Happy Music for Depressed People

Florian’s Creek is the title of singer/songwriter Elijah Thompson from New Jersey, who enjoys producing music that pushes the boundaries of genres. His background in music comes from creating songs on his own in his bedroom since he was 13 years old, though his confidence in his craft is comparatively new. He at first felt his music was too out there, but has learned to embrace his unique sound over the years. Florian’s Creek thinks of himself as a wanderer in life and music, and spotify describes him as “a wanderer exploring his own gender-fluid approach to crafting catchy and relatable tunes for introverts and outsiders.” This shines through in his EP Happy Music For Depressed People, perfectly titled to summarize the songs it holds.

The EP starts off with a more chill, slow vibe with “Suntrap.” The melody uniting with the flow of his singing is reminiscent of BoyWithUke, though it is unlikely a ukulele is present in this song. It is a crowd-pleaser, and a fun introduction to the EP, singing about how he cannot face the music, the sunny day, the chirping birds, when his love interest refuses to text him back. He takes a relatable, simple topic and turns it into a chill song with a vivid depiction of frustration through a funky rap verse. Florian’s Creek’s voice shines in this song, especially in the rap part, but that is not unique to this song on the EP.

Next up is “Sucks,” another angry love song about how his lover only cares when it benefits them. Another relatively simple topic shines through this edgy song with vibes similar to those of Machine Gun Kelly. He sings with passion and emotion that makes the listener want to scream sing along. This pop punky song could be in an early 2000s movie with a high school band making music in their garage — in a good way, Freaky Friday style. This is arguably the most cohesive song on the EP, maybe the most radio-friendly.

The penultimate song is “Better Luck Next Life.” If you weren’t seeing the edgy before, this song title alone should convince you. This song is catchy and poppy, but deals with heavy topics, introducing the artist’s struggle with finding meaning in life, true to the EP’s title. He uses the trendy “Put a finger down” game to list off relatable human struggles that will make the listener nod along in agreement in addition to the catchy beat. The stand out lyrics “There’s aliens in outer space screaming, ‘F*ck the Human Race’” encapsulate the feeling of helplessness Florian’s Creek feels trying to make sense of life on Earth.

The EP finishes off with the upbeat “Trainwreck,” a song which continues to communicate Florian’s Creek’s struggle with his mental health, this time on a more personal note than the previous song. It features an Eminem-esque rap if he was morphed with twenty one pilots’ Tyler Joseph. The song encapsulates many genres; it is punky and alt-y and poppy and indieish. This lack of genre, however, is impressively cohesive and is representative of the experimental and unique sound of the EP as a whole. It is a great finale to the album, finishing with a speaker explaining how life will always present tough times, but all we can do is just keep pushing through. It seems Florian’s Creek wants to emphasize the fact that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel, and there is always something worth picking yourself back up for.

Filled with a fun mash-up of genres, spunky guitar riffs, upbeat raps, and heavy but relatable lyrics, Florian’s Creek is an artist worth paying attention to, and his Happy Music for Depressed People is deserving of a listen.