Big Feelings

To me, Big Feelings is not just about a sound, but also a style, a vibe, or an orientation.

This can make it tricky to pin down—and actually, I’m less interested in being super clear about the concept than I am about tracing certain tendencies in the music. This all to say that not all of the bands in the Big Feelings camp are doing the same thing, or perfectly exemplify all of the characteristics that I think mark out this strain of indie rock. Some will lean heavily in one direction or the other. But all of them share at least the following two characteristics: First, women and other non-cis men are singing about their feelings. Second, in doing so, they utilize various musical techniques that render a feminist affect, so that the social/emotional experience of those feelings take up space and are communicated implicitly but no less forcefully.

A working list* of bands in whose music I hear Big Feelings:

• All Dogs
• Bachelor
• beabadoobee
• Beach Bunny
• Big Thief
• Diet Cig
• Fazerdaze
• Frankie Cosmos
• Free Cake For Every Creature
• Girlpool
• Great Grandpa
• Hop Along
• Indigo De Souza
• Japanese Breakfast
• Jay Som
• Land of Talk
• Mannequin Pussy
• Palehound
• Pity Sex
• P.S. Eliot
• Remember Sports
• SASAMI
• Slow Pulp
• Snail Mail
• Soccer Mommy
• The Beths
• The Ophelias
• Vagabon
• Wednesday
• Wye Oak
• Yuck

* This list is too short! If you know a band that feels like they fit here, please let me know 🙂