My Scene

Best Rec in a Hot Minute

My Scene by Seth Sentry

Recommended by Sam (follow on tumblr)

"It kinda feels like what I'm going through right now. Sure, I have friends and a few places to fit in moving around in my 20s and such, but I feel like I'm constantly looking for something/have wanderlust for something I don't know about. It's one of those songs that makes me think."

Your description made me really excited to hear this song because I always love songs that make you think. But let's start with a little background.

I'm not familiar with this artist, but he seems to be doing pretty well for himself. His Wikipedia page says he won Best Urban Album at the 2015 ARIA Music Awards, and he's performed on Jimmy Kimmel in the past.

(And, honestly, once you've performed on American late-night TV, you've made it.)

My Scene isn't one of Sentry's most popular tracks, but I'm still into it. I could point out a bunch of good things, from the infectious chorus to the mellow piano to the "chilled beat and ridiculous flow" (x)...but the best part of this song is - without a doubt - the lyrics.

Genius calls the text here "relatable and witty," and that's accurate.

Relatable: The message. This track is about finding my scene, or a place to fit in. It touches on the paradox of being true to your individuality while still feeling a sense of belonging by taking you with Sentry on a journey through different "scenes." 

Sentry sits with hippies, business folks, partyers, gamers, hipsters, and health nuts. They're not the cliche high school cliques, but if you ever went to college or even watched a teen movie, you'll probably recognize every one of them.

Also relatable: the phrasing. Even though he's rapping with a nice rhythm, Sentry keeps it all pretty conversational.

Witty: The lyrics are often clever in a humorous way, which I love.

When he sat down with the hippies, they complimented [his] aura. When he talked to the hipsters, they told [him] that their favorite bands were ones that hadn't formed yet. Even as he's thinking about joining one of these groups, he's gently poking fun at them.

My favorite thing is this "Greg" joke.

When Sentry's with the business people getting drinks after work, he's mistaken for someone named "Greg" and he decides to just go along with it so that he can hang out with these guys. I can be Greg, at least for the weekend...at the time it made complete sense.

Somehow, no one catches onto his bluff, and I actually laughed out loud when the verse ended with Sentry leaving but first overhearing a whispered Greg seems different.

Then, after another repetition of the verse and the completion of the bridge, verse three brings it back. Sentry says told a guy I thought we looked the same...pretty weird, I think he said his name was Greg.

Finally, the song ends with a sense of acceptance. There's still one last repetition of the hook because there's no reason to give up entirely on finding a core group of friends...but at least he knows that maybe I don't even really need one.

Overview:

Genre:
Hip Hop

Favorite Lyrics:
It's the hardest thing to do
to look like them but feel like you.

Bonus:
The what's my scene refrain is a throwback to a classic Australian song by the Hoodoo Gurus.
(P.S. Seth Sentry is Australian.)