Does this list really need any more introduction? Here are three indie classics that take depression, loneliness, and expectations and turn them into inspirational mantras. For those struggling to get out of a rut, these songs are as motivational as they are catchy. “Sucker’s Prayer” by The DecemberistsThe Decemberists’ 2018 album I’ll Be Your Girl featured the track “Sucker’s Prayer”, which may at first listen feel like a bummer song. It has bright piano, cool guitar, and is overall moderately energetic. But it also has lyrics about wading into a body of water weighed down with rocks, à la Virginia Woolf. What makes this an inspirational indie darling is how all these elements blend together. The following image after the speaker “took my glasses off and went to find a pond” has those rocks being carried away by the current. There’s a delightful resilience in “Sucker’s Prayer”. The chorus is a great example of this. “I wanna love somebody, but I don’t know how / I’ve been so long lonely, and it’s getting me down”. While it does include the line “I wanna throw my body in the river and drown”, ending on “I wanna love somebody, but I don’t know how” has a hopeful tone to it. The speaker in “Sucker’s Prayer” may seem like a downer. But they also have great potential.“This Head I Hold” by Electric GuestElectric Guest’s debut single, “This Head I Hold”, had a tight grip on 2012. But it’s still a relevant and inspiring indie hit today. “This Head I Hold” dealt with societal pressure, specifically the reassurance that you don’t have to bend to it. Underneath the hip, danceable production, the lyrics were universal. “See the problem was I / I was fully consumed / By all of the petty things that I couldn’t do / All of the plastic products, shows and woes / I didn’t ever show, I let it go”. The first verse sets up the issue of listening to others, conforming to rules or expectations that don’t feel right. Subsequent verses add to that narrative, with the speaker realizing “the more I listen, the deeper I sink”. By the second verse he figures it out: “See the problem was this / If I wanna be free / I gotta stop playing round and running from me”. “Hellhole Ratrace” by GirlsGirls’ “Hellhole Ratrace” from 2009 is the ultimate inspirational indie track, but like “Sucker’s Prayer” it gets there by being a bit of a downer. Maybe not so much a downer as it is just very real. Every line of every verse is steeped in the reality of depression. It hurts, but it’s also motivational, the bright spot in the dark tunnel.“I work to eat and drink and sleep just to live / Feels like I’m never getting back what I give / I got a sad song in my sweet heart / And all I’ll ever really need is some love and attention”. The first verse opens with the despondent loneliness and aching need for connection. This is the part that’s a real bummer. But the chorus turns this around. “And I don’t wanna cry my whole life through / I wanna do some laughing too / So come on, come on, come on, come on and laugh with me / And I don’t wanna die without shaking up a leg or two / Yeah I wanna do some dancing too / So come on, come on, come on, come on and dance with me”. Photo by Michael Tullberg/Getty ImagesThe post 3 of the Best Indie Songs for Getting Inspired to Turn Your Life Around appeared first on VICE.