These indie rock songs from the 2010s still have a bite to them today. Though times have changed and rock has moved on from this era, these relics of indie rock’s prime have not faltered at all.
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“R U Mine?” — Arctic Monkeys
The Arctic Monkeys were the epitome of indie rock in this era. They set the scene for many that came after them. All of their songs had this effect, but “R U Mine?” has proven particularly influential.
“I‘m a puppet on a string / Tracy Island, time-traveling / Diamond cutter-shaped heartaches / That come to find you four in some velvet morning,” the band sings over a raucous melody and beat. Right from the get-go on this song, Arctic Monkeys wanted the listener to know they were in for a full-blown anthem befitting its era, and perhaps the punk movement that came before.
“Let It Happen” — Tame Impala
“It’s always around me, all this noise / But not nearly as loud as the voice saying / ‘Let it happen, let it happen / Just let it happen, let it happen,’” the lyrics to Tame Impala’s 2015 release, “Let It Happen”, read. This song is all about embracing nature and the will of fate.
The band’s willingness to embrace chaos is an edgy sentiment in any decade. Despite being a while since this song was released, it still has the same grit it did when it first came out. “I heard about a whirlwind that’s comin’ ’round / It’s gonna carry off all that isn’t bound,” the lyrics read later on in the song. This is a true rocker’s mentality. The idea behind this song is evergreen.
“Your Best American Girl” — Mitski
This Mitski song lies somewhere between indie rock and dream pop. But, despite its pop leanings, it still has plenty of edge. Innovation will always be sharp, and Mitski is certainly an artist who likes to test the limits.
This Mitski song is about minority women struggling to fit in. “You’re the sun, you’ve never seen the night / But you hear its song from the morning birds / Well, I’m not the moon, I’m not even a star / But awake at night I’ll be singing to the birds,” the lyrics read. This kind of sobering honesty will never lose its grit.
(Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Columbia Records)
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