Poems of the Past

Poems of the Past
EP by Powfu
Released	May 15, 2020 (2020-05-15)
Genre	Lo-fi hip hop emo rap
Length	17:05
Label	Columbia Powfu
Producer	Otterpop 8rokeboy Powfu Sarcastic Sounds Monty Datta Skinny Atlas Joaquim Francisco
Powfu chronology
Some Boring Love Stories, Pt. 4 (2019) Poems of the Past (2020) Some Boring Love Stories, Pt. 5 (2020)
Singles from Poems of the Past
"Death Bed (Coffee for Your Head)" Released: February 8, 2020 (2020-02-08) [a] "I'm Used to It" Released: April 17, 2020 (2020-04-17) "I'll Come Back to You" Released: May 12, 2020 (2020-05-12)

Poems of the Past (stylized in all lowercase) is the sixth extended play (EP) and major label debut by Canadian rapper Powfu. It was released on May 15, 2020, through Columbia Records and Powfu Productions. ^[3] The EP contains the hit single "Death Bed (Coffee for Your Head)", which went viral on the video sharing app TikTok and through radio airplay in early 2020. On TikTok, the song had over 4.1 billion plays for the month of March 2020 alone. ^{[4] [5]}

Background

The EP was announced on May 13, 2020. ^[6] About the EP, Powfu said:

"The six songs on this EP are some of my favorites that I've ever recorded. I had a lot of fun experimenting with different features and sounds, and I hope everyone finds their own favorite song on it, whether they like hip-hop, punk, lo-fi or bedroom pop. Some of these songs were written about my own personal past, some are romantic stories I wanted to tell, but now they're for the fans to interpret for themselves." ^[7]

Track listing

Poems of the Past track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Death Bed (Coffee for Your Head)" (featuring Beabadoobee)	Isaiah Faber Beatrice Laus Oscar Lang Christian Klosterman	Otterpop	2:53
2.	"I'm Used to It"	Faber	8rokeboy	2:55
3.	"I'll Come Back to You" (featuring Sarcastic Sounds and Rxseboy)	Faber Jeremy Fedryk Anthony Tubbs	Powfu Sarcastic Sounds	2:14
4.	"A World of Chaos" (featuring Rxseboy, Jomie, and Ivri)	Faber Tubbs Joseph Garcell Nicolas Marchese Sudipta Datta Solomon Thompson Ivri Wright	Powfu Monty Datta Skinny Atlas	2:42
5.	"Popular Girl, Typical Boy" (featuring Sleep.Ing)	Faber Joaquim Francisco Patience Faber	Powfu Joaquim Francisco	4:06
6.	"Death Bed (Bonus Remix)" (featuring Beabadoobee and Blink-182)	Faber Laus Lang Klosterman	Otterpop	2:13
Total length:				17:05

Charts

Chart performance for Poems of the Past

Chart (2020)	Peak position
Canadian Albums ( Billboard ) [8]	53
French Albums (SNEP) [9]	57
US Billboard 200 [10]	134
US Top Alternative Albums ( Billboard ) [11]	5
US Heatseekers Albums ( Billboard ) [12]	1

Certifications

Certifications for Poems of the Past

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ) [13]	Gold	7,500‡
Poland (ZPAV) [14]	Gold	10,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release history for Poems of the Past

Region	Date	Format	Label	Ref.
Various	May 15, 2020	Digital download streaming	Powfu Productions Columbia	[‡ 1]

Notes

1. The song was initially uploaded to SoundCloud and YouTube on February 9, 2019; ^[1] after Powfu signed with Columbia Records and Robots + Humans, the song was released on streaming services on February 8, 2020. ^[2]

References

1. Promoting Sounds (February 9, 2019). "Powfu - death bed". YouTube. Archived from the original on May 29, 2019. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
2. Reneau, Steven (March 6, 2020). "Powfu Breaks Down The Meaning Of "Death Bed"". Genius . Retrieved March 18, 2020.
3. Caramanica, Jon (August 5, 2020). "The Universal Loneliness of Powfu" . The New York Times . Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
4. Fu, Eddie (February 13, 2020). "Powfu's Viral Hit "Death Bed" Arrives On Streaming Services After Lengthy Sample Clearance Delay". Genius. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
5. "BENEE & Gus Dapperton's "Supalonely," Powfu & Beabadoobee's "Death Bed" Headed For Top 10 At Pop Radio". Headline Planet. 2020-07-31. Retrieved 2021-12-31.
6. Muir, Jamie (May 13, 2020). "Powfu has done the double - revealing a new track and announcing a new EP". Dork . Retrieved May 29, 2020.
7. Scott, Ruby (May 29, 2020). "Powfu Shares 'poems of the past,' a Sublime Lo-Fi Portrait of Youth". Ones to Watch . Retrieved March 25, 2025.
8. "Billboard Canadian Albums: Week of June 27, 2020". Billboard . Retrieved June 23, 2025.
9. "Lescharts.com – Powfu – Poems of the Past". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
10. "Billboard 200: Week of June 20, 2020". Billboard . Retrieved June 23, 2025.
11. "Top Alternative Albums: Week of June 13, 2020". Billboard . Retrieved June 23, 2025.
12. "Heatseekers Albums: Week of August 15, 2020". Billboard . Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
13. "New Zealand album certifications – Powfu – Poems of the Past EP". Radioscope. Retrieved July 20, 2025.Type Poems of the Past EP in the "Search:" field.
14. "OLiS - oficjalna lista wyróżnień" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry . Retrieved July 20, 2025. Click "TYTUŁ" and enter Poems of the Past in the search box.

Primary sources

In the text these references are preceded by a double dagger (‡):

1. "poems of the past - EP by Powfu on Apple Music". May 15, 2020. Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. Retrieved April 11, 2025– via Apple Music.