What is Ben listening to? Real Estate

In a manner contrary to many of the singers and rappers I listen to, I grew up in the suburbs. I was not raised in the urban, lower-income neighborhoods that most of my favorite artists happened to have spent their respective youths. Instead, I experienced the entirety of my childhood  in suburbia, surrounded by strip malls, comfortable homes, and two car garages.

I think that’s why I can associate with Real Estate, a project of three high school friends from Ridgewood, New Jersey. Ridgewood, with a population of 25,000, could be any suburban American town. And this monotony is reflected throughout their music.

I haven’t been able to find an explanation behind the indie rock band’s name. But I think, again, it’s a reflection of their upbringings. Born and raised in middle-America, surrounded by vast expanses of land, the name real estate just stuck. And the quartet is constantly singing about the real estate that surrounds them. On their hit “Green Aisles”, lead vocalist Martin Courtney highlights his location “Under dormant trees/Under bright lit skies/Mountains of maple leaves/Standing side by side.”

These are all very simple, very commonplace sights. But as a child of rural, suburban America, it hits home. So do “The phone lines/The street lights” that he later describes. It brings forth memories of playing in the road with neighbors when I was in middle school during the summer, under street lights and phone lines.

While listening to artists such as Kanye West or Danny Brown rap about the numerous heinous events they see in Chicago or Detroit on a daily basis is both a humbling and enlightening experience, it can often be challenging to relate to. In fact, the worlds which many rappers describe can often sound like one much different than my own. With Real Estate, it’s as if your listening to someone describe a flight to adulthood very similar one my peers and I know all too well. Instead of eight year olds getting murdered in a city, Real Estate sings to much more relatable occurrences to a suburban young adult, such as “blacking out on a bicycle” and trying to navigate your way home.

Music is a means of expression. And when music expresses your own experiences, it becomes all the more enjoyable. That’s why I’m a fan of Real Estate, and I look forward to seeing them live in New York next month.

 

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