Noise Pop
tagStarted 1985Peak 1988-1995Last big hit still active
Located in 4 routes
Sweet pop melody buried in dissonant guitar noise and feedback. Sugary tunes and breathy or detached vocals collide with squalls of distortion, fuzz and droning overdrive, occupying the line between bubblegum and the avant-garde. The tension between pretty hooks and abrasive sonic assault is the genre: lovely songs deliberately roughed up by walls of white-noise guitar.
History
Birthed in 1985 by The Jesus and Mary Chain's feedback-drenched 'Psychocandy,' noise pop set melodic songcraft against guitar squall. My Bloody Valentine pushed the density further toward shoegaze, while US acts like Yo La Tengo and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart sustained the pretty-melody-meets-noise template across decades of indie rock.
Defining artists
Essential listening
- Just Like Honey — The Jesus and Mary ChainSpotifyYouTube
- Only Shallow — My Bloody ValentineSpotifyYouTube
- Sugarcube — Yo La TengoSpotifyYouTube
- Young Adult Friction — The Pains of Being Pure at HeartSpotifyYouTube
- Infinity Guitars — Sleigh BellsSpotifyYouTube
- I Know I'll See You — A Place to Bury StrangersSpotifyYouTube
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noise_pop
- https://www.allmusic.com/style/noise-pop-ma0000012156
- https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/
- https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/