You’ve Been Missed

I’ve wondered how important it is that we experience music in our heads. After headphones were invented did the premium we place on music feeling organic among our thoughts increase? If I tell you my favorite album, my favorite artist, does that tell you more about what I’m thinking than it tells you about my measurement of the art’s quality? Is there anyone whose favorites are not echoes of their mind’s own monologue?

The album I’m listening to as I walk from one bar to the next sounds like conversations I’ve had with myself. It’s dating. It’s a minimalist wardrobe of dark clothes. It’s text messages asking after hour locations. It’s being needy and detached. I left the bar because I couldn’t find my banter and as I listen to You’ve Been Missed it feels like déjà vu, a reminder of who I think I am.