Red flags in a person don’t often come out so obviously. It’s easy to miss them, especially early in dating when they’re trying to mask their worst traits. But sometimes, the music they listen to will unmask their bad behavior for you. Sometimes, they dig an artist a little too much. Maybe they don’t understand their music at all, and it’s just surface-level aesthetics. Or worse, they understand a little too well, and it reveals a lot about them.
But how would you even know where to look for red flags? That’s where we have you covered, with three dead giveaways that the person you’re dating might actually be awful deep inside.
Three Popular Songs That Might Make for Red Flags in The Person You’re Dating
“Throw Away” by Future
While “Throw Away” and Monster as a whole make for a fascinating character study for Future as a person and artist, it becomes much more terrifying as a result. A man who plays Throw Away around you is quietly telling you that he’s still not quite over his ex. Additionally, anyone identifying with “gon’ f**k that n***a, get it over with” has some deep, unresolved trauma from past relationships. Not to mention, the song itself instantly drops the mood if they’re playing it around you. Run, don’t walk away from this song if you hear it with him.
“Soft Girl Era” by Ari Lennox
Anyone who is unironically using phrases like “soft girl era” has to be an automatic red flag. Nothing is more exhausting than someone merely parroting the most recent fad and moving on to something else. It’s like you’re dating a new person at every turn.
Hearing it in a song makes it feel all the more buzzword-y. Ari Lennox tells you that you can make her your passenger princess and that eventually she’ll have you “hooked like phonics.” The old soul in me makes me miss the old days of R&B.
“Summertime Sadness” by Lana Del Rey
A lot of people who live and die by old Lana Del Rey songs are quietly really hollow. Half of the allure is the old money aesthetic, where people on Tumblr would screenshot her music videos and fawn over 50s-era misogyny. It makes you wonder whether fans really dug into the quiet tragedy and bittersweet romance of “Summertime Sadness” or if they’re just fans of Lana’s mopey, dramatic singing. If it’s the latter, that might be a red flag.
Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
The post 3 Songs That Are Instant Dating Red Flags appeared first on VICE.
