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Yami songs recommended for college students: melancholic tracks to listen to when you're feeling down

There are days when you feel like your heart might break or you feel lonely, aren’t there? In those moments, music becomes a precious source of support.

Songs that stay close to your sadness and pain can feel like a best friend who truly understands you.

In this article, we introduce healing “yami songs” that gently accompany you through tough times.

We’ll feature many tracks, focusing on works released in recent years.

You’re sure to find a song that resonates with your heart.

Yami songs recommended for college students: dark tracks to listen to when you're having a tough time (11–20)

seamUeno Daiki

Daiki Ueno - Seam (Music Video) [Opening Theme for the drama "Unmet: A Neurosurgeon's Diary"]
seamUeno Daiki

When we confront the uncertainty of memory, how much anxiety do we carry? Written by Daiju Ueno for the drama “Unmet: A Neurosurgeon’s Diary,” this piece overlaps with the struggles of a protagonist living with memory impairment.

It features a mysterious sound marked by lingering strings, and Ueno says he “challenged a kind of topline melody I wouldn’t normally use.” The lyrics carefully trace the blurry borders of the memories we all possess, the unease toward time that has vanished, and the surges of emotion we long to reclaim.

When you want to reconnect your past self with who you are now, this song will quietly stay by your side.

AnswerIkuta Rira

Lila Ikuta 'Answer' Official Music Video
AnswerIkuta Rira

A warm cheering song that gives you the strength to look forward during tough times.

It’s a track by Lila Ikuta, released digitally in March 2021 and later included on her 2023 album “Sketch.” It was featured in a Tokio Marine Nichido Anshin Life commercial.

The song delicately portrays the feelings of trying to move ahead while carrying weakness and loneliness, offering comfort to the doubts and anxieties everyone experiences.

It’s a song I’d like people who are living through days without clear answers, or who are struggling with choices or relationships, to listen to.

The world to youEVE

A work that gently stays by your side when you’re tired, delicately portraying the bittersweetness before a story’s end and the feelings for someone dear.

It’s included on Eve’s 2019 major-label debut album Otogi, where calm piano and strings softly envelop the heart and body.

This is a song I’d like you to listen to when you feel lonely or anxious about your relationship with someone important.

Re:setSEKAI NO OWARI

This is a song I want you to listen to when you want to escape from reality.

It’s included on SEKAI NO OWARI’s 2019 album “Eye” and was used as the image song for the game Catherine: Full Body.

Its defining feature is an aggressive sound that weaves in rap and shouts.

It’s as if the piece turns inner turmoil and conflict directly into sound, giving voice to the cry of the heart on days when you don’t want to go to college.

I want to forget.wacci

wacci “I Want to Forget” Music Video
I want to forget.wacci

This is a song by wacci that poignantly sings of the pain of wanting to sever memories of an ex but being unable to.

Released in July 2024, it was produced as the third installment of a three-part love song project.

It portrays a protagonist who, even while spending time with someone new, suddenly sees traces of their former lover—and the more they try to forget, the more vividly the memories return, conveying a deep sense of heartache.

If you’re nursing the pain of a breakup, it will surely hit home.

in my placeHiguchi Ai

Ai Higuchi / Instead of Me [Official Music Video] | Ai Higuchi ‘Instead of Me’
in my placeHiguchi Ai

A song that embraces the parts of yourself that feel incapable and lights the courage to keep moving forward.

It’s the second installment of Ai Higuchi’s “Soliloquy Trilogy,” released digitally in August 2025.

The expansive sound and gentle vocals are a perfect match.

The lyrics depict the feelings of repeatedly grappling with self-loathing while taking one step at a time.

Try listening on a quiet night or on a heavy-footed morning on your way to class.

It will bring your heart’s pace back to your own stride.

Recommended depressive songs for college students: songs to listen to when you're feeling down (21–30)

A love on the verge of witheringSuzuki Suzuki

[Passing By] A Withering Love – Suzuki Suzuki [Official Music Video]
A love on the verge of witheringSuzuki Suzuki

This song poignantly portrays a couple who, after their youthful days end and they enter the working world, gradually drift apart until their relationship ends.

It’s sure to resonate with anyone in college who feels distance growing with someone important.

Released by Suzuki Suzuki in April 2021 as the final installment of their love-themed trilogy, it’s characterized by beautiful harmonies.

The lyrics, in plain and realistic language, capture the fragility of a relationship where busy days lead to fewer meetings and dwindling contact.

Its mellow tones will stay close by your side.