The song “This Year” is written by John Darnielle and performed by The Mountain Goats. From the album “The Sunset Tree”, the song is full of anger, frustration, and  the feelings of helplessness that can come with young adulthood, especially in a difficult home environment. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Darnielle talks about the influence his experience with an abusive stepfather had on his music, and the universal feelings of suffering that come with being degraded.

“I played video games in a drunken haze, I was seventeen years young. Hurt my knuckles punching the machines, the taste of scotch rich on my tongue”.

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