This New Year’s Eve, the “make a bunch of resolutions” types and the “one year closer to death” types came together around the sentiment that 2020 needed to fuck right off. That said, it’s surely sunk in by now that many things continue to be bullshit—and as Americans, we’ve fucked up our own country so badly that it’d be funny if it were happening to somebody else.
- “New Year’s,” written by Sooyoung Park and Lexi Mitchell of Seam, appears on Frigid Stars, Codeine’s 1990 debut album.
I don’t have the sunniest of outlooks, as you might’ve noticed—I’m pretty sure humanity isn’t gonna make it. But my pessimism is long-term, and to some extent an artifact of the suboptimal brain I live in. In the short term, I do what I can. I donate to mutual-aid drives in my ward. When I’ve got money to spare, I give some to community groups who can put it to better use than I can. I can’t turn Mitch McConnell to ash with the power of my hatred, but that doesn’t mean I can’t help at all.
The Listener is a weekly sampling of music Reader staffers love. Absolutely anything goes, and you can reach us at thelistener@chicagoreader.com.
