50s Motown. 60s folk rock. 70s disco. 80s pop. 90s grunge. 00s… Wait, hold on. 00s… Ok, maybe that’s an anomaly. 10s… 20s?  

What happened to the specific sound of the decades? If someone says “play some 80s music” you know exactly what to do.  

Or do you?  

In response to that query, you might fire up some LL Cool J or NWA. Or perhaps Poison or Motely Crue. If you’re really feeling it, maybe some Chicago, David Bowie, or even the King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson.  

While each of these artists had major success in the 80s, they’re all very, very different. So why does it feel like we could clearly separate music from decade to decade? 

The short answer (one of them, anyway) is monoculture. Specifically, the lack of it. We don’t have shared experiences anymore. There are very few events. When Thriller premiered, it was a TV event. MTV and VH1 (Much Music for our Canadian friends) were massively successful and video premiers weren’t to be missed.  

Before MTV, disco swept nightclubs in the 70s. People experienced the rise (and fall) of disco together. Radio play determined what was popular. If a band or artist could move the dial, they were assured to be played again and again and again.  

The rise of streaming has, for better or worse, limited that feeling of shared experience and algorithms have replaced radio and music television. Our digital overlords continually feed us themusic we are most likely to enjoy. Calculations and math we aren’t meant to understand ensure that we keep our ears glued (and wallets open) to a specific service. While we are more likely to keep listening, we are also much more likely to listen alone.  

In short, it felt like the audience drove the trends. Now it feels…backwards.  

The downside? We don’t experience much that is new, challenging, or outside our comfort zone unless we seek it out. I remember swearing that if I saw Under the Bridge by the Red Hot Chili Peppers one more time, I would lose it. But what were my options? Switch over to VH1 to see whatever new Richard Marx video they had rolling? Sure, we had to experience videos and music we didn’t like on tv and on the radio, but we were also exposed to SO much. Different genres, artists, and experiences all at once. This led to sounds that were coincidentally related to decades. I may not have liked that particular Red Hot Chili Peppers song, but it is linked in my mind to a time and a feeling forever. Similarly, there were artists across genres, and each one had a relative sound. So, it’s not so much 80s music as it is 80s rock, 80s metal, 80s rap, etc.  

It might feel like we have lost our decades of sound. But the truth is there is AMAZING new music from artists coming out every day. Sure, we have to work a little harder to find it, but it’s there. That is why record stores hold a special place in our culture. Like Green Day? Let us introduce you to the Linda Lindas. Are you a die-hard Swifty? Rad! You might also like Joseph or Maren Morris.  

We can help you find the sounds that will come to define your right now.