Indie Folk Pop
tagStarted 2007Peak 2010-2016Last big hit still active
Acoustic, folk-rooted pop with big communal hooks: strummed and fingerpicked guitars, banjo, stomp-clap percussion, layered harmonies and lyrics about roots, longing and home. Warmer and more anthemic than pure folk, it adds pop choruses and gang vocals to organic, largely acoustic arrangements built for festival-sized singalongs.
History
Fleet Foxes' lush 2008 harmonies and Bon Iver's cabin-made debut sparked a folk revival that turned commercial as Mumford & Sons, The Lumineers and Of Monsters and Men brought banjo-and-stomp anthems to radio around 2012. The boom faded mid-decade but left an enduring, harmony-rich template for organic, earnest indie pop.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indie_folk
- https://www.allmusic.com/style/indie-folk-ma0000012197
- https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/fleet-foxes-fleet-foxes/