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Singer-songwriter Mitski’s “My Love Mine All Mine” is like a whispered dirge.
The song is a gothic lounge tune for listeners who only have about two minutes to break their heart – a silky-soft slow burn stacked with choir, organ, bass and, best of all, pedal steel Guitar, the kind that country and western purists will love.
That description by no means screams “mainstream hit,” however, it has been on the Billboard Hot 100 for 12 consecutive weeks, an unusual measure of success for a completely independent artist. For 10 consecutive weeks, her indie rock, chamber, pop and country music has been at No. 1 on Billboard’s TikTok Hot Chart.
Mitski is not from the American South, though her records have long been associated with small-town America, and she moved to Nashville a few years ago to tap into the geography’s human touch. (“Valentine, Texas” from last year’s “Laurel Hell” album is one example, but there are many more.)
Of course, she’s not the first independent artist to explore the American cry. Many of the leading bands in contemporary indie rock are from the South – like Mitski – or from the South, like soloists Angel Olsen and Waxahatchee, or bands like The Plains, Wednesday and two-thirds of the Grammy-nominated band Boygenius. Lucinda Williams’s “country rock isn’t good for country, country rock is too rock” style is an obvious precursor; every few generations there seems to be a great new band emerging from the narrative idiosyncrasies of alt-country Get inspiration from sex.
Historically, English-speaking Americans have favored the genre, but reports indicate it has grown in non-English-speaking regions such as the Philippines, Indonesia, India, Brazil, Mexico, Germany and Vietnam.
In March 2023, Spotify launched a new playlist dedicated to the country-influenced phenomenon in indie rock called “Indie Twang.” It’s curated by Carla Turi, Spotify’s folk and acoustic music editor, who says the playlist is the result of conversations since the summer of 2022, when they noticed the growing “country influence in indie rock,” as she calls it. This legacy continued into the late 2010s, when country icons began to appear in non-traditional country spaces: from Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” to Mitski’s 2018 album “Be the Cowboy.”
“I also think that during the lockdowns we experienced in 2020, listeners began to crave more natural-sounding music as a way to connect with others,” she continued. The indie twang playlist was born, amplified by successful independent artists like Ethel Cain and Plains.
“I see this space as a movement, not a trend,” she added. “Sound always has its peaks and troughs. I do think the fan base is still growing overall. I think the rise of this American music and singer-songwriter music in the United States has changed the listening habits of the entire country.”
They also offered an alternative to indie rock’s traditional image: Rather than shying away from their geographic identities—moving to New York, for example, and downplaying “you guys” and “ladies” in their speech and music—they embraced them. Banjos and lap steel abound. So are songs about God, country roads, trucks, guns, humidity and crickets.
Like Turi, Plains’ Jess Williamson sees more traditional indie rock audiences’ connection to country music as a post-COVID-19 lockdown revelation. “We see people leaving the city, moving to small towns, and moving to the countryside. We see people in the city baking bread, starting herb gardens, craving something simple, nostalgic, and it feels good,” she said.
“On tour, we did a cover of the Chicks’ ‘Goodbye Earl’ and everyone sang along, which was the most uncool thing I could imagine. People have become cool and accepted us for who we are and What we really like. For a lot of people, that’s country music.”
She said she had to leave the South to get back there and fully appreciate her love of the South and country music, just like “Texans get tattoos of Texas right after they leave,” she laughs explain.
On Wednesday, the 2023 full-length “Rat Saw God,” which transports listeners to the quiet confines of its Carolina hometown like a lap of steel, made its way onto The Associated Press’ best albums of the year list for its alt-country rock sensibility The same is part of the sound structure or a guitar fuzz or an off-key verse.
Hartzman added that “stereotypes … are certainly valid” about the complexities of living in the South: politics, racism and inequality, she said. “I am strongly opposed to leaving this place because I disagree with the politics of those in power. It’s heartening because I feel empowered to fight this (expletive), especially for those who are here and can’t do it themselves A little bit of people.”
She says the South is her “favorite place on earth” — aside from its influential music — but the appeal to stay and create there is also financial, which may be a factor for those leaving country music. Independent artists make an impact.
“I think affordability is a big factor now in people trying to make a living from their hometowns rather than moving to a big city,” she said. “Obviously, the Internet makes that possible.”
It also means it’s easier than ever for listeners on indie Twang playlists, big-city rock clubs or small-town bars to hear familiar Southern sounds in new ways.
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