The question of whether we are experiencing an “indie sleaze revival” has taken over discussions in music and fashion scenes. You might be wondering what “indie sleaze” actually refers to. Further, what does an “indie sleaze revival” actually entail, and has the indie sleaze aesthetic ever gone away?
Origins of Indie Sleaze
The term “indie sleaze” was coined on TikTok in 2021 to describe a specific lifestyle, attitude, and aesthetic in the early noughties. It encapsulates a grunge and carefree lifestyle, fashion, and music scene.
In addition, the Instagram account @IndieSleaze boasts 206K followers. Its bio describes the account as “Documenting the decadence of the mid-late aughts and the indie sleaze party scene that died in 2012.” The owner of the Instagram account cites her inspiration for the term as combining indie music, the 2000s magazine Sleaze, and the Uffie lyric “I’ll make your sleazy dreams come true.”
Indie sleaze originated in the creative and alternative New York City party scenes. The most influential individual in the indie sleaze aesthetic is Mark Hunter. At 18, Hunter was artist Shepard Fairey’s assistant and began taking photos at these NYC parties to post on his website, thecobrasnake.com. In a time before social media, Hunter’s portfolio became one of the most influential sources for its time into the life of celebrities and influential trends. Hunter photographed celebrities like Kanye West, Lady Gaga, Chloë Sevigny, and Mary Kate Olson to name a few. By documenting celebrity style at the time, Hunter helped to create the style.
Fashion and Indie Sleaze
Indie sleaze fashion is heavily associated with grunge and frankly unhinged hipster aesthetics. Hunter said, “The only people that were thrifting [in the early 2010s] were people who couldn’t afford new clothes and members of the creative community.”
Vogue writer Christian Allaire says the carelessness and messy indie sleaze fashion style worked because “it really felt authentic.” He continues, “Stars didn’t have stylists or full-on glam teams the same way they do today; they really were just slapping things together and hoped it worked.”
Musical Impact of Indie Sleaze
Indie sleaze was just as much about music as it was fashion. The post-grunge and garage-rock revival indie bands in New York City were some of the most defining acts in the indie sleaze aesthetic. Bands like The Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeah, and Interpol are the most important bands to understanding the indie sleaze scene.
Indie sleaze is not a specific genre of music, but a collection of bands and genres that emerged in the 2000s and 2010s. It groups indie, rock, grunge, post-punk, dance, and electronic music together. Genres like indie dance and punk emerged from bands like Daft Punk and LCD Soundsystem. Additionally, bands like Arctic Monkeys and Vampire Weekend were prominent indie rock bands in the 2010s.
Not only are many of these bands still making music today, but they have also impacted and inspired various new acts.
Here’s a closer look at the music released by three impactful indie sleaze bands:
The Strokes
Indie sleaze would be nothing without The Strokes. In 2009, NME ranked The Strokes debut album Is This It (released in 2001) as the greatest album of the decade.
The Strokes formed as a band in 1997 but did not perform under the name of The Strokes until 1999. They played at various clubs in New York City like HiFi Bar, Luna Lounge, and Mercury Lounge.
Author and Journalist Lizzy Goodman wrote the book “Meet Me in the Bathroom” on the New York City music scene. She states that The Strokes are “as influential to their era as the Velvet Underground or the Ramones were to theirs.” Additionally citing that “almost every artist I interviewed for this book – from all over the world – said it was The Strokes that opened the door for them.”
The Strokes released their most recent album The New Abnormal in 2020.
LCD Soundsystem
James Murphy, co-founder of DFA Records, started LCD Soundsystem in 2002 out of Brooklyn. The band’s genre is indie with electronic/electroclash influences.
Between the years of 2002-2004, the band released various singles, beginning with Losing My Edge. In 2005 they released a self-titled debut album. The album was critically acclaimed and received Grammy nominations for Best Electronic/Dance Album and Best Dance Recording with Daft Punk is Playing at My House.
The band went on to release two more studio albums, Sound of Silver and This Is Happening. The band announced it would be disbanding and on April 2, 2011, LCD Soundsystem performed a farewell show at Madison Square Garden.
However, in 2015 the band began to release music again along with performing live at various music festivals. In 2017 they released the studio album American Dream.
LCD Soundsystem continues to play shows, recently headlining All Points East festival in London and performing at the legendary Glastonbury Festival.
Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend met and grouped together at Columbia University in New York City. They released their debut album Vampire Weekend in 2008. Spin Magazine called Vampire Weekend “The Year’s Best New Band.
The album was met with high acclaim and to this day it is still considered one of the best debut albums. Vampire Weekend combined elements of indie pop, Afropop and chamber music throughout the album. The band self produced their debut album while also working full-time jobs.
Vampire Weekend has consistently released albums since coming onto the scene in 2006. They recently released Only God Was Above Us in April 2024 and will be on tour in the United States beginning in September.
The Dare
It’s impossible to talk about the topic of an indie sleaze revival without discussing The Dare (Harrison Parker Smith). Most people had no idea who The Dare was until a few weeks ago following his production collaboration with Charli XCX on Guess featuring Billie Eilish. The Dare is releasing his debut Album What’s Wrong With New York? on September 6th.
The Dare released his song Girls in 2022. Many have compared the song to LCD Soundsystem’s song Drunk Girls. This comparison isn’t too suprising knowing that LCD Soundsystem is one of the biggest inspirations for The Dare’s own work.
In a recent New York Times profile on Smith, his new album is described as “a tight 10-song flex of Smith’s formidable production skills that ranges from winking to baldfaced in its referential debt to early aughts New York City dance rock.”
So is there such thing as an Indie Sleaze Revival?
Arguments can be made for both cases on if we are experiencing an indie sleaze revival, or if indie sleaze ever truly went away.
Vogue writer Hannah Jackson explains “I do think there are a handful of people these days who have that carnal kind of messiness, that DGAF attitude, that could really pull off a revival. Addison Rae seems to embody it, as does Charli XCX, Troye Sivan, The Dare, and I’m especially convinced by Alex Consani.”
However, she also adds that she looks to the original figures of indie sleaze today. “I feel that a lot of them have maintained that style but eveolved as they’ve gotten older.”
I believe this is the dilemma surrounding the discussion of a revival: the height of indie sleaze was not long ago at all, and many of the key figures in the 2000s and 2010s are still active today. Hunter is still photographing events in New York City and beyond, uploading portfolios of photographs to his website.
The elements of indie sleaze are still alive today, but the attitude of the original subculture died in 201. Even more so as social media use became more prevalent. It lost its original attitude and became a consumable aesthetic.
I believe we’re seeing a new generation of artists take on the indie sleaze aesthetic. The original bands of indie sleaze have had enough impact in their careers to inspire bands and artists emerging today.
