23. Frank Ocean - “Self Control”

I don’t know if I’ve ever heard another track that so perfectly captures the emptiness of a broken heart. There’s a brittleness to this track, a sort of hallow loneliness that reverberates throughout it, continuously breaking down and decaying even as it builds. It’s a soundscape of self-doubt and swollen reminiscence. You can feel the giant grey cloud of nostalgia hanging over everything. There still exists a silver-lining of hope, but it’s weak, perpetually fading away and receding into darkness. The storm is growing. It’s pouring down and consuming everything within. All that can save you now is your perspective. Will the storm wash you and the past clean, or it will it soak you in a depression and drown you in a resignation of hopelessness?