Some months fly by, but February? February lingers. Beach Bunny captured that never-ending, post-breakup gloom perfectly in their 2017 track “February,” a song that feels even more fitting as we sit in the middle of the month itself.
“Maybe by Monday I’ll be okay / Any day’s better than February,” Lili Trifilio sings, her voice carrying the weight of heartbreak and time moving too slowly. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of emotional exhaustion—strawberry ice cream melting away, sunburns that fade but still sting, love that feels fleeting and unreliable. It’s a song about waiting for the hurt to pass, even when it feels like it never will.
But the real gut-punch comes toward the end: “Sometimes I wonder how life would be / If you had stayed for February.” It’s the moment where longing and regret fully set in, a reflection on what could’ve been if the person hadn’t left. February, in this case, isn’t just a month—it’s a symbol of being abandoned right when things felt their coldest. It’s the realization that even if the relationship had lasted just a little longer, maybe it wouldn’t have hurt so much.
And then there’s the verse that perfectly captures the fleeting nature of relationships and the emotional walls people build:
“Summer’s gone, seasons change
He’s got a heart of construction paper
All of his problems buried away
Inside the sleeve of a green windbreaker.”
There’s something so simple yet devastating about those lines. The imagery of a “heart of construction paper” suggests something fragile, something easily torn or discarded. The person being described isn’t just emotionally distant—they’re burying their problems, hiding behind layers (like the sleeve of a windbreaker) instead of facing what’s in front of them. It’s a perfect snapshot of someone who can’t—or won’t—fully let others in, leaving the narrator to wonder what could have been if things had played out differently.
The dreamy, melancholic melody is classic Beach Bunny, deceptively sweet while delivering gut-punch lines like, “If you called and you asked me to stay / Would you give me the world or walk out in a day?” It’s that mix of vulnerability and frustration that makes “February” so relatable—because who hasn’t spent a February wishing it would just end already?
Revisiting “February” this Throwback Thursday, it’s clear why Beach Bunny’s ability to turn seasonal sadness into a singalong moment has resonated with so many. Whether you’re still waiting for Monday to feel better or just embracing the winter blues, this song is the perfect soundtrack to surviving the longest short month of the year.