Sidney is Australias answer to a Lennon Stella/Julia Michaels crossover, and she is back with another stunning display of vulnerability and style with her indie-pop single ‘Cool Girl’
Sidney delicately holds your overthinking and anxious hand in ‘Cool Girl’, professing her personal struggles with expectation and a yearn for belonging alongside the thumping indie pop beat. ‘Cool Girl’ masterfully plays with dynamic expression to capture all angles of this particular brand of social anxiety- the quiet, throat closed up anxiety, as well the bubbling frustation and longing.
The juxtapostion of feeling like you’re constantly being burned by judgemental eyes, while also longing for the right kind of attention is something that is all too real for young girls growing up. It doesn’t help with navigating growth when the manic pixie dream girl trope is an inescapable expectation based on unrealistic and shallow male fantasy. I’m reminded of Gillian Flynns iconic ‘cool girl’ monologue in Gone Girl, “Cool Girls are above all hot. Hot and understanding. Cool Girls never get angry; they only smile in a chagrined, loving manner and let their men do whatever they want. Go ahead, shit on me, I don’t mind, I’m the Cool Girl.” The desire to be liked, wanted, adored, can be blinding, are you better off being the ‘cool girl’, or only wishing you were her?
Regardless, Sidney brilliantly showcases the more pure angle of the desire to be liked, this dream of being considered an effortless beacon of beauty and charisma. Social anxiety is a powerful wall that can stop you from understanding your own value, but we can absolutely and wholeheartedly confirm that Sidney is definitely cool af
Listen to Sidney on Spotify and connect with her on Instagram
Record the Resonance 