DON’T CALL IT A COMEBACK
INDIE SLEAZE IS DEAD!
I came across a post on SSENSE’s Instagram today that really pissed me off and, judging by the comments, I’m not alone. The post, with Michèle Lamy as an odd-pick for a cover image, boasted an article with the caption “Is Indie Sleaze over, or just getting started?” What surprised me even more was the quote from Indie Sleaze legend himself, Mr. Mark Hunter - AKA the Cobrasnake - who doesn’t think that we’re close to reaching “the tip of the iceberg” of this revival. I do agree with him that there is a resurgence happening, shown by his mention of the soundtrack for indie blockbuster Saltburn that features Bloc Party and MGMT. But I think it’s essential to distinguish between a revival, and the original movement itself.
Trends typically operate on a 20-year cycle, which means the Bloghouse era - otherwise known as Indie Sleaze - is ripe for a renaissance. However, trends come to fruition as a result of their current zeitgeist. In the mid-2000s, a DIY explosion was fueled by exciting new tech, like iPods that allowed us to hold thousands of songs in the palms of our hands for the first time, and social media sites that connected the globe overnight. Therefore, Indie Sleaze was the product of this unprecedented access to music, art, and culture. Brands like American Apparel, which I also wrote about previously, rose alongside this movement, existing symbiotically to become a defining part of that era.
M.I.A. making tunes in bed on the Roland MC-505, circa 2003
Along with the importance of The Cobrasnake’s voyeuristic photography back then, music was a crucially-defining aspect. The synonymous electroclash genre took off thanks to the advent of file-sharing sites like Hypem, Mediafire and LimeWire. Artists like Cut Copy, Justice, MSTRKRFT, SebastiAn, and Crookers launched a unique sound constructed from the bones of 80s music. To this day, few tracks have had as much of an impact on the electronic scene as much as Warp 1.9 by The Bloody Beetroots ft. Steve Aoki. Watching that song unfold in its prime at Coachella in 2009 was a religious experience that’s hard to match today. So yes, I was taken aback to hear Mark Hunter also speak about Warp in such a tone deaf way - “... why that song? It was kind of popular, but it’s not that popular.” Come on, Mark!
Indie Sleaze effectively came to an end in 2012, coinciding with American Apparel’s financial struggles, the rise of the iPhone and death of the iPod, and the rapid decline of Myspace. Let’s not pretend for a second that just because Dim Mak Tuesdays are back that Indie Sleaze has actually returned. In the same vein, buying a Nirvana t-shirt from Urban Outfitters doesn’t make you part of the 90s Grunge movement.
Fome Emede taking a selfie with a flip phone backstage a fashion show promoting ethnic fashion in Israel, 2006.
I also have to laugh about the irony watching kids these days romanticize a time that would just about kill them...
First of all, LGTBQ+ rights were minimal at the time. In 2008, California banned gay marriage with the passing of Proposition 8, and Obama himself publicly-opposed gay marriage until 2010. The only time you’d hear a heated discussion about pronouns was in your middle school grammar class. The most flamboyant kids you knew lived deep in the closet, fearing that coming out could derail their social lives and futures.
Secondly, the absence of cancel culture meant that words we find to be deeply offensive now were the norm back then. The R-word was prevalent in nearly every TV show and movie from the time, and terms like “gypsy” were used without any pushback. “Transgender” was years away from becoming a household term, but “Tranny” was a popular one. We also didn’t have overarching terms for identity like “LatinX,” and “queer” was still a slur, not yet a badge of pride.
Most importantly, the lack of constant internet connection made life fundamentally different. Flip phones were all the rage and I miss mine every day, but you could forget about typing long or easy messages with a T9 keyboard. We didn’t have GPS on our phones, let alone apps like Yelp or Postmates. We printed out driving directions and had to call taxis in the hopes they’d rescue us from sketchy clubs in the middle of the night. We coded our social media pages and used a “firewire” to connect our cameras to our computers (which existed in designated rooms, not in our pockets).
And yet, very few people who grew up during this time will tell you that they’re happier now than they were then. So what am I trying to say then? That the Indie Sleaze era was one of unmatched resourcefulness and it fostered genuine connections in a way that modern times never could. It also spawned a wave of DIY zeal and creativity that simply can’t happen again. So, while I’m glad to see people validate my musical preferences as a teenager, I can’t help but cringe at the click-bait sentiment that a long-gone era is somehow coming back. Indie Sleaze is dead.
@SSENSE @Mark Hunter.. You can celebrate the past while simultaneously admitting that its authenticity is gone and can never be replicated.
-SID
