Slowcore

Slowcore,[lower-alpha 1] also known as sadcore,[3][4][5] is a subgenre of alternative rock and indie rock. The music of slowcore artists is generally characterized by bleak lyrics, downbeat melodies, slower tempos and minimalist arrangements.[6]

Slowcore
Stylistic origins
Cultural origins1990s, United States
Other topics
Post-rock

Characteristics

Slowcore is a subgenre of indie rock characterized by minimal musical backing, played at slow speeds. Swedish singer Stina Nordenstam has been described as slowcore because of "her sadly beautiful little-girl whisper" style of singing.[3]

Artists would often take influence from other genres like americana, dream pop and post-rock, often times straddling lines between genres.[7] Drone, a form of ambient music, is also cited as being similar.[8]

Sadcore

Slowcore is occasionally referred to as "sadcore", and many journalists and scholars consider them to be interchangeable labels for the same genre.[4][9] Regardless, when they are distinguished, the differences are attributed to the lyrics in sadcore being more melancholic.[10][5]

The sadcore categorisation has been used to describe Lana Del Rey's musical style, which was likened to "Hollywood sadcore" by MTV.[11][12] Additionally, in 2003 LA Weekly called Charlyn Marshall (stage name Cat Power) the "Queen of Sadcore".[13]

History
Low pictured in 2013

The genre began in the early 1990s as an act of rebellion against the predominant energy and aggression of grunge.

The genre is linked to the band Low, who began experimenting by playing quietly and slowly to traditional rock audiences.[3][14] The Minnesotan band Low are considered to be one of the pioneers of the genre, with their debut album I Could Live in Hope cited as an important release in slowcore history. However, the members of the band disliked the label:[15] in 1998, founding member Alan Sparhawk called it "cheesy".[16] Regardless, the label grew in popularity and in an interview with Vice in 2018, Sparhawk recognised his band as being influential in its growth.[17]

Other bands attributed to the early growth of the genre are Codeine, Galaxie 500, Red House Painters, Bedhead, and Bluetile Lounge.[18][19][20]

References
Notes
  1. Occasionally hyphenated as slow-core[1] or spaced as slow core.[2]
Citations
  1. Rogers 2008, p. 10.
  2. Metzer 2017, p. 12: "Rock fans do not relax but rather despair when they listen to "slow core," songs that are not only slow but also long."
  3. Edwards, Mark (1 February 2009). "Slowcore: Encyclopedia of Modern Music". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  4. Kahn, Jamie (13 June 2022). "Slowcore isn't making a comeback, it's always been here". Far Out. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  5. Collington, Christian (10 December 2022). "The music subgenre sadcore finds a new life with a new generation". CityNews. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  6. AllMusic Guide genre entry for Slowcore
  7. Rosean, Samuel (31 January 2019). "The Beginner's Guide To: Slowcore". DrownedInSound. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  8. Fox 2009, p. 2-3: "Codeine's sound was not the heavy, space-filling drone of other slow-core bands".
  9. Metzer 2017, p. 14: "It is no coincidence that slow core rock is also known as sad core."
  10. AllMusic definition for Sadcore
  11. James, Nicole. "New Video: Lana Del Rey, 'Blue Jeans'". MTV. Viacom. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  12. "Lana Del Rey - Biography". MTV. Viacom. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  13. Payne, John (13 February 2003). "The Queen of Sadcore". LA Weekly. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  14. Alan Sparhawk from Low tells the story of the origin of 'Slowcore'. The Paper Crane Podcast. 20 September 2021. Archived from the original on 2 October 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2021 – via YouTube.
  15. Grønstad 2020, p. 176: "I Could Live in Hope is of course seen as one of the albums that were key in ushering in the so-called "slowcore" genre of alternative rock[.] The members of Low appear to disapprove of this moniker and I refrain from using the concept here."
  16. "Low interview from QRD #14". QRD. Silber Media. October 1998. Retrieved 20 May 2023. Alan – what's the cheesiest? slow-core. I hate that word. the most appropriate is anything that uses the word minimal in it, but I don't think anybody's made one up for that.
  17. Lindsay, Cam (5 October 2018). "Low's Alan Sparhawk Ranks the Band's 11 Albums". Vice. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  18. Grønstad 2020, p. 10.
  19. Heller, Jason (25 May 2012). "Reconsidering Codeine, a '90s band frozen in time". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  20. Deusner, Stephen (21 March 2013). "Low: The Invisible Way Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
Bibliography

Further reading
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