This Space is Ours Share Their Sad Songs Playlist

We’ve all got our go-to songs that help us through hard times, but have you ever wondered what music your favourite bands listen to when life gets on top of them? I caught up with Naarm/Melbourne emo quintet This Space is Ours to learn about the top 10 sad songs they love to sing along to:

1. “Drink to Drown” – Stand Atlantic
It’s so ingrained in Aussie culture to just drink when things are going wrong and even though it’s not the main point of the lyrics, “I drink to drown,” encapsulates how many of us feel when we do that.

2. “My Side of the Bed” – Noah Cyrus
If you’ve got a terrible fear of abandonment, this is the sad song for you. Noah Cyrus manages to intentionally sound like she’s on the verge of crying throughout this song and it’s beautiful.

3. “Let’s Talk About Your Hair” – Have Mercy
Just like ‘All The Things I’ve Been Avoiding’, this song rises in intensity throughout, starting solemnly sad then ending passionately angry.

4. “Dear Inner Child” – Peach PRC
‘Heavy’ by Peach PRC could have just as easily made it to this list as well. I find this one just that little bit more tear jerking as Peach makes peace with her inner child.

5. “Can’t.Lie.Around.Remembering.Everything” – Capstan
As it says in the song, “it’s just another classic case of the right person at the wrong time.” This song presents true pain to a situation most people can relate to.

6. “Asleep” – The Smiths
The god of all sad songs. A classic that has to be in this list as a legal requirement. I find most people you meet who have been through some dark times will have a connection with it.


7. “One More Time” – Blink 182

This song is especially heartbreaking when you know the history of the friendships within Blink 182. All about realizing how the small stuff isn’t worth fighting over, our friends could be taken from us at any time.

8. “Smother” – Daughter
As someone who has felt like they’ve been “too much” for other people, this is a song that I have turned to many times. Incredibly melancholic with the lyrics to match.


9. “Cardinals” – The Wonder Years

Cardinals perfectly describes the guilt that comes along with loss, especially under tough circumstances such as mental health and drug problems.

10. “Kick” – Spanish Love Songs
Kick is an incredibly well-written song about the life of an addict through the eyes of an old friend.

If you want to add one more to your own sad songs playlist, I suggest checking out “All the Things I’ve Been Avoiding,” the latest single from This Space is Ours. It’s out now.

Photo credit: ActFour

This Space is Ours Release Epic New Single, “All the Things I’ve Been Avoiding”

We’re used to hard-hitting songs from Naarm/Melbourne emo act This Space is Ours, but they’re showing us a softer side with their latest single “All the Things I’ve Been Avoiding.” Frontwoman Gemma Dunsmore’s delicate vocals draw you in before the song shifts gears and those trademark drums and guitars kick in. This one’s given me chills.

“The lyrics are written about mental health struggles and the gruelling path to getting better; when you’ve come to terms with there being something wrong but only just begun the journey to fix it,” Gemma explained. “Over time, the personal meaning of this song has transformed for me. When I first wrote it, it was almost an apology, as if to say, ‘I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but I’m trying.’ I’ve since been diagnosed with being on the Autism spectrum, and now when I sing it, it feels more like I’m saying something along the lines of, ‘There is nothing wrong with me, this is who I am and I’m still learning about myself.’”

“All the Things I’ve Been Avoiding” is the fourth single from This Space is Ours’ collaborative efforts with producer Beau Mckee. There’s one more left from their time with Beau, so keep an ear out for that in the near future.

Photo credit: ActFour

This Space is Ours Drop Angsty New Single, “Apology”

Naarm/Melbourne easy-core act This Space is Ours return with their first single of 2023, “Apology.” Trust me, hit the volume. With big bold drums and a killer guitar riff, this is one of those angsty tracks that sounds best loud.

“The lyrics of the song tackle the tough situation of falling out of love with the person you’re with,” the band explained. “When things seem to have gone stale and cold but you’re not quite ready to address it, out of the fear of letting go.”

“Apology” comes with an awesome animated lyric video featuring the creative work of Joanne Lee, who the band found serendipitously while scrolling through Instagram. Talk about a meeting of creative talents!

This Space is Ours will support NORA at Bad Decisions Bar on April 20.

Image used with permission from beehive; credit: Georgia Smith