Indie Sleaze’s Renaissance
Indie sleaze is back! After Y2K, the 2010s were bound to make a comeback, along with the Korg microKorg. The TikTok phenomenon known as "The Dare" is a clear example of this revival, bringing not only a viral song but also a lifestyle. Rebels without a cause, yes, but almost without rebellion at all.
The Dare, shot by OK McCausland via GQ
This comeback is the first instance of nostalgia for Generation Z (for whom Y2K exists as a distant childhood memory). In fact, they’re now reviving this movement from their early adolescence. While millennials were the original creators on platforms like Tumblr and MySpace, this "reunion" is a first for Gen Z (1997 to 2012), allowing them to experience the 2010s indie sleaze as a trend for the first time and reconnect with a version of their past.
Synthesizers like the Korg microKorg offer a “party on the go,” allowing people to create a catchy melody with just a few notes, all while being also portable and affordable. This trend has surfaced on social media platforms like TikTok, with songs like "Girls" by The Dare and the "Brat Summer" phenomenon by Charli XCX becoming instant hits. This shows that it’s not just a musical trend or a fashion one, but a full-fledged cosmogony.
Fashion operates in a cyclical sequence of trends; their repetition and alteration over time are essential conditions in its self-regulated system. Traditionally, these cycles recur approximately every two decades, although we can observe how these intervals have shortened. This may be due to the hyper-acceleration that characterizes today's zeitgeist. According to Argentine sociologist Susana Saulquin, fashion cycles renew roughly every eighteen years. However, when something returns, it always undergoes some transformation—whether in texture, color, or shape—so what comes back uses the past as a foundation but evolves into something new. The emergence of new trends is deeply connected to the concept of eternal return, although this new form of the familiar never unfolds in an exact manner.
As with everything in fashion, nothing is entirely new. The grunge from the '90s, '70s punk, and '50s "teddy boys" shared a common thread: rebellion without a cause, often as a response to economic and social crises. These were called “anti-fashion” movements, a term used because they went against the current trends, not because they opposed them. They emerged in contexts of great blows to humanity, such as post-war environments: World War II (1939-1945), the Vietnam War (1955 until 1975), the Gulf War (1990-1991), the 2008 recession, and now, the recovery from a global pandemic that led to a new global recession, alongside ongoing wars that threaten humanity. Despite expectations, young people seem to respond to these events with detachment, often adopting a satirical and humorous tone, underpinned by a constant feeling of “burn the ships, the world is beyond saving.” After all, The Dare's trendy song continues with its catchy chorus: "Girls that hate cops and buy guns."
Disheveled look, constant hangover, the resurgence of digital cameras, and the flash aesthetic that implies a lack of scene preparation through spontaneous capture, all speak of an after-party, a sense of calm after the storm that reflects our era’s mood. This is where we can see the "sleaze," which by definition refers to “a state of being sordid, corrupt, or morally questionable.”
Far from criticism, and to be honest, how can you expect a generation to react to the apparent theft of the future? Well, they party.
“Fashion expresses the spirit of the times (Zeitgeist) and is one of the most immediate indicators of social, political, economic, and cultural changes. According to Halbwachs, 'It's not just fashion that changes; fashion is merely the exaggerated and superficial expression of a profound transformation in social life'. Its success depends essentially on its ability to capture such changes and synchronize with them.” (Squicciarino, 1990)
