As a high school student I can appreciate that sometimes you just are not feeling quite up to par. Whether you just suffered a breakup or you just woke up on the wrong side of the bed, some days you simply feel heavy with negative emotions. Music can help lighten the load.

I have always found that when I’m having a bad day I crave listening to music that is a little more mellow than usual. The softer tunes help you clear your mind and focus on simply feeling better. The CD I always reach for is the album “Hell or High Water” by the band As Cities Burn.

As Cities Burn is so unique simply because I can relate to every single one of their songs, and that is saying something because they have some of the deepest lyrics I have ever heard. That is probably why so many people can relate to their words: because they can be interpreted in so many different ways.

An example of this is in their song “Made Too Pretty.” In this song, they sing, “How’d a pretty man get so ugly? How’d he get all of these spaces between each limb? And if there is one thing bigger than my head it’s the distance I’ve been mislead.” Just those two lines of lyrics can help you feel better after you’ve been wronged or simply make you empathetic for what other people have been through. You feel the emotion pouring through every single one of As Cities Burn’s songs, which, I believe, is the main purpose of music in the first place: to make the listener feel as the artist did when creating it.

As Cities Burn is a perfect example of a band that hasn’t gotten the fame they deserve. So, next time you’re feeling down or frustrated with the world, take a deep breath and listen to them. They’re bound to make you feel at least a tiny bit better. What more could you ask for?