It’s Just Nostalgia

So, cassette tapes are making a comeback and there is discourse on the internet about it. First, I’m happy to know I’m not the only one interested in recapturing the media. I’ve been considering buying a stereo and starting a tape collection for the past year—I’m not one for impulse buys.

Reason being, cassette tapes are cheap. Way cheaper than vinyl. They don’t require a monthly subscription. They don’t have ads and they don’t take up much space. There’s also a nostalgic bit that I’m interested in reliving.

That’s the thing internet people seem to be upset about.

“Cassettes are terrible. They sounded bad. They jammed. It’s just nostalgia that is bringing them back.”

It’s just nostalgia. OK, but I don’t think you can be that flippant about it. Nostalgia means something. It’s tied to meaningful personal memories and experiences. Maybe that’s attractive in part because you can’t go back there, but engaging with objects that were is like reaching into the past and feeling it a little. I find nothing wrong with that.

Personally, I also don’t care for common objections to cassettes. The attraction is not about sound quality, though I do enjoy the warm sound of tape. Should I buy CDs instead? They’re easily scratched and skip. Vinyl warps and quality equipment these days isn’t cheap either. Digital streaming sounds like digital streaming and artists get pennies for it. There are flaws to all forms of media, but for me this is about the listening experience of music.

You could also argue that people want to show them off. As rich people build wine coolers with glass doors to show guests how wealthy they are, the culturally opulent enjoy showing off their music tastes as proof of how cool they are. I’m OK with that too.

Let’s not forget the sound of popping open the case, the feel of sliding out the paper and reading the lyrics. Sometimes the cassettes are really interesting colors you only discover when you open the case for the first time. The opening and closing “clunk” of the player, these are things I’ve not heard or felt for a long time and they’re good things! I haven’t even mentioned the graphic design tie-in here; the album art.

Who wouldn’t be nostalgic for that?