Why are we branded as a cult?
“If it wasn’t for this music I don’t know how I would’ve fought this”
One of the first questions I ask someone when I first meet them is what their favourite type of music is. For me, music is the thing I fill up my whole day with. When I’m feeling anxious or frustrated, I just put in my headphones and shut out the world. It’s a way to escape from reality for a brief moment in time, a way to express how I’m feeling when my own words fail me. Music allows me to shut myself away for little moments but also helps me feel a sense of community when I need it most.
Now, let me ask you - what’s your favourite type of music? I’ll tell you mine; a mix of metalcore/pop-punk/modern rock/emo. Now, what assumptions are you making about me? I can think of a few stereotypical responses that are commonly pushed around. People are often shocked when I tell them I love emo music. I’ve been told:
“you can’t like emo music”
“you don’t look like the type of person to listen to that depressing stuff”
But why do we have to look or behave in a certain way to like a certain type of music?
Emo music is not one size fits all; there isn’t a certain aesthetic that must be fulfilled. Why should the type of music you listen to be dictated by the clothes you wear or the type of friends you have?
I think it’s because it makes people uncomfortable, almost scared. Emo music has often been branded as a type of cult by the media; people are frightened that individuals want to express themselves in a way that is often portrayed as ‘angry’.
In general, people try to avoid change, but change is inevitable. Subcultures and the music which goes along with them lead to change. The music scene is constantly changing, genres merge and form something new.
Emo music stems from the hardcore punk movements of the 80s, being re-branded in the 90s to include pop-punk and alternative rock. Punk is about rebellion; emo music is the rebellion against the oppression of expressing how we feel.
“I’m not afraid to keep on living. I’m not afraid to walk this world alone”
The first time I got into this music was when I was 15. Before, I listened to the generic pop music that was played on the radio. I’m not saying that this was a bad thing and if pop is your thing, then that’s perfectly okay. However, I guess I used this music as my way of fitting in. If I listened to the same music as my friends and wore what was deemed fashionable at the time, then I could find my place in the world.
I couldn’t have been so wrong.
Trying to be something you’re not never works. It’s exhausting. It didn’t make me happy; I was just living through the motions of what was popular to listen to without really finding anything that resonated with me. When I was 15, I discovered Twenty-One Pilots.
Now, this is a bit controversial one. Many people will disagree with me by saying their music isn’t emo. TØP seem to have created a completely different genre; fusing alternative rock/ alternative hip-hop/rap-rock/pop-rock etc. I have lost count of the number of heated discussions over the internet that I’ve had about whether they are actually emo. For argument’s sake, I’m saying they are, but you’re more than welcome to disagree with me. At the age of 15/16, GCSE’s were in full force, friendship groups were constantly changing, and the way I dealt with these changes was through music. Their lyrics comforted me in desperate times. It’s not easy to talk about what’s going on in your head, so I turned to music.
Emo music covers taboo subjects such as death and depression. Many bands reject this label because of the negative connotations associated with this sub-genre of music. People like to find scapegoats to blame for things that are difficult to explain. There is a common misconception that emo music makes you hate yourself — this really couldn’t be further from the truth. Emo music is all about the lyrics, the power that they hold is immense. At times, when nothing else can calm me down when I’m stressed or anxious, music has a way of bringing these emotions out. It’s a coping mechanism; a way for me to acknowledge and deal with these feelings, instead of burying them deep inside me. Pushing them to the back of my mind and pretending they don’t exist doesn’t help. Sometimes you need to scream at the top of your lungs ‘I’m not okay’, to recognise that this is what you’re feeling right now, but it won’t last forever.
“I don’t want to be heard. I want to be listened to”
The sense of community that these bands offer is amazing. Going to a concert and being surrounded by people screaming out your favourite songs is an experience like no other.
However, the pandemic has put a stop to this. Bands have had to come up with alternative ways to interact with their fans, which I feel has been done in a much more personal way. Online concerts have been one way to do this, but the use of social media has been a lifesaver. With all the negatives that come with social media platforms, there is one huge advantage. It allows artists to interact with fans, connecting people from all over the world that would never meet in the real world.
Emo bands have a great sense of community and with this pandemic, artists have adapted their approaches to make this still possible. The lead singer of My Chemical Romance brought out this free quarantine colouring book, which I spent hours completing. I absolutely suck at any form of art, but I gave it a go. It was such a helpful distraction when being in lockdown. The amount of joy I felt when he liked a few of my Instagram posts made me smile for hours. At that moment I felt like I was part of something. Live Q&A sessions on Instagram got so many people singing along to songs in their bedrooms. It blows my mind how music can bring so many people together.
Twenty-One Pilots created this scavenger hunt over the internet. People had to solve riddles and decipher symbols in order to unlock videos which gave the next clue. I remember the few sleepless nights I endured trying to frantically figure everything out by interacting with people on social media. In the end, we were rewarded with a music video, where fans could upload short clips and be part of a never-ending stream of their most recent song at the time.
The definition of a cult is a group ‘whose beliefs are considered extreme or strange by many people’. Cults are often tied to coercion and oppression, but emo music is the complete opposite. It’s about expressing feelings that society wants to oppress. It’s a way for us to deal with the struggles life brings because life is difficult; there’s no point in denying it. Being surrounded by people who understand makes life just that little bit easier.
So, do you think emo music is a cult? Because I for sure don’t!
