By: Julia Ristoska

“Learn to live” is the opening track on Alice Merton newly debut album called Mint. She definitely introduces the album with a bang as she sings,“they’ve got fire// well I’ve got lightning bolts.” Merton comes on full force ready to fight all her fears, as she told Billboard that Learn to live is about “facing my fears and not be scared of everything. It reminds me that if you’re scared of everything in life, you’re not actually gonna live.”

Fear really has the power to trouble one’s mind and prevents one from taking up on opportunities. Merton does not let her fears steal her spotlight, I mean literally she is up on stage now promoting her new album. This takes a lot of courage, since writing this album is equivalent to her personal diary. She touches upon many topics from facing fears, feeling lost, finding her place in society and tackling everyday life’s issues. All these topics revolve around her journey on “learn(ing) how to live” in such a fast paced world.

She starts off by introducing the opening track with simple heavy strums of the guitar that gradually gets more complex as the layer of drums hit in. The constancy of the guitar strums gives that  “here I’m coming for battle” tempo. Merton’s strong voice comes in and captivates my attention. Unconsciously I realized myself humming along and next thing you know I’m bursting out “ I WANNA LIVE WITHOUT CONSEQUENCES!” I mean who doesn’t? These lyrics are so relatable, and the music is upbeat making it a perfect album to have a karaoke session in your car.

Sometimes we need a song like this to remind us to live in the present. It is easy to constantly think about the past or worry about the future. Life is full of questions, and it can be quite frightening. Yet, Merton tells us to not let those demonic thoughts control our lives.

Rather she tells us it’s time to armor up and get ready for battle.