The Revival of Indie Sleaze

Picture this: it’s 2015 and you’re standing at the school bus stop, dreading yet another day of your monotonous high school routine. You’re dressed in all black, your fishnet stockings are holding on by a thread — last night, you spent hours perfecting the placement of rips, holes and runs. Your eyeliner is smudged, and The 1975’s first album is streaming at full volume through a pair of ratty headphones. 

Image courtesy of Micki Porcaro.

The nostalgic and grungy “indie sleaze” aesthetic has been taking up a lot of space in the media lately. From the New York Post publishing a controversial article appraising “heroin chic,” to trend forecasters predicting a massive comeback in early 2010s overexposed, dirty concert photography, the aesthetic has become extremely prevalent. Instagram account @indiesleaze has racked up 110K followers by simply sharing photos and other media from the time. I’m not going to lie and say that I haven’t personally been fighting the urge to stream AM by the Arctic Monkeys and take overexposed pictures of my Doc Martens on a rainy day. 

What exactly is indie sleaze? Thrillist defines indie sleaze music as fitting into a somewhat undefined genre, “united by a kind of over-the-top garishness.” Spotify’s newly published “Indie Sleaze” playlist contains songs from artists who are generally described as hipsters, the kind of artists that your cool, older cousin listened to in their glory days. The playlist’s caption reads simply: “Digital cameras, smudged eyeliner, house parties and electroclash,” and it features artists like the Strokes, the Arctic Monkeys, Sky Ferreira and LCD Soundsystem, to name a few. 

The music-influenced time period faced its fair share of problems. Its glamorization of sex, drugs and an aesthetic that was best fit for skinny white girls instilled mental health issues within many that still lingers today. The New York Post’s outline and praise of “heroin chic” backhandedly glorifies a trend that left many with eating disorders. The article praises Kim Kardashian’s drastic and speedy weight loss, telling readers that activities like pilates have risen in popularity alongside this trend. Quickly after its release, celebrities like Jameela Jamil posted their criticisms. Jamil addressed her TikTok audience, saying, “No, we tried this before in the ‘90s and millions of people developed eating disorders. I had [an eating disorder] for twenty years. We’re not doing this again, we’re not going back. Our bodies are not trends. Our body shapes are not trends. F–k off.” As indie sleaze rises in popularity once again, consumers need to be cautious of the dangerous trend’s implications that may slip through the cracks.

“I’m not going to lie and say that I haven’t personally been fighting the urge to stream AM by the Arctic Monkeys and take overexposed pictures of my Doc Martens on a rainy day. ”

Looking back to 2014, my playlists were filled with artists like Melanie Martinez, Arctic Monkeys, The 1975, Lorde, Hozier and many more. For many of us who were still very young at this point in time, indie sleaze meant that we were listening to music about heavy drug use (I’m looking at you, Matty Healy), abusive relationships, and more. I, for one, was not personally dealing with such things, but still felt a connection to the artist and the community affected by their words. Arlo Winokur, Emerson College sophomore, said, “It feels grandiose and larger than life. They’re either singing about something huge and abstract or talking about something completely normal, but in a way that makes it feel more important.” The dramatic and heavy sound that many of these artists carry was the perfect coming-of-age soundtrack for many of us; melancholy and grunge, alternative and cool. This music epitomizes what everyone wanted to be.

Despite having somewhat of an ambiguous definition, there is one thing that kept indie sleaze culture so strong: the Internet. Those of us who weren’t attending dirty house parties and chain-smoking at the ripe age of 13 were behind our laptops, watching other people doing it on shows like Skins UK and by listening to the music that oversaturated our Tumblr feeds. Going back on Tumblr today gives me a sense of nostalgia like no other — good and bad. Tumblr gave many users their first chance at interacting with a community based in music. When Tumblr stopped being trendy, Twitter filled its place.

This being said, following Elon Musk’s controversial purchase of Twitter, people are finding even more reasons to revert back to Tumblr. Many are finding issues with Twitter due to new bugs, or are simply protesting against Elon Musk (I’m right there with you). The push back on Twitter is only fueling the desire to match Tumblr aesthetics like indie sleaze. According to The Hustle, Gen Z is making their return to Tumblr because it is now an “alternative platform.” The article’s sources say that Gen Z makes up 61% of Tumblr’s new users, leading many to believe it may be on the road back to relevance.

“People pride themselves on having a unique music taste and listening to artists that many people may not have heard of previously. However, [the indie sleaze] revival carries a type of individuality that we didn’t previously see. ”

Prevalent indie sleaze bands from the early 2010s like Lana del Rey and The 1975 still have a cult following —some original fans who have been listening for years, and others that are being drawn in by this revival are still very much led by the Internet. Popular apps today, like TikTok, have accelerated the rediscovery of these artists that were the driving force behind our love for music way back in 2014. 

The internet has played a huge part in finding my niche in music. Indie sleaze mainstreamed music that was deemed “alternative.” Within the past few years, we’ve seen the same sort of thing. People pride themselves on having a unique music taste and listening to artists that many people may not have heard of previously. However, this revival carries a type of individuality that we didn’t previously see. Emerson sophomore Vivian Nguyen said, “Back then, indie sleaze was big on Tumblr, and so I listened because I wanted to seem cool. But as I've grown up, I've realized I can listen to whatever music I like. No one cares. I can still listen to those indie sleaze songs and it still makes me feel nostalgic, but I just listen to music I like. It’s not because of a trend.”

The culture — on and off the Internet — that surrounded indie sleaze created a sense of community, much like many fandoms might. Popular “indie” musicians like Phoebe Bridgers or Fiona Apple carry a sense of community that many people enjoy just as much as the sound of the music itself. Maybe this is why we all feel such a strong, nostalgic connection to this music that, in a way, raised us. Having people to talk to about the music you like and music-based events to go to is what music culture is all about. In 2014, some of us were attending grimy underground shows and finding our people through that, and others were meeting similar people on the internet for the first time. The comeback of indie sleaze is a return of people finding their niche in music, and the people that share that niche.

Despite its many problems, the indie sleaze period and the iconic music that came out of it will forever serve as a nostalgic reminder of growing up. “I think about being a young girl, staying up late at night during the summer…the thrill of being thirteen years old again and not having to worry about anything,” said Nguyen. So I encourage you to find an American Apparel tennis skirt, grab a digital camera, attend a grimy house show and let yourself feel that thrill once again.