View source for Twee pop

{{Short description|Subgenre of indie pop}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox music genre
| name              = Twee pop
| other_names       =
| image             =
| caption           = Talulah Gosh early twee pop group (clockwise from top left: Mathew Fletcher, Elizabeth Price, Amelia Fletcher, Chris Scott and Peter Momtchiloff).
| stylistic_origins = * [[Indie pop]]
* [[post-punk]]
* [[pop music|pop]]
* [[guitar pop]]
* [[girl group]]s
| cultural_origins  = {{circa|1986}}, United Kingdom
| derivatives       =
| subgenrelist      =
| subgenres         =
| fusiongenres      =
| regional_scenes   =
| other_topics      = * [[Anorak (slang)|Anorak]]
* [[Math rock]]
}}
'''Twee pop''' is a [[subgenre]] of [[indie pop]]<ref name="AMIndiePop">{{cite web |title=Indie Pop |url=http://www.allmusic.com/style/indie-pop-ma0000004494 |publisher=[[AllMusic]]}}</ref> that originates from the 1986 ''[[NME]]'' compilation ''[[C86 (album)|C86]]''.<ref name="AMTwee" /> Twee pop gets its name from the aesthetic of twee, which is known for its simplicity and childlike innocence.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Moreland |first=Quinn |date=2022-02-11 |title=The Surprise Endurance of Twee |url=https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/the-surprise-endurance-of-twee/ |access-date=2024-07-18 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref> Some of its defining features are boy-girl harmonies, catchy melodies, and lyrics about love. For many years, prominent [[independent record label]]s associated with twee pop were [[Sarah Records]] (in the UK) and [[K Records]] (in the US).<ref name="AMTwee">{{cite web|title=Twee Pop|url=http://www.allmusic.com/style/twee-pop-ma0000012201|website=[[AllMusic]]}}</ref>
Twee pop gained popularity in the 1990s, and has seen a recent revival in the 2020s.<ref name=":0" />
==Etymology==
{{Further|Indie pop}}
The definition of twee is something "excessively or affectedly quaint, pretty, or sentimental," supposedly born from a childish mispronunciation of the word sweet.<ref>{{cite web |title=Definition of TWEE |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/twee |website=www.merriam-webster.com |access-date=11 January 2021 |language=en}}</ref> With the twee movement's embrace of innocence and femininity, the genre has strong associations with [[feminism]].
== History ==
'''Forerunners'''
[[File:Television Personalities (5363667797).jpg|thumb|Dan Treacy's [[Television Personalities]] have been accredited as forerunners to twee pop.]]
[[The Velvet Underground]] have been retrospectively assessed as precursors to twee pop with songs like ''[[I'm Sticking with You / After Hours|I'm Sticking with You]]'' and ''[[After Hours (The Velvet Underground song)|After Hours]],'' written by [[Lou Reed]] but sung by female drummer [[Maureen Tucker]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Myers |first=Ben |last2=Myers |first2=Benjamin |date=2008-02-08 |title=The return of twee indie music |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2008/feb/08/thereturnoftweeindiemusic |access-date=2024-11-30 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> Similarly, the childlike innocence of [[Jonathan Richman|Jonathan Richman's]] songs such as "I'm a Little Dinosaur" and "I'm a Little Airplane," written after the disbanding of his [[proto-punk]] band [[the Modern Lovers]], have also been identified as precursors to the genre.<ref>{{Cite web |last=jefftobias |date=2013-02-13 |title=Restlessness and Jonathan Richman |url=https://flagpole.com/music/music-features/2013/02/13/restlessness-and-jonathan-richman/ |access-date=2024-11-30 |website=Flagpole |language=en-US}}</ref> Additionally, [[Syd Barrett|Syd Barrett's]] whimsical, nostalgic and childlike take on [[Psychedelic pop|psychedelia]] alongside [[Ray Davies]] of [[the Kinks]] quirky character portraits (e.g. ''<nowiki/>'[[Phenomenal Cat]]')'' would prove influential to the early indie scene.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Jonze |first=Tim |date=2006-12-04 |title=I know how Syd Barrett lived |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2006/dec/04/iknowhowsydbarrettlived |access-date=2024-11-30 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> Female [[sunshine pop]] singer [[Margo Guryan]] (e.g. ''<nowiki/>'Why Do I Cry?')'' and [[Outsider music|outsider]] girl group [[the Shaggs]] were later credited with presaging twee pop, the latter on their albums [[Philosophy of the World|''Philosophy of the World'']] and [[Shaggs' Own Thing|''Shaggs' Own Thing'']].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nickey |first=Jason |title=Various Artists: Better Than the Beatles: A Tribute to the Shaggs |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/7087-better-than-the-beatles-a-tribute-to-the-shaggs/ |access-date=2024-11-30 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref>
