Indie rock

• 1. Origins And Etymology

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  The term indie rock first appeared in print on the 15th of January 1983. Roman Kozak wrote an article for Billboard magazine titled Despite Hard Times, Indie Rock Labels Survive to describe a growing trend of successful independent record labels in New York. These labels focused on emerging alternative rock music scenes rather than major corporate entities. The phrase originally served as shorthand for independent rock distribution methods before evolving into a musical style definition. By the early 1980s, small and relatively low-budget labels defined the genre through their do-it-yourself attitude. This approach encouraged bands to produce and distribute records without relying on established industry gatekeepers. The movement drew influences from punk, psychedelia, and post-punk to create a distinct sonic identity. AllMusic later identified these varying musical approaches as incompatible with mainstream tastes. A key element of the genre emerged from this DIY ethos where independence became both a method and a sound.

• 2. Punk And Post Punk Roots

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  On June 4 and the 20th of July 1976, the Sex Pistols performed at Manchester's Lesser Free Trade Hall. These concerts inspired the formation of influential groups like Joy Division, Buzzcocks, and the Fall alongside Factory Records. Tony Wilson and Alan McGee cited the performance as inspiring their interest in British alternative music. Independent record labels became integral to the early years of punk rock musical distribution. Beserkley Records released the debut album of The Modern Lovers which was recorded years earlier. In the UK, Stiff Records released the first UK punk single New Rose by the Damned. During the late 1970s, the post-punk scene emerged in the United Kingdom encapsulating bands that retained the DIY ethos while pushing boundaries. Artists such as the Cure, the Monochrome Set, Felt, the Raincoats, and Young Marble Giants served as foundational influences on indie rock. Scottish post-punk bands including Orange Juice, Josef K, and later the Vasques also proved influential. American groups like the Feelies, Mission of Burma, Talking Heads, and the Embarrassment were important to the development of indie rock. Before this boom, major record companies held so much power that independent labels struggled to establish themselves commercially.

• 3. The C86 And Dunedin Sounds

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  NME released the C86 compilation cassette in the mid-1980s featuring tracks by Primal Scream, the Pastels, and the Wedding Present. Bob Stanley called it the beginning of indie music in 2006. This tape described not only the bands on the recording but also those influenced by its jangle pop and post-punk elements. The city of Dunedin, New Zealand produced many bands forming the cornerstone of Flying Nun Records. Chris Knox's band the Enemy emerged as a post-punk group whose members included Alec Bathgate. Their shows impressed teenage musicians who went on to form Bored Games, the DoubleHappys, and Straitjacket Fits. Marked by the Clean's 1981 debut single Tally-Ho! and 1982's Dunedin Double EP, guitars became often jangly and droning with indistinct vocals. The punk-inspired aspects of the scene drew influence from opposition to Robert Muldoon and his government. Bands took influence from punk rock while stripping away aggression for a reverb-heavy, pop-influenced sound. In the United Kingdom, Rough Trade released the album Inflammable Material by Stiff Little Fingers which sold over 100,000 copies. This success sparked major record companies' interest in independent music and established the UK indie charts.

• 4. Mainstream Co Optation And Split

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  In the early 1990s, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Alice in Chains broke into the mainstream from Seattle. The monumental success of these bands brought increased attention to the indie rock scene. New York magazine writer Carl Swanson argued that even the term sellout lost its meaning as grunge made it possible for a niche movement to be co-opted by the mainstream. Grunge represented the mainstreaming of the North American indie rock ethic and style of the 1980s according to media academic Roy Shuker. Indie rock experienced a split between accessible bands catering to alternative radio and those continuing to experiment underground. Slowcore developed in the United States as a direct counterpoint to the rapid growth of grunge. Galaxie 500 particularly their second album On Fire from 1989 were heavy influences on this genre. Bandcamp Daily writer Robert Rubsam called them the fountainhead for all that would come. A younger subset of grebo bands emerged around 1991 labeled fraggle bands with filthy guitars and drum machines. Prominent acts included Senseless Things, Mega City Four, and Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine. While Britpop began as an offshoot of independent British music, bands like Blur and Pulp signed to major labels.

• 5. Subgenre Diversification

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  Sunny Day Real Estate's debut album Diary released in 1994 began a new wave of emo incorporating elements into their indie rock sound. Second wave emo bands including Piebald, the Promise Ring, and Cap'n Jazz distanced the genre from its hardcore roots. The loosely defined Elephant 6 collective merged indie rock with psychedelic pop through groups like Neutral Milk Hotel and the Apples in Stereo. Indie electronic or indietronica covers rock-based artists sharing an affinity for electronic music using samplers and synthesizers. Progenitors of the genre included English bands Disco Inferno, Stereolab, and Space. Space rock took the psychedelic rock influence of Pink Floyd and Hawkwind and incorporated them into an indie context. Spacemen 3 began this style in the 1980s followed by Spiritualized and Flying Saucer Attack. As Britpop waned towards the end of the decade post-Britpop took hold within the UK scene. The Verve's album Urban Hymns became a worldwide hit in 1997 before they broke up in 1999. Radiohead achieved near-universal critical acclaim with their experimental third album OK Computer released in 1997.

• 6. Post Punk Revival Era

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  The mainstream attention which indie rock garnered in the 2000s began with the Strokes and their 2001 debut album Is This It. Playing a style indebted to '60s-70s bands like the Velvet Underground and the Ramones, the band intended to sound like a time-traveling group from the past. The album peaked at number thirty-three in the United States and debuted at number two on the UK albums chart. When the Strokes made their commercial debut, public perception of rock music was based in post-grunge and nu metal. The band's immediate influence allowed fellow classic rock influenced New York bands like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Interpol to gain mainstream attention. The success of the Strokes revitalised the then-dying underground post-Britpop scene in the United Kingdom. Groups who took the band's influence included Franz Ferdinand, Kasabian, Maxïmo Park, and Bloc Party. The Libertines formed in 1997 stood as the UK's counterpoint to the Strokes being described by AllMusic as one of the U.K.'s most influential 21st century acts. One of the earliest groups to owe their initial commercial success to Internet social networking was Sheffield's Arctic Monkeys.