Gallery hoppers, Spotify stalkers, bookworms, Letterboxd users and anyone who enjoys art, this is the place for you. Makes Ya Feel highlights art across all of its mediums, small and large-scale, that (you guessed it) makes ya feel!
Two blue suitcases stared at me as I twirled my headphones and tucked them into my pocket. It was early September, and I was about to leave to go study abroad in England — my first time across the pond. I remember being filled with both dread and excitement for all that lay ahead.
As I boarded the plane, I got an email from my best friend. She had written me a letter for my departure. After reading it, I wiped away some rare tears and plugged in my headphones, knowing that music would calm me down.
Now having returned from England, I keep revisiting all the playlists and songs I listened to while there. When I decided to bring this column back, I thought of no better way to kick off the first re-installment of this column than to reminisce on my abroad tunes. So, without further ado, here are some songs that encapsulated my abroad experience and “made me feel,” from the flight all the way there and back.
“A Mercury Girl” – The Cleaners From Venus
The 80s band The Cleaners From Venus are experts at creating songs that make you feel like you’re in a vacuum, completely absorbed by each intricate instrumental.
In my first few days abroad, I took long walks down the cobblestone streets in an attempt to orient myself. This song came on in a “recommended for you” playlist, and I was instantly hooked. The fuzzy instrumentals paired with gentle vocals completely encircle you. I felt so whole, so warmed by this song that everything slowly began to feel less daunting.
This song reminded me that the fear that comes with a new experience is never permanent. Plus, the album is titled “Going to England,” so it’s no wonder this song was constantly on repeat during my first few weeks.
“Save It For Later” – Eddie Vedder
Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder’s voice is raw and personal, and his solo work is no exception. I had heard this song before, most memorably over the summer in an episode of “The Bear,” but something about hearing it while abroad made it feel especially significant.
I was walking home with my friends after getting dinner on a late September night. Fall was in full swing; a soft gust of wind weaved through us as we walked and the leaves were beginning to turn. I was sharing a headphone with one of my friends when he played this song.
It felt like the perfect song for that moment, the light rain cascaded to the rhythm of gentle guitar strums, and Vedder’s voice was a perfect, soothing hum that scored the rest of the walk home and put me at ease.
“Uncle ACE” – Blood Orange
October marked an entire month of being abroad, and I found myself returning to songs that felt nostalgic. Blood Orange (also known as Dev Hynes) is a master at creating nostalgia through intricate, layered vocals and instrumentals. I experienced just this and also a fresh excitement, when returning to his 2013 album “Cupid Deluxe.”
Though I had heard track three “Uncle ACE” many times before, listening to it as I frantically rushed out of class to a nearby coffee shop in a new city gave it an entirely different meaning. The song’s last minute and a half is a complete immersion into guitar jumps and loud horns — which perfectly guided my adventures. During a weekend in London, I navigated the Tube for one of the first times to this song, and it brought lightness and fun to my journey.
The nostalgia that came from listening to the song before was transformed into a new memory: navigating a bustling city in crisp fall weather, allowing myself to wander.
“DASH SNOW” – Dean Blunt
Dean Blunt is a London-based alternative artist who I was already a huge fan of before going abroad, but I didn’t quite understand how well his music encapsulates England until I was there. His music is similar to the gloomy, English weather — mellow and strangely comforting — that I became so familiar with.
This song in particular accompanied a long journey to my friend’s flat in Hackney, which I later learned is where Dean Blunt grew up. As I got on my fourth train of the night, I remember watching the light rain obscure the view outside the window and exhaling. I was completely at peace. Right as my friend greeted me with a fish and chips dinner, the song ended, but the peace it brought me lingered for the remainder of the night.
“3 Days” – Rhye
On my last night abroad, my friends and I went out to dinner and then returned home. Not wanting to say goodbye just yet, we all sat and listened to music. This was one of the songs that came on, and as it played, we all swayed and laughed, letting the music melt into the background.
The next morning as I struggled to roll my blue suitcases down the cobblestone streets to the bus stop, I listened to this song on a loop, savoring my last few moments of living abroad. The weather was rare for England: sunny and still, an idyllic goodbye to the past months.
“We’ve got three days to sing this song,” Rhye sings, and while I had a mere three minutes before my bus arrived to take me to the airport, I remember feeling grateful. As the song continued to play on my bus ride to the airport, I looked out the window and noticed that the city no longer felt so daunting — it was time to go home.
Ellie Trinkle '26 (she/her) is the Senior Arts and Culture Editor.
She previously served as a News Editor and Staff Writer. She is a Film & Creative writing double major from Brooklyn who loves all things art. You can typically find her obsessively making Spotify playlists, wearing heaps of jewelry, or running frantically around campus.
