Staff Pix 11/21: Guilty Pleasures

“Trust Fund Baby” by Why Don’t We

Alright, everybody, go ahead and make fun of the girl who put herself out there.  It’s true: I will always have a soft spot for boy bands. Yes, sometimes they’re cute enough to ignore the subpar quality of their songs. But “Trust Fund Baby” is different. Written by Ed Sheeran, it’s unavoidably catchy and the song is actually good. I’m willing to die on this hill. While Why Don’t We had a short-lived time in the limelight, they still have a soft spot in my heart if only for this banger that altered my brain chemistry at the age of thirteen. Was the group founded by Logan Paul? Maybe… But is “Trust Fund Baby” good enough to forget this fact for all 3 minutes and 4 seconds of this song? … Also yes. I remember my sister showing me the music video in middle school and permanently changing the trajectory of my life—I have never been the same since the first time I heard Corbyn Besson’s rap. — Heather Thorn

“Jude Law and a Semester Abroad” by Brand New

God bless the second-hand CD market for letting me listen to music made by awful people without feeling having to give them any money. I like to think I’m not guilty about any of my pleasures, but it’s a little embarrassing to still be this attached to Brand New’s debut album ‘Your Favorite Weapon’ in light of their lead singer’s heinous dating history. But it’s not my fault that Jesse Lacey really is the LeBron James of misogynistic emo lyrics, in spite of his many crimes. “Jude Law and a Semester Abroad” is a vitriolic, angsty cringe-fest that unfortunately hits just as hard at 13 as it did at 21; in his usual charming fashion, Jesse Lacey name-drops his ex one minute in, before wishing that she gets rained on every day, kisses someone with a terribly contagious disease, and dies in a plane crash at the bottom of the ocean. And it’s not even the most angsty song on the album. Truly, no one is doing it like them anymore—which is almost definitely for the best. — Mimi Newman

“Sing” by Ed Sheeran

I’m taking this prompt very seriously, bearing myself to each of you… Yes, I’m an Ed-head, a Sheerio, if you will (apparently that’s what his fanbase calls themselves). Something about the amount of confidence this little ginger guy has in his rapping just translates to me because ever since I can remember I have been obsessed with his “hip-hop” hits from “You Need Me, I Don’t Need You” (which features a young FKA Twigs as a back-up dancer!) to “New Man” (which I would’ve written about if I felt confident enough). Now, this isn’t going to be a spiel about how misunderstood Ed Sheeran is or how we need to give him another chance, I understand that most of his discography, especially recently, is just… meh. But “Sing” on the other hand is an exception. Something about imagining a drunk Sheeran attempting to seduce someone is just, well, awesome! All I can picture when I hear the song is the imagery of the music video in which, in case you’re not familiar, a drunken Ed Sheeran muppet sings in a karaoke bar, parties in the back of a limo, and passes out at a strip club. It’s so ridiculous and so damn good. — Sophie Parrish

“I Sit on Acid” by Lords of Acid

Whenever I’m introducing someone new to my CD collection, it’s always a little embarrassing to explain why one of my most-played discs is Lust by Lords of Acid, and even more embarrassing to play it for them. On first listen, the album can sound chaotic. Each track is heavily layered with industrial and electronic influences, resulting in an unrestrained, acid-drenched gift to the techno community. The lyrics are campy, tongue-in-cheek, and often downright dirty. But as strange as they are, the Lords are close to my heart. My mom introduced me to the band a few years back when she gave me a copy of Lust from her personal CD collection. We even saw them live together, with niche electronic provocateur Praga Khan as an opener. While “I Sit on Acid” may be the most popular track from Lust, for me, the album as a whole is a guilty pleasure I keep coming back to.  — Emeline Chopin

“The Legend of Zelda Rap” by Smosh 

What happened in 2011? Mean Girls 2 came out along with that Footloose remake, One Direction was a year into their debut, Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream was released (which is NOT a guilty pleasure, every day I say I should have written that song). In short, nostalgia bait was creeping out from behind a wall of tumblr reblogs and dip dyed hair. But out of all these events, I say that Ian Hecox’s portrayal of Link from the Legend of Zelda is the most culture defining moment of the year. And if you were Salem Ross, it was pivotal that you learned all the lyrics of the 3:33 masterpiece. I know this week’s theme is guilty pleasure, but am I really guilty of being able to perform this pure pleasure? — Salem Ross