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Hey You, 

Are you feeling like everything sounds the same lately? Or perhaps, you have found yourself turning off the stereo - or heaven forbid, taking your AirPods out while on public transport because you are just done. 

One thing that can happen to people who listen to music a lot through headphones is ear fatigue. Usually, with a little bit of rest, you’ll be ready for more, which is a very different thing.

The other, much worse affliction is being bored with music. If you just gasped and said, “Could never happen to me”, it could happen to any of us at any time.  

We’ve waxed lyrical about changing up what you listen to so that the algorithms are forced to give you new stuff. We carefully walked you through how to go digging and find new music without the help of a music streaming service. 

Heck, we even initiated all of you into the audiophile club a couple of weeks ago. 

But it is time to get serious.

Dr. SongsBrew is in session to cure your ear sadness. 

Music evolves over time, and as that happens, it starts to sound different. For most of us, there is a decade that sounds infinitely better - and most likely always will. “This new stuff doesn’t sound like music” or “Is this even music?” Over time, a couple of things happen: we stop listening to new stuff with ‘open ears’, and music becomes about nostalgia. Music from your youth will bring back the feeling of that time. It might be music getting you through tough times, going out with friends, or long road trips you took with your parents. You are most comfortable with that decade; nothing else slaps quite so hard. 

Have a quick think, and you can probably pinpoint your sticky decades and the bands you listen to. And you’ll probably even know why. 

Your rut here is not boredom; you probably still love the music dearly. Your rut here is having your ears closed to anything new. 

Contrarianism

A common thing in music is purposely not listening to or letting yourself enjoy something because others are. Sure, the songs are played to death, and you can’t go anywhere without hearing the ear-worm lyrics. But, by doing this, you’re cutting out an entire body of work - and in there, somewhere, might’ve been something you did like.

Nothing is wrong with going against the grain, but when you miss out on something you could’ve loved music-wise, was it worth it? 

What Does Science Say?

Yes, research has been done into why we are so enamored with particular decades, and age does factor into it. Regardless of how much music we hear and are marketed to, two determining factors decide our tastes. Of course, some outliers will move with the times, but they might also slightly prefer their musical timeslot/decade. 

So what is it? 

The tagline “all good music came after I was born, but before I hit 35”, the studies hit the news in 2024.

The Washington Post, in an article about ‘America’s Best Decade,’ included the study, and this was the graph that shows what the research tells us. The researchers used 10 songs from each decade from 1950 - 2016, and then respondents would react to their preferences. While there are some slight outliers at either end of the curve, it is pretty solid. 

In short, between the ages of 17 (for one study) and 23 (for the other) and 35, you like the music best - and that is the taste that we carry through our lives. Or, much of it. Our sticky decades.

We’re not real doctors, sorry. But we can help you get your ears unbored and delighted once more. Ready for the prescription? There are a couple of doses of a couple of things.

• Stop listening to music for an entire week. Nothing. Nada. Call this your tolerance break. For those who live and die by the playlist of the day, it will be tough, but ultimately, it will refresh everything you love about music in the first place.

• While you’re not listening to anything, create a playlist of what you will listen to once you’re allowed to press play again. But do yourself a favor; for every three songs you add that you know you like, add one song from artists that you would never reach for.

• Exploratory surgery - not us, you. Head into the depth of whatever music streaming service you use, and start going through decades that are either side of your preference. And then one more over. So if you’re an 80s lover, go for the 60s and 00s.

• A genre ban. The one you love the most is on the no-no list for the next month. Fill your boots on anything else you like - but skip your go-to genre. See what happens when you start to appreciate other genres.

• Find the weird stuff. Did you know there is a subreddit dedicated to weird playlists? Here, you’re welcome: Weird Spotify Playlists.

And finally, and perhaps most importantly, you’ll need a weekly dose of SongsBrew - we don’t make the rules.

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