Love is in the air across Los Angeles.

As Valentine’s Day causes couples to reflect on their relationships and sparks new romances, love songs of every genre continue to soundtrack important emotional moments and memories. To mark the fact that the 2020s are more than halfway elapsed, the Daily Bruin decided to revisit some of the best love songs from the past five years that not only deserved more attention but also hold great potential to enhance this year’s Valentine’s Day.

Keep reading to uncover some of the Daily Bruin’s favorite under-sung love songs of the 2020s decade so far.

“Ordinary” by Alex Warren

Alex Warren’s newly released “Ordinary” is anything but.

With its profound religious imagery, resonant lyrics and epic backing track, “Ordinary” shines a light on the otherworldly beauty of love. After amassing several million views on TikTok, teasers of the song garnered widespread interest leading up to its Feb. 7 release. While songs that go viral on TikTok before officially releasing tend to lose their meaning by the time the full track is unveiled, “Ordinary” exceeds listener expectations, managing to capture both a universal type of love and a romance that some can only dream of.

“Ordinary” also speaks to the powerful experience of discovering something special amid the mundane. The construction of the song itself seems to reflect this theme by layering sounds and emotions on an otherwise generic foundation. The chorus’ gospel-inspired elements imbue “Ordinary” with an elevated sense of spirituality, while the song’s crescendoing acoustics echo Warren’s sonorous vocals. In this heartfelt celebration of finding someone who transforms the meaning in one’s life, Warren takes listeners “out of the ordinary.”

When it comes to love, “Ordinary” settles for nothing less than the extraordinary.

– Sydney Gaw

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“More Than Enough” by Alina Baraz

Alina Baraz’s soft vocals and meaningful lyrics are “More Than Enough” to make a listener fall in love.

Released in 2020, “More Than Enough” conveys a healthy and happy relationship worth aspiring to. The first verse begins with, “You got a way with words / You take away the hurt,” demonstrating that the lover being described is not only a smooth talker but someone who eases the pain of the narrator. Later in the same verse, Baraz reveals that the lover also holds the narrator accountable, a revelation conveying the compassion and depth of the relationship.

Baraz’s gentle vocals are refreshing and compliment the calming R&B beat alongside it. Any other vocal tone could risk making the lyric “Anybody else, I’d be gone by now” sound resentful or unromantic, yet Baraz is capable of properly communicating that it “doesn’t really matter, all that really matters” is that the narrator loves the person they speak of.

With Baraz’s brilliant execution, listeners will “keep showing up” to listen to “More Than Enough.”

– Amy Wong

“Best Friend” by Laufey

Though Laufey’s discography has plenty of notable love songs, her song “Best Friend” includes the word “best” for a reason.

Serving as the final track on her project “Typical of Me EP,” “Best Friend” captures the beauty in the realistic aspects of a relationship. The lighthearted track comically depicts the mundane activities shared with a romantic partner, such as debating over what show to watch or lovingly teasing a bad haircut. The song does not shy away from the imperfections of relationships, as Laufey muses how she is driven “half-insane” by her loved one yet could not live without them. The downtempo jazz tune can thus cater to anyone who has experienced this kind of love, and its classic sound guarantees the track will be remembered for several Valentine’s celebrations to come.

The beauty of the song also comes with the ability to view it as describing either a romantic or platonic love. With the music video setting Laufey’s twin sister Junia as the best friend, this song can also be dedicated to whoever the listener considers their best friend – whether they be a romantic partner or a platonic soulmate.

This Valentine’s Day, listeners everywhere would be best served by appreciating both Laufey’s track and their personal “Best Friend.”

– Maya Parra

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“How Does It Make You Feel” by Victoria Monét

Victoria Monét leaves no room for doubt about her romantic devotion on “How Does It Make You Feel.”

The airy R&B deep cut from Monét’s 2023 Grammy-winning debut album “JAGUAR II” details a deep, divinely designed love that will last for eternity. With a smooth melody accompanied by light strings and flute, the track illustrates love as a magical and otherworldly experience. Monét lists hearing, sight and touch to exemplify her and her partner’s love as biological and destined. Singling out their unique connection with each other, Monét contends to her lover, “Out of all the world / You and I aligned.”

“How Does It Make You Feel” seals the promise of long-lasting passion in its climatic pre-choruses. Monét’s clever lyricism shines in lines such as, “‘Til there’s nothin’ left, you’ll be on my right” and “Just like the sand, I’ll always be for shore” that assure her dedication to her partner and the act of love. Even in the face of inevitable struggle, her love holds strong in her assertion, “Be it rain or shine / You’re forever mine.”

In the realm of love, Monét proves that it is possible to “be loved for real.”

– Aisosa Onaghise

“Can’t Do Much” by Waxahatchee

On an album chronicling her path to sobriety, Katie Crutchfield created one of the best love songs in recent memory.

Crutchfield – the singer-songwriter genius behind indie rock act Waxahatchee – released her fifth album “Saint Cloud” to critical acclaim in 2020. The LP is an impeccable 11-song set bursting with buoyant alternative country tunes, but the second track – the unassuming yet unforgettable “Can’t Do Much” – remains a standout worth returning to. “Can’t Do Much” transports listeners to the sonic equivalent of a sun-drenched meadow, building an effervescent love song over chirpy keys and gently strummed guitar.

Part of the enduring charm of “Can’t Do Much” resides in the song’s simple but evocative lyricism, which includes endearing lines such as, “I want you / All the time” and “When you see me, I’m honey on a spoon.” Where the track’s sweetness could have easily become treacly, Crutchfield’s husky vocals and honest yearning ensure that “Can’t Do Much” has a warm, fluttery mood and everlasting sincerity.

Five years later, listeners can’t be blamed for wanting to play “Can’t Do Much” all the time.

– Reid Sperisen