Music can often serve as an escape for people, and a means for people who are feeling isolated or alone to feel like they are part of a bigger movement. It is a powerful medium that can sometimes be all people need to feel more comfortable in themselves.

One of the better songs that I have heard that attempts to add some solace to people still trying to find their way in the world is the 2013 global hit Cool Kids by Echosmith.

Cool Kids was the song that effectively announced Echosmith as a global force in music, and it is a song that apart from being an absolute bop also helps to impart an important message about the significance of trusting yourself and embracing who you are. The concept of the “cool kids” that is put forward in the song is the group that seem to have it all growing up, they are popular, attractive and talented, and seem to have life sorted out while you seem to be struggling to get from day to day. The opening verse of the song paints an excellent picture of how someone is struggling to feel part of their social community can often feel as though everything they do is contrary to what is perceived to be cool.

“She sees them walking in a straight line,
That’s not really her style
And they all got the same heartbeat
But hers is falling behind
Nothing in this world could
Ever bring them down
Yeah, they’re invincible, and she’s just in the background”

In this verse, the band help to articulate the inner struggles and self deprecating thoughts that can effect us in our formative years as we try to find ourselves. The protagonist at the centre of the song feels so far removed from the popular group that it feels as though she will never be part of it.

However, despite the seeming perfect world of the cool creating in the opening verse, it seems that there are subtle hints in the second verse that suggest that while they seem to have it all now that this will not last. There is a sense that this state of having everything in line is only on the surface and behind it all there is the same uncertainty that we all have.

“He sees them talking with a big smile
But they haven’t got a clue
Yeah, they’re living the good life
Can’t see what he is going through
They’re driving fast cars
But they don’t know where they’re going
In the fast lane, living life without knowing”

Songs like this are ultimately important for people, and one of the reasons why music is such a powerful medium for people to feel part of something bigger. It definitely helps as well that this is an absolutely cracking tune.

MK