Simplicity and Honesty: Lauren Juzang’s “I Feel Better”
Lauren Juzang's "I Feel Better" focuses primarily on emotional clarity. This song is a reflective and personal indie-pop track on finding comfort by being honest about how you're feeling emotionally, as you slowly regain your footing. The production is soft, with layered harmonies, simple chord progressions, and warm textures, all used to support Juzang's vocal performance and keep it centered in the song.
Lyrically, Juzang unfolds private thoughts to create a sense of form. The first line, "I feel better when I am known / In my car, in my old clothes," immediately conveys a feeling of comfort in the places where she feels the most herself. Through the rest of the song, she explores this idea of wanting relief from difficult situations while having to face the factors that pull her off balance.
What makes Juzang's writing unique is the simplicity of her lyrics. Lines like "I feel heavy in times like these / You are far away / And now we don't speak,” carry a quiet weight rather than a dramatic one, simply because she is being honest. Rather than proclaiming "I feel better," each repetition of the phrase seems to be Juzang checking in with herself and discovering, almost to her own surprise, that she has made it through a difficult situation.
The “I Feel Better” music video follows the same spirit. Warm light, uncomplicated visuals, and a calm presence from Juzang let the feelings stay front and center. Nothing distracts from what the song is already doing emotionally.
Musically, the song is built on a foundation of guitar, piano, light bass, and gentle percussion to create a consistent and comfortable atmosphere around Juzang's voice. The harmonies are also soft and supportive and reflect the emotional changes that occur within the song, without overstating them.
By the final verse, she circles back to the opening idea with a new sense of steadiness: “I feel better when I am known / By myself and by all those… who I chose to call home.” It hits differently the second time, less searching, more sure of who and what supports her.
"I Feel Better" doesn’t try to dramatically illustrate the process of healing. Rather, the song illustrates what it truly feels like: slow, quiet, and authentic. With the warmth of the production and the openness of Juzang's lyrics, the song offers a feeling of peace that lasts long after it has ended.
