II by Unknown Mortal Orchestra

by Lana Fleischli

The day that I am writing this article is January first, 2022. Happy New Year! The new year brings a lot of great things. A fresh start. However, that can be stressful– at least that’s how it’s been for me. Last night, I freaked out a bit just thinking about what this year is going to be. It scares me honestly. 

Over my winter break, I went on a trip with my cousins and spent the long drives listening to music. I looked back on artists that I love and thought about Unknown Mortal Orchestra, a band that I’ve always loved, but never really spent time with. I played II as we drove and of course, understood it way better than when I was little. 

I remembered listening to “So Good At Being in Trouble” on the way to school in second grade and feeling like it fit me very well because I used to be a real troublemaker and get in trouble constantly. The meaning has changed a bit from that as I've gotten older. The song is about losing someone who never loved you or couldn’t as much as you loved them. It’s a lonely song which goes with a theme throughout the album about being depressed and wanting to be alone or feeling lonely. 

I was struck by “From The Sun” as it is about leaving and getting “away from the sun” as in killing yourself perhaps. It’s a song about depression and just being lost and not knowing what to do. In the same way “Swim and Sleep (Like a Shark)” alludes to darkness in a similar way by talking about wanting to “fall to the bottom [of the ocean] and hide ‘till the end of time.” Both of these songs are about the basic struggle of just existing and it is really hard when you struggle so much with mental health. 

While this is an album which has lyrics that are dark and depressing, it’s really fun. It’s well-rounded in that sense. I feel like it was also a reminder that we all struggle and that even though this time of year can be stressful, the anxiety will pass at some point.