The past few years have had a lot of ups and downs for people globally and for people personally. In the wake of the New Year starting and 2021 ending, it’s understandable to take some time to reflect on all that has happened. And while it can be hard to focus on the less positive aspects of the past, it’s important that we do, so we can fully appreciate the good we did have and the good we will have.

FLØRE’s haunting single “Another year like that and we’d all be dead” speaks to the confusing emotions people usually feel in their twenties and the beginning of adulthood, but now with the added stress that the pandemic brought. People just graduating college or getting ready to start their journey as a ‘real adult in the real world’ go in with high hopes but also with a bit of apprehension. It’s a new time, and that brings a lot of uncertainty. And for those living during the pandemic and quarantine, this anxiety and uncertainty only increased.

“Another year like that and we’d all be dead” creates a place for people who have felt the pain and confusion of dealing with the past few years, alone, and in a new place in life (physically or metaphorically). The emotional, melancholic music matched with FLØRE’s powerful and stirring voice reverberate in the listener, letting them know they aren’t the only one who feels this way.

It can be hard, when you feel alone, and aren’t sure if anyone else relates. The instinctual response is to try to ignore that feeling or focus on being ‘perfectly fine’ again. But that’s why songs like “Another year like that and we’d all be dead” are so important because they call to the deeper parts of ourselves, putting into words what we’re all feeling but don’t want to say. And most importantly, these songs remind us that we’re never alone, even when it feels like it, because there is always at least one other person who is experiencing a similar thing, and you can help each other through it.