The sound of the 1990s, from the melodic jangle of R.E.M. and Sugar to the lush distortion of Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine, is suddenly everywhere, writes music journalist Robert Moran. Olivia Rodrigo, a noted fan of the era, recently took The Breeders on tour and revived Lilith Fair for a new generation, sending the sound to the top of the pop charts with her album You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love.
Emily Massey, lead singer of US indie band Slow Pulp, whose new album Melodie builds on alt-90s foundations, said the era holds an untarnished mystique for those raised in its wake. "We were little kids in the 90s, so there's a sense of longing for a time you have some sense of but don't have fully formed memories of," she said.
Slow Pulp formed in Madison, Wisconsin, the city where Butch Vig produced Nirvana and The Smashing Pumpkins. Henry Stoehr, the band's songwriter and guitarist, said that after the COVID lockdowns there was a shift away from club culture towards music with more meaning. "You reach a point where it's like, 'I'm kind of done partying and I want something that's gonna hit me in the gut,'" he said. "That's the purpose that rock music has always served, and people are craving that."
Maxwell Elphick, guitarist of Adelaide band Swapmeet, whose members bonded over Sonic Youth and Pavement, said he got into grunge via Guitar Hero and CDs from his uncle. The DIY looseness of the 90s appealed to him. "It feels like weird music became cool and popular then, like you didn't have to be a great vocalist to be in a good band," he said. "We'd be making this kind of music anyway, but it's great that people think rock music is cool again. Because I feel like everyone thought it was a little cringe for a bit."
Nina Pitchkites, vocalist and guitarist of US band Wishy, acknowledged that critics favour innovation over revival. "There's not much originality left in music in terms of what hasn't been done, and that's not what we're trying to do anyway," she said. Kevin Krauter, the band's guitarist, noted that the current political climate under Donald Trump and the rise of the manosphere may be fuelling a return to the gentle, anti-macho ethos of 90s twee and riot grrrl. "And so it makes sense that people would rediscover twee attitudes and aesthetics right now," he said.
The albums Melodie, Nature's Pill and Mount Zero are out now.