Thank You, Carly Rae Jepsen, for Giving Me Something to Listen to While Our Democracy Crumbles

I’m going to disassociate for a few minutes to get lost in two new songs.

Carly Rae Jepsen/Twitter

Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.

Yes, Michael Cohen is testifying in front of the House oversight committee. Yes, he’s giving very damning testimony describing our president as a racist, a cheat, and practically a mobster. But not to be lost in these dark moments is the blindingly bright moment bestowed upon us by Carly Rae Jepsen: two glorious new songs. As the resident Mother Jones Carly superfan—and there are many of us who adore her here—let me share some thoughts about the tracks.

“Now That I Found You”

While this wouldn’t even make it to my top five favorite CRJ songs, it’s a great reminder of what made Kiss, her first album—okay, second, never forget Tug of War—so great. A classic Carly song, it hits all her usual sweet spots: falling in love, being shy about it, then evolving into a message that needs to be yelled from the rooftops. It’s a good song, not her best—”Party For One” was better—but it’s satisfying, danceable, and I’ll definitely be listening to it on repeat until her album drops. And regardless of whether it’s her best song, it’s still leagues ahead of many other pop artists.

“No Drug Like Me”

Now this track is the one I’ve been waiting for. Not only does it display the best of her talents, it embodies maybe one of my absolute favorite musical approaches: something slow, but vivid in its production and imagery. It’s “Favourite Colour” with a hint of “When I Needed You.” Slow and sure of itself, Carly delivers her signature crush-like wistfulness that beckons you to a simpler time—if such a time ever existed.

Carly is out here still making some of the brightest and best pop music. She knows who she is and knows what she wants, which in a time of so much uncertainty, is beautifully reassuring.

Fact:

Mother Jones was founded as a nonprofit in 1976 because we knew corporations and billionaires wouldn't fund the type of hard-hitting journalism we set out to do.

Today, reader support makes up about two-thirds of our budget, allows us to dig deep on stories that matter, and lets us keep our reporting free for everyone. If you value what you get from Mother Jones, please join us with a tax-deductible donation today so we can keep on doing the type of journalism 2024 demands.

payment methods

Fact:

Today, reader support makes up about two-thirds of our budget, allows us to dig deep on stories that matter, and lets us keep our reporting free for everyone. If you value what you get from Mother Jones, please join us with a tax-deductible donation today so we can keep on doing the type of journalism 2024 demands.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate