and blast the volume… and make sure to bring tissues.

“Bo Burnham: Inside”

I truly believe Bo Burnham is one of those people where everything he touches turns to gold. He is a genius, through and through. He has proven over and over again that he makes high quality, lasting work. His film “Inside” is his magnum opus in what I believe is as close to perfect as possible. It consists of 20 comedic songs spanning over 87 minutes while Burnham’s sanity slips in front of the camera.

The film was made entirely by Burnham during lockdown in 2020. It is his return as a comedy musician for the first time since 2016’s “Make Happy.” “Inside” was released in 2021 after he spent over a year working on the project completely alone. Due to the pandemic, he was unable to have any cast or crew. Everything you see is the work of Burnham himself. The film very quickly reveals to the audience what it is going to be: comedic songs that make much needed social commentary mixed with brief comedy sketches. Slowly, as the film progresses, Burnham talks about his deteriorating mental health. 

Spending a year inside working on this project not only has very real physical effects on him, but mentally, he is crumbling. It’s a troubling feeling, as the viewer. You are watching this man deteriorate before your eyes, but the music is phenomenal and you can’t help but marvel at his technical and creative abilities. 

In the song “30,” he talks about his struggles with accepting his age and feeling like he has done nothing of importance in his life. It is a very deep and depressing song paired with a super upbeat and fun melody. At times it can be very meta in which he is literally asking the audience, “Can someone be funny while stuck in a room?” Other times he asks the audience if they are still watching or if they are tired of it. 

“Bo Burnham: Inside” is a complicated, stunning showcase of Bo Burnham’s sensational talent and is absolutely worth the watch. 

“You”

I just finished part one of the fourth season of this show, which somehow continues to reinvent itself and find unique ways to stay relevant. The show’s plot is essentially about a guy with a troubled childhood who falls in love with women and does everything he can to make them end up with him… even if that means murder. 

He is a creepy stalker guy who is played by the lovely Penn Badgley, and for some reason, we constantly root for him. I briefly touched on this in my last article, in what I called “the ‘You’ effect,” where we watch awful things unfold but we can’t help ourselves and indulge. It takes after shows like “Dexter,” “Hannibal” and "American Horror Story,” where the main character is truly an awful human being, but he is charming and you can’t help but root for him and hope he gets his way. 

My initial thought was that the concept of “You” is too simple and it couldn’t possibly run for very long and keep its originality. Well, I was very wrong. Now, on the fourth season, I am as hooked as I ever have been. The creators have yet again found a way to take a fresh perspective on the show and shift what it is completely. This season has truly been one of the better seasons of television I have seen in awhile. The second part of season four comes out March 9, and I expect the finale to go out with a bang. 

If you have seen the other three seasons, watch the fourth season ASAP! If not, I suggest you watch the show from the beginning because it is truly a perfect mixture of the likeness of a true crime documentary and mysteries.