You Should Listen to More Bad Music
Ava Lazazzera ‘26
If the runaway success of Charli xcx’s latest album,“BRAT”, has proven anything, it’s that electronic dance pop is back. Acts like 100 gecs and underscores released well-received albums in 2023, and the rise of hyperpop and its associated genres such as bubblegum bass and electropop in mainstream popularity over the past few years means the pop music landscape is looking more lively than it has in a long time. Even as a longtime insufferable hipster who hasn’t “really been all that into mainstream pop music” since my unfortunate introduction to The Smiths in high school, I found myself getting swept up in the fun of “Brat Summer”. I picked up the CD and began blasting it with the windows down as I drove home from concerts in the middle of the night. In addition to “Brat”, I’ve also been enjoying other recent electronic releases: “Wallsocket” by underscores, “Frailty” by Jane Remover and songs by artists like kmoe, clust.r and webcage.
When I listen to modern electronic music, I can’t help but be reminded of music from a not-so-distant past. The over-the-top, glitzy sound of hyperpop harkens back to the scenecore and electropop of the late 2000s and early 2010s. Acts like 3OH!3 are influential to current hyperpop. The group collaborated with 100 gecs in 2020 to release a song called, “LONELY MACHINES”. The relics of the MySpace era — 3OH!3, Brokencyde, Millionaires — tend to have a bad reputation, and I can understand why. It only takes about thirty seconds of any 3OH!3 song to find a lyric that has aged exceedingly poorly, and the effect created by Brokencyde’s signature combination of intense growling vocals and hip hop beats is… not the most harmonious, to say the least.
Despite any earned criticism, I do have a soft spot for this type of music (which is embarrassing to admit as it is in direct opposition to my previously discussed insufferable hipster qualities). Ultimately, the main quality that the genre has in common with the more critically acclaimed modern hyperpop is that it is fun to listen to. There is a very sincere element to scenecore music that makes it infectious and enjoyable. It doesn’t have to take itself seriously in order to be worthwhile to the listener.
Laura Les of 100 gecs understands that this sincerity is an important factor in what makes this genre of music fun. She expressed in an interview with NME that she feels the biggest misconception that people have about the band is that they are “deeply ironic people.” She elaborates on this point: “People think that we’ve staked our entire career on the fact that we can be ironic really well. I’m like, ‘Nobody can do that!’ Who’s a parody artist who makes music similar to ours? You’d be hard-pressed [to find one]. We’re not joking all the time… sometimes. A little bit. We’re having fun — we’re not fucking being ironic.”
As someone who spends a lot of time in music review spaces, I’ve found it valuable to let myself simply enjoy ‘bad music,’ no irony allowed. It removes the pressure to critically evaluate each album and carefully assign it a numerical value, removes the sense of worry over what my Spotify Wrapped will look like even though it’s only April, removes the feeling of needing to measure my personal opinions against those of Pitchfork or Anthony Fantano. I’m not saying it’s bad to be critical or to enjoy a Black Country, New Road song, but I am encouraging music fans to listen to stuff they may have previously written off. Don’t be afraid to get a little silly!
For those curious, I have curated a playlist of some of my favorites from the dance pop, hyperpop, and electropop bangers, from the 2000s to 2024:
365 - Charli xcx
ICANTDOITALONE - 3OH!3
Stupid (Can’t run from the urge) - underscores
Blackout - Breathe Carolina
Linoleum - kmoe
Blah Blah Blah - Kesha featuring 3OH!3
Dumbest Girl Alive - 100 gecs
Party Like A Millionaire - Millionaires
Stuck - Scene Queen, 6arelyhuman
LONELY MACHINES - 3OH!3, 100 gecs
Johnny johnny johnny - underscores
Shake It - Metro Station
TENSIONNN - webcage
Freaxxx - Brokencyde
THRU THE VOID - Black Dresses
Guilty Pleasure - Cobra Starship