Early [[indie pop]] musicians such as [[Dan Treacy]] of [[Television Personalities|the Television Personalities]] would later draw influence from [[Jonathan Richman]] and [[Syd Barrett]] as heard on songs like ''<nowiki/>'Geoffrey Ingram'<nowiki/>'' and ''<nowiki/>'I Know Where Syd Barrett Lives'<nowiki/>'', becoming a pivotal influence to the [[C86]] generation, including bands like [[the Pastels]] and [[Beat Happening]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Television Personalities – FIRE RECORDS |url=https://www.firerecords.com/artists/television-personalities/ |access-date=2024-11-30 |website=www.firerecords.com}}</ref> Additionally, [[Daniel Johnston|Daniel Johnston's]] personal and naive [[lo-fi music]] also shaped twee pop with members of the two aforementioned bands covering his songs.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Myers |first=Ben |last2=Myers |first2=Benjamin |date=2008-02-08 |title=The return of twee indie music |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2008/feb/08/thereturnoftweeindiemusic |access-date=2024-12-03 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> [[Arizona|Arizona's]] Jr. Chemists blended DIY sensibilities with childlike naivety on tracks like ''<nowiki/>'Building a Fort', 'Spooky Cooties'<nowiki/>'' and ''<nowiki/>'Bizzy Worms'.''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jr. CHemists |url=https://sledbag.com/splooft/bands_bd/jrchemists/index.html |access-date=2024-12-01 |website=sledbag.com}}</ref> Subsequently, [[the Go-Betweens]] debut single ''<nowiki/>'[[Lee Remick (The Go-Betweens song)|Lee Remick]]''' and [[New Zealand|New Zealand's]] [[Dunedin sound|Dunedin scene]], which included [[the Clean]] and [[Chris Knox|Chris Knox's]] [[Tall Dwarfs]] would be equally influential to the twee pop genre.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Stafford |first=Andrew |date=2017-01-27 |title=Flying Nun Records: 10 of the best songs of the Dunedin sound |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/jan/28/flying-nun-records-10-of-the-best-songs-of-the-dunedin-sound |access-date=2024-11-30 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> Other influences include [[the Monochrome Set]] (e.g. ''<nowiki/>'Inside Your Heart'<nowiki/>''), [[the Deep Freeze Mice]], [[the Smiths]], and [[the Slits]] as well as Scottish bands like [[the Jesus and Mary Chain]] and [[the Vaselines]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Smiths |first=Songs |date=2015-04-20 |title=THIS IS OUR MUSIC: The Slits – “Typical Girls” |url=https://songssmiths.wordpress.com/2015/04/20/this-is-our-music-the-slits-typical-girls/ |access-date=2024-11-30 |website=SONGS SMITHS |language=en}}</ref>
Female led [[Post-punk|UK post-punk]] groups such as [[the Raincoats]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kidwell |first=Victor |title=What is Twee Pop? |url=https://meridianlasso.org/16418/features/what-is-twee-pop/ |access-date=2024-11-30 |website=The Lasso}}</ref> [[Marine Girls]] and [[Young Marble Giants]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-10-16 |title=Rough Trade Essential: Great British Bands |url=https://blog.roughtrade.com/gb/rough-trade-essential-great-british-bands/ |access-date=2024-11-30 |website=Rough Trade Blog}}</ref> have also been assessed as precursors to twee pop.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Young Marble Giants {{!}} Encyclopedia.com |url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/young-marble-giants |access-date=2024-11-30 |website=www.encyclopedia.com}}</ref>
==== 1980s ====
[[File:Stephen_Pastel,_Bearsden,_1982.jpg|thumb|Stephen Pastel in 1982.]]
