Modern Loneliness

Lauv has stated about the song "It's this super, super meaningful song to me...[which is] basically about... I feel like these days, I'm so used to never being alone but feeling so alone. It's so easy to feel totally isolated even if there's people around you. I just think it's this condition that a lot of people in my generation feel." also noting that it's one of his favorites off the album.[3]

The Blue Boy Foundation, started by Lauv, later hosted a virtual panel based on the song's name, called "Breaking Modern Loneliness: A Conversation on Mental Health". The panel focused on mental health awareness and the impact of social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. The event was held on May 1, 2020 which coincided with the start of Mental Health Awareness Month. Other collaborators included Canadian singer Alessia Cara, English singer Anne-Marie, and Mexican singer and actress Sofía Reyes.[4][5]

The song lasts for 4 minutes and 12 seconds, composed using common time in the key A♭ major, having a tempo of 82 beats per minute. Lauv's vocals range from a low of E♭₃ to a high of C₅.[6][7] A piano ballad starts the song off, having a finger-snapping beat, incorporating electronic rhythms, adding guitar and bass, and slowly building into having a choir as it approaches the final choruses,[8][9] with many describing the song as "anthemic".[10][11][12] A shorter version of the song which lasts 3 minutes and 45 seconds was also released along with the original, cutting off the short piano introduction and having a shorter second chorus when compared to the full-length track.[1]

"Modern Loneliness" addresses the lack of real-life connections with people, replacing such connections with social media instead, leading to people feeling more lonely in the new era of technology. In an interview with Julia Hope from Clash, Lauv states:

Meanwhile, before all of this [social media] existed – we would just be having conversations in person with one another. You get through the awkwardness and eventually get to know each other, because you’re in front of each other and have no choice – where as now, every relationship you have online is so ‘immediate’ that you don’t experience any of the feelings you should when meeting a new person. Humans are built for real community and connection, and I think we are missing that from our world right now, due to social media...[It's] not real and human connections. I think that’s why as a generation, we feel so alone all of the time.[13]

This is especially highlighted in the chorus, with the lyrics "Modern loneliness, we're never alone / But always depressed, yeah / Love my friends to death / But I never call and I never text, yeah".[14] "This is my favorite song on the album and the most important song I feel I've ever made. There is a lot of loneliness out there. We all feel it", Lauv said during a press release.[10]

Critics generally had empathetic reviews of the song due to the its content, with many relating to the situation it addresses. Madeline Roth from MTV News says that the track "marks one of his most introspective and relatable releases yet" and is "an anthemic singalong".[10] Hollianne Lao from The Daily Campus adds that he "draw[s] attention to young adults’ more open discussion of mental health than previous generations...the crisp sound of the music and his honest words are powerful enough to resonate with me."[9] Jenifer Gonsalves from Meaww states that the song is "absolutely gutwrenching [and is] a difficult reality to face but it is also one most of us can't help but empathize with and relate to."[15] Rhian Daly from NME has a similar comment, mentioning that "it’s bleakly, understatedly funny but also completely devastating."[16] DIY's Elly Watson also says that "its set-to-be anthemic chorus...will pull on the iciest of heartstrings."[11] with Danny Cao of Medium Magazine adding a statement saying "the lyrics are honest and amazing, but the chorus is the best: sad and uplifting at the same time."[17]

Some also call the track the highlight of its album, How I'm Feeling, with Malika Padin from Riot calling it its "the best track".[18] Sophia Simon-Bashall of The Line of Best Fit also says that "Modern Loneliness" is "the greatest insight into how not only Lauv, but the generation he speaks to, is feeling." and calls it "an ode to the contradictions of contemporary culture and the cognitive dissonance of wanting to feel better but not doing anything to get there," adding that it's "a song destined for slightly watery-eyed but vitalising sing-alongs."[12] "Leff [Lauv] employs a sad, lonely tone [and] even so, the music is quite beautiful, dynamic, and eventually, groovy", a reviewer from The Musical Hype adds.[8]

Along with the full-length and single version of the song, an acoustic version was also released as a part of How I'm Feeling (The Extras) on April 3, 2020. All proceeds from said version will be used in assisting the poor in health care as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.[23][24]

• Digital download[1]
  1. Modern Loneliness – 4:12
  2. Modern Loneliness (single version)– 3:45

Credits adapted from Tidal.[1]

• Ari Leff — vocals, songwriter, producer
• Jonathan Simpson — songwriter, producer
• Mike Elizondo — songwriter, producer
• Michael Matosic — songwriter
• Michael Pollack — songwriter