Songs to listen to when your heart is tired: a miracle cure for laying down the heavy burdens of your twenties

In the midst of the trivialNEW!Hoshino Gen

In the midst of the trivial

For those who are exhausted by the whirlwind of ever-changing days, I recommend “Kudaranai no Naka ni.” It’s a work Gen Hoshino released in March 2011 as his first single under his solo name.

It carries an acoustic warmth and a message that love resides precisely in the small, everyday conversations and moments of contact.

Its gentle, quiet melody softly wraps around your heart.

Rather than grand words, its down-to-earth expressions will gently unwind taut emotions.

This piece lets you feel that you don’t have to push yourself.

On nights when your heart feels heavy and you want to pause, please give it a listen.

When it shinesNEW!Hitsuji Bungaku

Hitsujibungaku – When It Shines (Official Music Video) [TV Anime “The Heike Story” Opening Theme]

When you’ve worked yourself too hard and it’s hard to breathe, this is a song that gently stays close to your heart.

Chosen as the opening theme for the TV anime The Heike Story, it was released in January 2022 and later included on the acclaimed album our hope.

The lyrics and melodies woven by Moeka Shiozuka of Hitsujibungaku hold a beauty like moving toward the light while still carrying pain.

From a quiet address, the band sound suddenly opens up your field of view, and you’ll feel your heavy burdens grow just a little lighter.

This is a work I especially want people in their twenties to hear on those nights when you want to throw everything away and wash your emotions clean with tears.

Surrender yourself to the warm sounds, and let’s do our best again tomorrow!

graceNEW!Fuji Kaze

Fujii Kaze – grace（Official Video）

This is a gentle, compassionate number that stays close on nights when, while striving to live each day earnestly, you suddenly feel short of breath.

Created by singer-songwriter Fujii Kaze, the piece unfolds a worldview that evokes forgiveness and lovingkindness, as if wrapped in an unseen, greater power.

Its supple rhythm and translucent melody will gently loosen tightly wound emotions.

Released in October 2022, it was written as the theme song for NTT DOCOMO’s “KAZE FILMS docomo future project,” which supports students’ challenges, and it was also used in TV commercials.

When your heart grows weary from the whirlwind of changes around you and you feel the need to set down the heavy burden on your shoulders, please give it a listen.

Grapefruit MoonNEW!TOMOO

TOMOO – Grapefruit Moon【OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO】

Are there nights when, after pushing yourself too hard every day, you suddenly feel short of breath? For hearts like that, there’s a classic sung by singer-songwriter TOMOO that gently stays by your side.

With a lustrous sound and a soft, tender voice, it beautifully captures the bittersweetness and thirst we come to know as we grow into adulthood.

The track was pre-released in September 2023.

Woven with elements of soul and funk amid its sophisticated melody, this piece slowly fills the listener’s heart.

It’s the perfect number for those worn out from forcing a smile day after day, or who want to set down the heavy burdens on their shoulders.

On nights when you feel like throwing everything away, why not surrender yourself to warm music and allow yourself to pause for just a moment?

Naming the waves, the fact that our breathing has an end.NEW!Kitanitatsuya

To give names to waves, and that our breathing has an end. / Tatsuya Kitani – You Would Name Pale Waves / Tatsuya Kitani

There are nights when, despite living each day as earnestly as we can, an inescapable tightness in the chest overtakes anyone.

This song, which gently depicts profound themes of life, death, and the cycle of existence, softly unravels taut emotions.

With a calm, delicate melody that repeats like waves or breathing, it seeps into a weary heart.

The track was included on Tatsuya Kitani’s album “I DO (NOT) LOVE YOU.” released in September 2018.

It’s a number that feels like a special remedy for people in their twenties, quietly easing the heavy burdens from your shoulders when constant changes in relationships, work, and life make you want to give everything up.

Dried flowersNEW!Yuuri

Yuri “Dry Flower” Official Music Video - Director’s Cut ver. -

On nights when I’ve worn myself down from trying too hard every day, the song I want to listen to is Yuuri’s “Dry Flower.” Released as a digital single in October 2020, this piece is told from a woman’s perspective as an after-story to the heartbreak song “Kakurenbo.” Its warm, acoustic guitar-centered sound and tender, conversational vocals gently unravel tightly wound emotions.

Its overwhelming resonance is no fluke: it topped Billboard JAPAN’s year-end chart and surpassed one billion streams.

Don’t force yourself to feel better—if you just surrender to this melody and let the tears fall, your heart should feel a little lighter.

forelockNEW!Kimishima Oozora

Ohzora Kimishima “Mukoogami” Official Music Video

On nights when a taut thread feels ready to snap, Ohzora Kimishima’s Mukougami quietly stays by your side.

Released in April 2021 as the centerpiece of his third EP, Sode no Migiwa, this cherished number has long been beloved live.

The warm yet intricate tone of the acoustic guitar and vocals so intimate you can hear the breath gently unwind a knotted heart.

Rather than chasing meaning too hard, the lyrics conjure scene after scene, like a pleasant dream glimpsed in a doze.

When panic or anxiety makes it hard to breathe, don’t force yourself to stand—just surrender to these beautiful waves of sound.

Surely, the weight on your shoulders will feel a little lighter.