The suffocating fact that time will keep moving never gets easier to deal with. No matter how old you become, regardless of how much you want to dig your heels in and stop it, aging can still feel like a trap, and people become desperate to find the so-called ‘meaning of life’. “Matter”, track four off of philine’s newest EP, details this very debacle, with philine trying to find the reason for her existence through her interactions with other people. All she wants is to matter to others as much as they matter to her, a feeling that pretty much all young adults have felt and struggled with. The calm, indie vibe of this track mixed with her vulnerable and open tone create a scene of a girl just wanting to find love and comfort in a burning house; a way to tether herself to the world through her connections with others. A dangerous phenomenon, sometimes all you need to feel safe is to know you matter.
The lyrics of this track paint the picture of philine confiding in another, stating that she knows they have had this conversation before but she can’t get it out of her head. She constantly feels like what she is doing with her time is not enough, and questions if it ever will be, but knows that the only way she can feel truly good about her life and accomplishments is if there are those around her to celebrate together. The chorus states, “Oh what can I do / I just wanna matter / How can I matter to you”, and philine’s vocal tonality has hints of begging with both her conversation partner, and herself to finally feel enough. The second verse discusses her fear of time passing, and that she “can’t wrap my head around this thing called ‘aging’”. She fears that even when she is an adult who is supposed to have the answers, she might still be in this debacle. The chorus repeats and she solidifies that all she needs is to matter to others, and all her time will be worth it. The lyricism of her bridge is incredibly poignant, as she sings lines such as “Might not believe in hell or heaven / But I believe in trying and guessing” and “I don’t have the answers, just got questions / I’m willing to learn so teach me a lesson”.
Philine hit the ground running with her debut single in 2020, titled “gone”. Since then, she has gathered almost 300,000 monthly Spotify streamers, released four EPs, and multiple singles. Born in the Netherlands, 24 year old philine fell in love with music at an early age, and began writing her own songs at 11 years old. She attended a conservatory in Rotterdam, Netherlands, to hone her craft, and credits her mother’s love for music and knack for the guitar for philine’s own skill set. Her genre is alternative pop with a slight mix of indie, tied together by her vulnerable and emotive voice. She states that she makes music to sort out the chaos in her own head, and so many of her listeners experience the exact same chaos. Make sure to follow the social medias below for more music from philine.
Written By Tessa Maddaloni
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