Bring your music out of its adolescence
by MacKenzie Reagan | @MacK_Reagan
It can be comforting to revert to your old favorite bands as you make the uncomfortable transition into adulthood, acting like an audible safety blanket shielding you from the harsh realities of paying rent and wearing grown up clothes. But eventually, it’s time to slowly clear out your old standbys and branch out a little (sorry, Avril Lavigne).
If you haven’t updated your iPod since before the streaming era, here’s a handy guide to bringing your music collection into adulthood (don’t worry, you don’t have to listen to smooth jazz just yet).
If you liked…blink-182
FIDLAR frontman Zac Carper recently told Noisey that the band’s music is heavily influenced by early pop-punk bands like blink. Carper grew up in “the fucking boonies of Hawaii,” where his radio options were somewhat limited. “[W]here I grew up mainly it was Green Day, blink-182, Sublime. I listened to the stuff that was on the radio because was all I could get.” The fast-paced post-punk shreds and wails of FIDLAR will take you back to your angsty days spent holed up in your room playing “Enema of the State” till it wore out.
If you liked…Fall Out Boy
(Ed. Note: FOB is still great. But so is new music). FOB were the clear leaders of the pack when it came to early-aughts emo-pop. (Don’t act like you don’t remember all the lyrics to “Sugar, We’re Going Down.”) Part of the band’s appeal was its clever lyrics and spunky rock melodies. Arctic Monkeys, still riding the high of their 2013 release, “AM,” consistently have some of the best wordplay in rock. Melodically, leadoff track “Do I Wanna Know?” sounds like an early FOB song that’s more sure of itself. Lyrically, the band’s second album, “Favourite Worst Nightmare,” uses similar word-trickery for which FOB became famous.
If you liked…Avril Lavigne
Like you, Sky Ferreira had a great Myspace. Unlike you, she was able to make a career off spending time on the now-dead social network. After uploading videos to Myspace, Ferreira was discovered by producers Bloodshy & Avant and later signed with Parlophone. Her full-length debut, “Night Time, My Time,” is everything “Let Go” tried to be: edgy, provocative and catchy as hell. An electro-pop tinge brings the record into this decade, while the spunky bad-girl vibe keeps it angsty enough to get you through your quarter-life crisis.
