Campus feels like it’s on the verge of collective collapse. The libraries are packed, the Pit is unusually quiet and students are surviving on iced coffee and anxiety. Finals, projects, group presentations, they’re all hitting at once. Campus Health might tell you to “take breaks” and “manage your time," but let’s be honest — during crunch time, the real therapy for UNC students isn’t a wellness handout or a CAPS appointment three weeks from now. It’s music.
UNC has always had a music culture that feels a little unique. We’re a campus where hearing “Carolina in My Mind” live can make even the most jaded senior a little misty-eyed. Where someone is always strumming a guitar on Polk Place (sometimes good, sometimes aggressively not). Where student bands turn venues like Local 506 or Cat’s Cradle into rowdy stress relief sessions.
Every UNC student has their finals survival playlist. Maybe it’s blasting Y2K hits like you’re back at He’s Not Here on a Thursday night. Maybe it’s sobbing to Boygenius in your dorm and hoping your roommate understands. Or maybe it’s zoning out to lo-fi beats while desperately trying to decode whatever’s happening in your Economics notes. Whatever your vibe is, music works — it impacts your brain chemistry.
Listening to music releases dopamine, helps regulate stress hormones and improves focus. Fast, energetic songs can keep you awake when your eight-page paper is due at midnight and you’ve only written the title. Slower, calmer tracks can lower your heart rate and make you feel less like you might spontaneously combust in the Undergraduate Library.
And while it might seem strange to willingly queue up sad songs when you’re already overwhelmed, there’s a reason so many students do it. Psychologists call it catharsis. Sometimes, coping means putting on the saddest song you know and staring out the bus window like you're in a coming-of-age college movie.
On the flip side, hype music has its place too. A little Beyoncé or Charli XCX can be just the push you need to power through a soul-crushing study session. Music with a strong beat helps your brain lock in — or at least stay awake long enough to finish that group project your partners ghosted you on. UNC’s indie scene practically writes the soundtrack for this. Watchhouse, Sylvan Esso and Mipso — local bands that hit way too hard when you’re spiraling at 2 a.m. in your eight-person Hinton James suite.
Even instrumental music has its moment. Lo-fi beats, movie scores, jazz — all perfect for people who get way too distracted lip-syncing while writing an essay. That Spotify playlist called "Music for Concentration" has more plays this week than your professor’s lecture videos.
But music isn’t just for headphones; live music can also reduce stress hormones. UNC’s live music scene thrives this time of year, with a cappella groups randomly serenading you in the Pit or a friend dragging you to a house show when you should probably be writing your lab report.
Even if you’re stuck in the library, don’t underestimate the power of a well-curated playlist. The trick is intentional listening — choosing songs that fit the moment instead of just hitting shuffle and hoping for the best. Music isn’t going to do your homework for you, make your professor grade faster or help you ace your exams. But in a season of overwhelming deadlines, burnt-out brains and caffeine-induced heart palpitations, it might be the most accessible therapy we’ve got.
