The music industry has always held up a mirror to society, from the countercultural punk movement of the 1970s to the invention of hip-hop as a platform for underrepresented communities during the same decade.
Although the invention of a new genre can be an indicator of a societal shift, a more notable signal is the revival of an existing genre. According to an essay by Juniper Hill and Caroline Bithell, “revivals are almost always motivated by dissatisfaction with some aspect of the present and a desire to effect some sort of cultural change.”
One of the most significant genre revivals of the past 50 years is the garage rock revival of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Based on the two causes of a genre revival outlined by Hill and Bithell, the music industry is due for another revival of garage rock.
The revival of garage rock at the beginning of the millennium was a direct result of “dissatisfaction with some aspect of the present.” The 1980s had been a time of overly stylized glam rock which eventually faded and made room for the critically abhorred pop punk and nu-metal genres, solidifying the demise of rock n’ roll.
Then, The Strokes debuted in 2001 with “Is This It,” an album that many consider to be the first entry in the chronicle of garage rock revival. Bay Area Punk characterizes garage rock revival as “a return to the raw, stripped-down sound of 1960s garage rock, with an emphasis on loud guitars, simple melodies and distorted vocals.” The Strokes harnessed this style and paved the way for countless other groups to follow suit, including Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand, The Killers, Interpol and many others.
For a short time, these groups brought rock back from the dead. Although their influence still exists today, there has been a sorry lack of rock representation in the past few years. Pitchfork's “100 Best Albums of the 2020s So Far” is dominated by pop and rap music, with SZA, Beyoncé, Charli XCX and Playboi Carti all claiming spots in the top 10. All of these artists have created revolutionary albums, but it is high time for a garage rock revival album to make the list.
The second aspect of revival theory (“to effect some sort of cultural change”) is exemplified in the punk movement of the 1970s that came in tandem with garage rock. Many bands that belong to the garage rock genre can also be characterized as punk groups, and the same can be said of many garage rock revival and post-punk revival bands (i.e. The White Stripes, Interpol, Franz Ferdinand).
Britannica defines the punk movement of the 1970s as “anarchist, decentralizing and libertarian.” The punk scene has always been proudly anti-establishment and fought for individualism in authoritarian societies. In light of recent political events, it is safe to say another revival of these ideologies is right around the corner, and it is bound to come with a renaissance of the musical genres that emphasize those themes.
Sophia Rooksberry is a junior studying journalism. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk more about it? Let Sophia know by tweeting her @sophiarooks_.