''[[NME]]'' released the [[C86|C86 cassette]] in 1986, bringing together a collection of [[jangle pop]] guitar-driven indie bands which despite encompassing a variety of different styles, several of those featured artists would become early twee pop pioneers, including [[the Pastels]] and [[Shop Assistants|the Shop Assistants]]. These bands challenged aggressive and [[machismo]] [[punk rock]] conventions by embracing a lo-fi, DIY aesthetic whilst frequently singing innocent, sensitive and authentic songs about young love and adolescence.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hann |first=Michael |date=2014-03-14 |title=C86: The myths about the NME's indie cassette debunked |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2014/mar/14/c86-myths-nme-indie-cassette-debunked |access-date=2024-11-30 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> The [[indie pop]] side of the cassette modelled themselves after and drew influence from bands like [[the Smiths]] and [[the Jesus and Mary Chain]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=The 10 Best Twee Pop Albums To Own On Vinyl |url=https://www.vinylmeplease.com/blogs/magazine/the-10-best-twee-pop-albums-to-own-on-vinyl |access-date=2024-12-01 |website=Vinyl Me, Please |language=en}}</ref>
Subsequently, [[England|English]] bands such as [[Talulah Gosh]] from [[Oxford, England]] formed in 1986, and [[London|London's]] [[the Field Mice]], formed in 1987, combined lush melodies and tender lyrics with a jangly, dreamlike sound. [[Beat Happening]], a lo-fi trio from [[Olympia, Washington]] who formed in 1982 became a pivotal influence in America's own variant of the scene.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bugel |first=Safi |date=2022-11-14 |title=Beat Happening: ‘It was about having this adventure with your friends’ |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/nov/14/beat-happening-it-was-about-having-this-adventure-with-your-friends |access-date=2024-11-30 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>
==== 1990s-2000s ====
In the 1990s, twee pop bands such as [[Tiger Trap]], [[the Softies]] and [[Heavenly (British band)|Heavenly]] would have their music released on [[Calvin Johnson (musician)|Calvin Johnson]] of [[Beat Happening|Beat Happening's]] independent record label, [[K Records]], helping further develop the scene.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Huges |first=Dan |date=2017-04-03 |title=In a Band? You Need to Check Out Washington’s K Records |url=https://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/4150923-in-a-band-you-need-to-check-out-washingtons-k-records |access-date=2024-11-30 |website=DrownedInSound |language=en}}</ref> Other influential groups were [[Black Tambourine]] and [[Velocity Girl]].<ref name=":2" /> By the 2000s, twee pop had become an influential genre in the [[Alternative (music)|alternative music]] scene with bands like [[Belle and Sebastian]], [[the Moldy Peaches]], [[Camera Obscura (band)|Camera Obscura]], and [[the Lucksmiths]] drawing influence from the original movement.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Moreland |first=Quinn |date=2022-02-11 |title=The Surprise Endurance of Twee |url=https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/the-surprise-endurance-of-twee/ |access-date=2024-11-30 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref>
==== 2010s-2020s ====
