This is House of Fun Radio, a monthly mixtape available on Substack and SoundCloud.
૮꒰ ˶• ༝ •˶꒱ა ♡ If you opened this email, hello!!!!
Today’s Show: Twee, Britpop, Alternative Rock, Indie Pop
While I’ve done everything in my power to let people on this Internet know that I am listening to new music and expanding my horizons (that I am literally SMART), life has been unrelenting lately and I just want to listen to something comfortable and familiar for once. It’s moments like these, when the horrors persist, that one must get in touch with their roots. For better or worse, my roots involve a peter pan collar, dutifully kneeling at the altar of Zooey Deschanel.
Twee is in my blood. Nay, my bone marrow. This is no aesthetic, fools. This is real life. I was there for the first Tumblr twee revival of 2009 and that changes a person. I have literally not stopped wearing collars since. Every winter coat I’ve ever had is kind of a peacoat, even when it’s not. You have no idea how deep this goes.
Me between 2009-2011. Really get into it!
The essence of twee, both in fashion and in sound, has become misunderstood over the years. Coined in the 80s (roughly), twee should not be confused with indie pop. Indie pop used to mean a less polished pop sound that was influenced by rock and roll. Those words have effectively lost all meaning in 2024.
Twee, however, can only mean one thing.
In response to the hyper-masculine energy of 80s punk, the 90s was a time to redefine how punk could look. There was Riot Grrrl, the underground movement that transformed hardcore, queercore, and garage through a much-needed feminist lens. There was also twee, a stripped down version of rock that showed a softer side of the punk movement. At the heart of it, twee is a sad girl’s love song. It explores feelings of unrequited love, loneliness, and melancholia, all through a dreamlike sound. Twee pop is described as innocent, almost saccharine in its approach to the subject, leaning into raw earnest lyricism to tell its story. However, twee is anything but innocent.
Despite the presence of twee pop in cities like Seattle and Denver, twee’s origins in London and Glasgow make it so quintessentially British: Deeply self aware and comfortable in its melancholia, almost empowered by it. It is not just ‘we are sad.’ It is ‘we are sad and it’s making us STRONGER!’ What’s more punk than that?
As a teen girl riddled with heartbreak, twee pop immediately resonated as my kind of angst. The music and fashion of the twee life effortlessly fit into my life.
Also, my mom said I couldn’t be emo.
I hope you enjoy today’s episode. It pairs nicely with cleaning out your old hard drive.
[Tracklist]
01 You Said That Last Night by The Apples In Stereo (1997) / 02 Space Manatee by Heavenly (1996) / 03 Just Like Henry by Dressy Bessy (1999) / 04 Tomorrow by The Cardigans (1995) / 05 I Love You Like the Way That I Used To Do by Rocketship (1995) / 06 Inside Out by Brighter (1992) / 07 You & Me by Tiger Trap (1993) / 08 The Centre Of My Little World by Another Sunny Day (1992) / 09 Yeah Yeah Yeah by The Minders (1998) / 10 Emma’s House by The Field Mice (1998) / 11 Belinda by Tullycraft (1998) / 12 Climbing by The Sweetest Ache (1992) / 13 Nothing to be Done by The Pastels (1993) / 14 Here’s Where The Story Ends by The Sundays (1990) / 15 Sleep the Clock Around by Belle and Sebastian (1998)
[Syllabus]
Lochrie, C. (2022, January 19). A guide to twee pop in seven bands. Tone Deaf. https://tonedeaf.thebrag.com/a-guide-to-twee-pop-in-seven-bands/
Mejia, P. (2014, May 1). A wistful walk through the precious world of twee pop. The A.V. Club.https://www.avclub.com/a-wistful-walk-through-the-precious-world-of-twee-pop-1798268344
Songs for Cutie Patooties ♡ HoF RADIO 002