Indie folk

Characteristics

The staff of Paste Magazine said in 2020: "No music genre is particularly easy to define, but “indie folk” is about as nebulous as they come." Indie folk hybridizes the acoustic guitar melodies of traditional folk music with contemporary instrumentation. The lyrical style commonly includes raw emotional experiences, social commentary and an introspective lens. The genre blends the ethos and experimental nature of indie music with the storytelling of folk music. Instruments frequently used in the genre include guitars, banjos, mandolins, and ukuleles.

Influences

1960s–1970s

John Lennon and Bob Dylan have been cited as influences for indie folk, with Phoebe Bridgers stating, "I love John Lennon,” she continues “Easily best Beatle. He’s been such an icon for so many people who are my heroes, like Elliott Smith and Daniel Johnston". Additionally, The Velvet Underground influenced the genre with their raw and experimental music, which had a profound impact on all alternative and indie genres. Other Influences include Elvis Costello, Leonard Cohen, Neil Young,Simon and Garfunkel, The Byrds, Nico, and Joni Mitchell.

History

The genre has its earliest origins in 1990s folk artists who displayed alternative rock influences in their music, such as Ani DiFranco and Dan Bern, and acoustic artists such as Elliott Smith and Will Oldham. In the following decade, labels such as Saddle Creek, Barsuk, Ramseur, and Sub Pop helped to provide support to indie folk, with artists such as Fleet Foxes breaking into the pop charts with albums such as Helplessness Blues.

In the United Kingdom, artists such as Ben Howard and Mumford & Sons emerged, with the latter band promoting the music style through their Gentlemen of the Road touring festivals. The success of acts like Mumford & Sons led some music journalists like Popjustice's Peter Robinson labelling this new British music scene as The New Boring or Beige Pop. A decade later, the terms "stomp and holler," "stomp clap hey," and "hoedown pop" were coined to refer retrospectively, often derisively but sometimes with endearment, to such bands.

In the late 2010s and in the 2020s, artists such as Taylor Swift, Phoebe Bridgers, and Julien Baker revived interest in the genre with Swift's Folklore and Evermore, as well as Bridgers' Punisher and Baker's Sprained Ankle, Turn Out the Lights, and Little Oblivions. Bridgers cites Elliott Smith as a foundational influence on her sound.

References

References

1. "The 100 Best Indie Folk Albums of All Time".
2. "Indie Folk Characteristics: The Harmonious Blend of Authenticity and Innovation".
3. (2024-10-06). "Indie Folk Music: The Soulful Sound of Authenticity - Music Magazine".
4. Martoccio, Angie. (2020-05-27). "Laughter, Tears, and Harmony: How Phoebe Bridgers Made 'Punisher'".
5. "sweet adeline {{!}} the delicate sound of an explosion".
6. Blog, N. M. E.. (2010-10-26). "Elliott Smith Archive Interview - 'There Has To Be Darkness In My Songs'".
7. Michael Keefe. "What Is New Folk? A Genre Profile". [[About.com]].
8. "Indie Folk Music Genre Overview {{!}} AllMusic".
9. (26 September 2020). "American indie band Fleet Foxes drops its latest album Shore".
10. (2 October 2020). "Review: Shore Heralds the Welcome Return of Indie Folk Heavyweights Fleet Foxes".
11. (25 September 2020). "The Quiet Return of Fleet Foxes and Sufjan Stevens".
12. "The Best Indie Folk Albums of All Time".
13. (May 20, 2011). "Fleet Foxes crack Billboard 200 chart at No. 4".
14. (June 12, 2018). "NBHAP Story | Ben Howard doesn't want to be your indie-folk sweetheart".
15. (February 3, 2020). "Ben Howard - Devonian Folk Artist & Guitarist Of Note".
16. "Ben Howard's Collections From The Whiteout".
17. (March 2, 2013). "Ben Howard: the new boring or the next big thing?".
18. "Mumford & Sons | Biography, Albums, Streaming Links".
19. (14 November 2018). "Mumford & Sons Are Harder to Hate, but Sound Less Like Themselves".
20. (13 May 2014). "Do They Actually Suck? Nickelback and Mumford & Sons".
21. "What We do - Gentlemen of the Road".
22. (5 February 2013). "2013 Gentlemen of the Road Stopovers announced".
23. "Mumford & Sons Plot 2013 'Gentlemen of the Road' Stopovers".
24. (October 7, 2011). "Sorry, Adele, but Someone Like You has ushered in The New Boring".
25. Hawking, Tom. (24 September 2013). "Why Did We Bother Hating a Band as Boring as Mumford & Sons?".
26. (October 24, 2020). "The return of real folk: The bands consigning Mumford & Sons and nu-folk to the past".
27. Jennings, Rebecca. (18 October 2023). "Are we ready for the return of 'stomp clap hey' music?". Vox Media.
28. Zoladz, Lindsay. (16 April 2020). "Learning From Elliott Smith, 20 Years After 'Figure 8'".