Indie pop
Indie pop is a pop music style associated with independent labels, melodic songwriting, and comparatively lo-fi or understated production.
C86: A 1986 cassette compilation by the British music weekly NME that became associated with jangly, independent guitar pop. Its bands and sound helped establish an early British indie-pop identity.
Jangle pop: A guitar-pop style defined by bright, chiming electric-guitar tones and melodic songwriting. Its chiming guitars are a recurring texture in indie pop.
Belle and Sebastian: A Scottish band formed in Glasgow in 1996, known for literate lyrics and delicately arranged pop songs. Their early albums became defining examples of melodic, understated indie pop.
Britpop: A British guitar-pop movement of the 1990s associated with prominent melodies and a renewed focus on British identity. Its mainstream ambitions and assertive presentation differ from indie pop’s often modest scale.
Sarah Records: A Bristol independent record label active from 1987 to 1995, known for its releases and distinctive aesthetic. Its catalogue made a gentle, melodic form of British indie pop widely recognizable.
Lo-fi music: Music whose recording retains audible imperfections or limited fidelity, whether by necessity or aesthetic choice. Lo-fi recording gives many indie-pop releases their intimate, unpolished character.
The Magnetic Fields: An American band led by songwriter Stephin Merritt, known for dry wit and formally varied pop songs. Their songwriting shows how indie pop can pair catchy melodies with unconventional lyrics and arrangements.
Indie rock: Rock music associated with independent production, labels, or distribution, spanning a wide range of sounds. Indie pop is a melodic pop-oriented branch within the broader independent music landscape.
The Pastels: A Scottish band formed in Glasgow in 1981, known for an unpolished and influential approach to guitar pop. Their rough, melodic recordings helped shape indie pop’s understated sound.
DIY ethic: An approach that favors making and distributing work independently rather than relying on established institutions. DIY production and release practices connect indie pop’s sound to its independent identity.