In the 2010s, there was a noticeable revival of "slacker" indie, lo-fi, whatever you could call it. Lower-effort, low quality, typically self deprecating music. Straying away from early lo-fi acts like Sebadoh and Guided by Voices, which to me hold a bit more of a mature angst than later acts. Bands like Elvis Depressedly, Salvia Palth, Dandelion Hands, and various Sam Ray projects came about in this boom. I mean, come on, who didn't have "How to Never Stop Being Sad" by Dandelion Hands on their sad playlists. That's a Classic!
It was a specific time for me, and I think I may focus more on personal experience than research-based in this blog post, as it's something I hold really, really, obnoxiously dearly to my heart. I was around 13 when I first came across the whole lo-fi thing. More specifically 7th grade, which really was a blur aside from my chronic-onlineness. But hey, it exposed me to some awesome music! I recall my grandma being in the hospital, and while it wasn't a deeply emotional time for me (I don't believe a 13 year old has a proper grasp on life and death), I can still say it was heavy, of course! I am not one lacking emotion... trust that.
Sometimes, in the rougher or roughest of times, I find it easy to reminisce and yearn for the feeling of being a juvenile bastard. Whether that is in actions or emotions, don't you wish you could be a kid for a little bit. Not like, a child-child... but an emotional 13/14 year old with not a clue in the world (as much as you can think you know it all!). You know? Maybe.
...And by sometimes, that's how I've been feeling lately. Since when was I 22? How? Whatever, However, either way I have found myself circling back to the old classics.
As I sit writing this, I am spinning my copy of DC Snuff Film/Waste Yrself by Teen Suicide, their 3rd album release. All due respect to the first two albums, which have their own respective spots in my heart, but this one, it was truly something else. It marked a time in my life, and continued to be dragged on a wearing leash as I progressed through my teenage years to now.
It is also skipping and staticy... Ok that's not the album, but due in part to my poor handling of vinyl as a youngin'.
It was one of the first times in my youth I was able to show my mom, and my friend(s) something I enjoyed without relentless shame, as I was really into heavier music as a kid... which people weren't nice about but NOT the point here. It was fresh, it was universally (in my universe) liked, it felt good, and that stands as a nice memory of it.
19 songs, 47 minutes. Though it is truly not a ton to digest, and I think that's the beauty in such cases like this. Dissonant instrumentals, incoherent vocals, dramatic lyrics that I like to believe aren't all that dramatic, because I still continue to relate to it today. Maybe more, because what the hell was I relating to at age 13? Maybe tracks like "i'm so fucking bored", or my personal favorite "lonely boy goes to a rave". While it has the sadness, I don't think it really expresses a feeling of hopelessness, it's a reassuring record. It's got tracks for anything.
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| salvia plath lyrics... i love |
The love songs make me so emotional, "falling in love" and "salvia plath" are sweet, maybe not the most innocent... but I think that's part of loving someone... but not vulgar to a gross, weird extent. That's a musical pet peeve of mine. Go be horny somewhere else... unless it's tasteful.
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| doing all the things I used to do with people |
Last year, I got the pleasure to see them, EXTREMELY last minute, immediately after a flight back from Florida, I managed to snag tickets from a friend in exchange for the payment of a cook-out tray. Best believe I cried. My friend and I managed to make the hour drive and got there as SOON as they started playing.
Basically, this album centers around youthfulness to me, and a simple way to express such. I know this post was practically a jerk-off tribute to Teen Suicide, but it will forever be important to me. It will always remind me of being young, and I will continue to reflect on what resonates with me more now compared to the past. Growing up rocks, but that's something I would never quite bother to utter, I can't quite make myself fully think so. To cope with that, I'll hold this record close.
-IONA
PS- i don't know why this is formatted like shit. Whatever.
