The last subculture to exist online

We spoke to the mysterious figure behind cult Instagram account @indiesleaze on why indie sleaze surpasses fashion fad into full-on subculture and zeitgeist-signifier, how it represents a generation just beginning to code their identities online, the similarities between the sleaze era and today’s cultural landscape, and the music behind it all:

Is indie sleaze just fashion or does it encapsulate more?

It encapsulates more than just the fashion — it’s very much about the music. The first thing I did when I made this account was create a playlist of all the music I would define this era by to see if it would resonate with others. Indie sleaze also encapsulates how people partied, what movies and TV people were watching, photography, technology, and how people found, listened to, and created music.

In 2021, the term indie sleaze was gaining popularity and was slated to be the next big thing. Do you think indie sleaze still has potential to become the next macro trend? 

I certainly don’t consider it a micro trend. It has the longevity of Y2K/McBling, and ‘90s revivals. Even in terms of music trends, people want fun party songs, there’s a shift towards guitar riffs and from the ideal to the imperfect. Girl Talk was an incredibly popular act that served all kinds of unique cross-genre mashups and an 'anything goes approach’, similar to what’s happening with all the incredibly wild mashups popular on TikTok.

Who are some of your favourite indie sleaze style icons? 

Alison Mosshart, Karen O, Emily Haines, Alexa Chung, Cory Kennedy, Alice Glass, Kim Daul, Charlotte Gainsbourg, and Shannyn Sossamon.

What is your most memorable night out during this era?

It would probably be waiting for and meeting Metric by the backstage door after their Toronto show at Massey Hall in 2009. That, or seeing Grimes for five dollars at a DIY venue in Toronto. 

Why is it important to you to document this era of history? 

This era felt important to document because the music was incredible, and I felt it had been overlooked. It’s also an era that hadn’t been neatly defined or given its due since it happened. It seemed misunderstood and I aimed to correct that. There’s so much history attached to it that’s super interesting to dissect. This was just before smartphones became ubiquitous and people started to capture their every moment on their phones, and when party photographers were swapped out for selfies. It was arguably the last subculture to exist online before the switch from dial-up to cable modems, and fast internet access via smartphones made the existence of subcultures obsolete. 

There was a time when seeing a person wearing skinny jeans signalled something, because the only way you could find a pair in stores was by thrifting them. A lot of what indie sleaze is contrasts the 2010s and the minimalist, clean, and syrupy trends that dominated that era (e.g. 10 step skincare, clean girl makeup, capsule wardrobes), and represents something that’s the complete opposite of that. It’s messy, maximalist, dirty, and loud. 

I also think there are many similarities to what we are experiencing globally to what was occurring in the mid-late aughts within fashion, music, art, and culture. People partied as an escape from seeing 9/11, the War in Iraq, and atrocities of Guantanamo Bay play out on our television sets, and the dread of a looming recession. It’s similar to how people are feeling after three years of a pandemic, and an overall collective burnout to constant bad news. People are looking for a remedy, and maybe that's by letting loose with your friends and going to a concert, a party, or show. It's not about not caring about the world around you, but allowing yourself those moments of celebration so not everything seems hopeless. 

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