Music has the ability to catch the attention of many people with its catchy lyrics and complex instrumentals. Mainstream music hits such as “Black Hair” by Alex G can attract listeners, but with social media, constant exposure can cause listeners to be driven away from the song, making it also feel diluted. Coming from that same album, “Trigger” has a more simple approach with it’s instrumentation, giving a refreshing distinction while putting spotlight on more unique listening experiences.

Black hair by Alex G is definitely a song I’ve heard very often. It’s always popping up on my TikTok FYP; I’ve even heard it on the radio before. The instrumentals and type of vocals that mix with it is something I never really heard personally. I found myself listening to the song on repeat a lot of the times. The instrumentals take most of the attention in the beginning and end of the song, which I find what really gets me into the song. That being said, hearing this song constantly has made it overhyped and played. The lyrics don’t really catch my attention by any means, and the production of the song feels like it is missing something. One example of this can be “Black Hair It’s swimming in My Head, Black Hair, it’s bigger than death”.(2:06-20:16).

The lyrics are definitely not generic, but tied in with the instrumentals, it feels lacking, or the instrumentals could be changed or toned down to balance out the lyrics. By no means is the song bad, it just doesn’t invoke much emotion as it had on me when I first came across it, and I believe that seeing it across many social media platforms has made it feel watered down. I’ve seen people use the song in their TikTok for aesthetic purposes, which made it seem more like a trendy song, making it seem less like what the song really was at its core.

A less-known song called Tripper has only 42 seconds in the song, with no lyrics and only instrumentals. The piano starts with a sort of “happy go lucky” vibe, with one note that creates a hint of sorrow. I find it really nice to have songs that are instrumental or have very minimal lyrics, since listening to how the instrumentals harmonize with each other makes it easier to focus and appreciate the creativity and artistic liberties that went into it.

I might notice small changes in how the music shifts in one way that I would’ve missed in heavy lyrical-based songs. I listen to a lot of genres in music so it’s nice to listen to something that’s not the norm it terms of how a song is supposed to be formed. Alex G in general, is a well known artist, and if you haven’t heard of the name, you’ve definitely heard a section of one of his songs on social media, such as the song “Black Hair.” I would ultimately conclude that Tripper is an underrated song. 

While I liked “Black Hair” for a while, the exposure I encountered made me lose the charm I had for it, and it began to feel more like a song to use for just a trend and less genuine. However, “Tripper” has stood out to me with its less standard approach; zero lyrics, just straight up from the piano, give me the reminder that the best songs don’t always have to be what’s streaming or popular.