In 2022, twee pop experienced a revival amongst [[Gen z]] on [[TikTok app|TikTok]], particularly it's aesthetics which had been re-developed in the late 2000s to early 2010s on internet sites like [[Tumblr]]. This revival coincided with the re-emergence of [[indie sleaze]], which brought about renewed interest in the original twee pop scene. <ref>{{Cite web |last=tobin |first=katie |date=2022-01-25 |title=Clutch Your Pearls, the Indie Twee Aesthetic is Back |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/what-is-indie-twee-aesthetic/ |access-date=2024-11-30 |website=VICE |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] stated that according to [[TikTok app|TikTok]], twee was now "[...] anything feminine or vaguely melancholy, and the majority of #twee videos seem unconcerned with the trend’s potential uncoolness".<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Lochrie |first=Conor |date=2022-01-19 |title=A guide to twee pop in seven bands |url=https://tonedeaf.thebrag.com/a-guide-to-twee-pop-in-seven-bands/ |access-date=2024-11-30 |website=Tone Deaf |language=en-AU}}</ref>
==Characteristics==
According to [[NPR]], twee pop "was fervently informed by [[punk rock|punk]]: snappy riffs, fast-track tempos, propulsive drums."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sherman |first1=Maria |title=Twee Your Mind: How Tiger Trap Taught Me That Tenderness Is Punk |url=https://www.npr.org/2021/06/04/1002484324/twee-your-mind-how-tiger-trap-taught-me-that-tenderness-is-punk |website=NPR |access-date=November 25, 2024}}</ref> Artists such as [[Heavenly (British band)|Heavenly]], [[Talulah Gosh]], and [[Marine Girls]] were primarily women who wrote about love, relationships, and personal empowerment. While the music sounded lighthearted and naive, the subject matter was often gritty and dark. Twee pop has been seen as a feminist response to tough, invulnerable, masculine punk and post-punk music scenes of the time.
{{plain image with caption|Heavenly indie 1994.jpg|caption=Heavenly performing at Emerald Centre|align=left|caption position=bottom|upright=1}}
A retrospective fascination with the genre in the US saw Americans eagerly defining themselves as twee.<ref name="BBC Radio 2">{{Citation |title=Twee; Paul Morley's Guide to Musical Genres |publisher=[[BBC Radio 2]] |date=10 June 2008 |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00bz94n}}</ref> According to ''[[The A.V. Club]]''{{'}}s Paula Mejia:
{{blockquote|The difference between "twee" and "indie pop" is slight but polarizing. Both styles of music transcended genre, became a tape-trading lifestyle, and have similar influences, drawing from the Ramones' minimalist three-chord structures as much as The Jesus And Mary Chain's salty pop harmonies. Everyone varies slightly on origins ... Twee itself began as a vast collection of sounds, gathering the threads where luminaries left off, and carving out divergent avenues in their wake.}}
[[AllMusic]] says that twee pop is "perhaps best likened to [[bubblegum pop|bubblegum]] [[indie rock]]—it's music with a spirit of D.I.Y. defiance in the grand tradition of [[Punk rock|punk]], but with a simplicity and innocence not seen or heard since the earliest days of rock & roll".<ref name="AMTwee" /> The author [[Marc Spitz]] suggests that the roots of twee stem from [[post-war]] 1950s music.<ref name="Spitz abstract">{{cite book |last=Spitz |first=Marc |date=2014 |title=Twee: The Gentle Revolution in Music, Books, Television, Fashion, and Film |url=https://archive.org/details/tweegentlerevolu0000spit |publisher=It Books |page=abstract |isbn=978-0062213044}}</ref> While the culture categorized itself under the moniker of "indie" (short for independent), many major twee powerhouses gained mainstream critical acclaim for their contributions to the twee movement.<ref name="TAF">{{Citation |title=Twee as Fuck: The Story of Indie Pop |first=Nitsuh |last=Abebe |work=Pitchfork |date=24 October 2005 |url=http://pitchfork.com/features/articles/6176-twee-as-fuck/ |access-date=9 July 2016 |archive-date=28 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160228103927/http://pitchfork.com/features/articles/6176-twee-as-fuck/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{pop music}}
[[Category:Indie pop]]
[[Category:1986 introductions]]
[[Category:20th-century music genres]]
[[Category:British styles of music]]
[[Category:Rock music genres]]
[[Category:Pop music genres]]