The SoundCloud and Youtube music engineers are back at it with another trend for us to explore. This time, we're heading into the bathroom — yes, the bathroom — to experience the heightened emotions of muffled bass and background noise.
THE TREND:
A little more obscure in the SoundCloud remix collection, this trend is focused on the cinematic experience of music. Music, But You’re In A Bathroom At A Party (BAP, for short) is exactly what the name sounds like. The tracks are muffled and typically feature background conversations in the effort to mimic the feeling of crying in a bathroom at a party.
The titles of these tracks range in scenarios, but the idea remains the same. Some track names include “Lookalike by Conan Gray but You’re Crying in the Bathroom” and “Make You Mine by PUBLIC While You’re In The Bathroom Wishing Him to be Yours.” Occasionally, tracks will add some variety by including rain sounds or doors opening and closing to deepen the soundscape and elaborate on the song title.
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY:
A BAP remix of Lil Uzi Vert’s “20 min” on SoundCloud has 444 thousand streams, over seven thousand likes, and almost two hundred comments. Another song which has gained some popularity throughout this trend, “Sweater Weather” by The Neighbourhood, has several remixes on both SoundCloud and Youtube. The most popular remix of the song on SoundCloud has 377 thousand streams, about seven thousand likes, and about two hundred and fifty comments. Similar “Sweater Weather” remixes on SoundCloud have amassed almost ten thousand streams collectively.
Youtube has a much larger catalog of BAP remixes. A BAP remix of “Sweater Weather” on the video streaming service has over three million views, 220 thousand likes, and nine thousand comments. Joji’s “Slow Dancing in The Dark” is also a popular track among these trends. The BAP remix has gained over two million views on Youtube. Each video in the trend features a picture of a party or dark bathroom with LED lights to further tie into the theme. Check out one of our favorite BAP remixes below:
THE SECRET BEHIND THE POPULARITY:
We’ve reviewed two remix trends already and there seems to be a common theme: creating an immersive soundscape. In practice, that is exactly what BAP remixes do. They put listeners in a recognizable scenario and apply certain effects to recreate the feelings of the scenario. Though immersive, this trend can be versatile for listeners. It's the perfect soundtrack for lying in bed and letting your thoughts surround you or as background noise as you're folding laundry or doing work. This music is a blank canvas for listeners’ thoughts, especially if your best work is done in the bathroom at a party.
The effectiveness of the remix depends solely on the song choice. We’ll dive into which genres are the most popular shortly, but basically the sadder the song, the more popular it will be. Artists spend so much time crafting the perfect harmonies and layered tracks to evoke certain emotions, and these remix engineers put listeners over the emotional tipping point. The song title, the Youtube video, and the effects combine to create a truly pensive and melancholic experience for listeners.
THE INVOLVED GENRES:
As previously mentioned, sadness is key in this trend. Because the trend’s most prominent edit is the muffling effect, there is no point in remixing more upbeat tracks. The remix would mellow out the track somewhat but wouldn’t create a soundscape the way it does with sad songs.
Sad songs aren’t genre specific, which allows a large variety of artists and genres to be included in this trend. Pop and hip-hop are the most popular genres featured in this trend, but other genres include pop rock and indie. Some popular artists in this trend are Billie Eilish, Juice Wrld, XXXTentacion and The Neighbourhood. Eilish’s purposefully and expertly crafted vocal layers in her tracks still manage to shine through the muffling effects of BAP remixes. Juice Wrld and XXXTentacion’s beats are the most prominent sound in their BAP remixes, with pockets of insightful and wistful lyrics. The Neighbourhood’s classically solemn sound is constant throughout their remixes. With no musical ups or downs, their tracks have become a staple in the trend for their pensive and focusing mood. The real irony of this trend is how many of these songs would you actually hear at a party?
Music, But You're In The Bathroom At A Party is a specific soundscape that draws listeners into its late night sad vibes. We're excited to explore the next upcoming trends as they're created. Who knows where they'll take us...hopefully, out of the restroom!
Have you listened to this trend before? If so, let us know your opinions in the comments below.