Is pop music too nostalgic now?
By Saskia Fellowes
It seems like the pop music scene of the 2020s is all about harnessing nostalgia. Music videos and performances are laden with references, and every young star is being compared to those that came before them. Just recently, Drake released ICEMAN with Michael Jackson’s iconic bedazzled glove on the album cover – but is this trend helping artists innovate, or are they just baiting us into liking their music without having to put real creativity into it?
One of the most overtly nostalgic records of recent years is Halsey’s The Great Impersonator, a concept album where each track calls back to a different artist of the past, from David Bowie to Dolly Parton to Britney Spears. Even though each song is overt in its reference, they are all unmistakably Halsey. She uses the different genres and time periods of music to explore her story of motherhood and illness. ‘Lonely is the Muse’ and ‘Panic Attack’ blend the references with Halsey’s own style deftly, and are clear standouts on the album. There are occasional moments, however, when the impersonations veer into caricature – her Dolly Parton impression on ‘Hometown’ comes across as an exaggerated imitation of country music.
There are occasional moments, however, when the impersonations veer into caricature
Riding the wave of the 2000s revival, PinkPantheress’ Fancy That is a very authentic take on the nostalgia trend. According to some of the top comments on YouTube, her recent video for ‘Girl Like Me’ looks like it was pulled straight from MTV in 2008, and ‘Nice to Know You’ and ‘Stars’ hopefully mark a revival of British R&B. While artists like Tate McRae often sound like they are simply following the 2000s trend, PinkPantheress innovates and makes the style her own. This is what it means to do nostalgia in music well – to be inspired by the music of the past and bring in a fresh take, rather than trying to just recreate it.
Also doing this is Addison Rae. As a TikTok-creator-turned-musician, it would have been easy for her to pump out generic music to make a quick buck, but she instead took the time to develop her artistry for her debut album. Despite the allusions to Britney and the like, the songs and performances are never too referential. They are always distinctly Addison, and her small team of women co-writers and producers – something rare in pop – give the music a unique style. The most creative takes on the nostalgia trend are those that carefully select and combine various sources of inspiration, instead of copying one thing, which can be boring.
The use of nostalgia in music doesn’t inherently make it [music] less creative or good
If you are less of a pop fan, I implore you to listen to Sunday (1994), a band that transports listeners straight into their titular year with a beautiful soft indie rock sound. Their poignant lyrics aside, the gorgeous guitar riffs on ‘Mascara’ and ‘Still Blue’ invoke real feelings of nostalgia. What makes the group so unique is that it is impossible to pinpoint just one or two sources of inspiration; their deluxe EPs Sunday (1994) and Devotion call to mind The Smiths, The Cure, Lana Del Rey, Ramones, The La’s, and more.
All of the overtly nostalgia-invoking music of recent years might give the impression that artists today are relying too heavily on the past because they lack originality. Although this is sometimes the case, the use of nostalgia in music doesn’t inherently make it less creative or good. Art is always inspired by the art that came before it. It is never possible for artists to be completely original, because they always have to hone their craft by listening to music first, just as one has to be a big reader before becoming a novelist. Music has always drawn on the music that came before it, only it now appears to be more open about that fact. Being overly referential is lazy, but the artists that employ nostalgia effectively are those that draw from many sources of inspiration, take what they need from them, and make it their own.
Featured image: Wikimedia Commons
