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Slowcore,Template:Efn also known as sadcore, is a subgenre of indie rock characterised by its subdued tempos, minimalist instrumentation, and sombre vocal performances. Slowcore's influences are diverse, involving varying other genres, including folk rock, alternative rock, and dream pop. As a result of these contrasting stylistic directions, there is no definitive characterisation of the genre.

The history of slowcore began in the late-1980s, with several bands forming in reaction to the abrasive sounds of grunge. Slow rock music, with a pensive style inspired by genres such as singer-songwriter and folk, laid the groundwork for the genre in the early years and until the mid-1990s, when Low played a pivotal role in establishing slowcore as one of the era's microgenres; however, despite their retrospective acclamation as slowcore pioneers, Low was not the first band to produce slowcore. Codeine, Red House Painters, and Bedhead all released influential albums earlier that decade, while American Music ClubTemplate:Emdashwidely considered to be the genre's first actTemplate:Emdashformed in 1982. Regardless, the mellow and restrained sound of Low's debut album, I Could Live in Hope (1994), and their albums that followed over the next several years, came to define slowcore. Spain, Duster, and Ida, among others, all followed Low and furthered the reach of the genre, and by the 2000s, slowcore had a defined sound, even if it continued to lack obvious categorisation. Artists like Carissa's Wierd, Jason Molina, and Duster incorporated its archetypical sound in their music throughout the introductory years of the 21st century, while others, including Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions, Grouper, and Sun Kil Moon, were more experimental but remained within the genre's confines. Because of slowcore's broad interpretation, observers have described several other musicians and bands as slowcore, including those outside the genre.

The term "slowcore" derives from "slow", referring to the tempo and energy of the music, and "-core", which refers to a scene, style, or musical subgenre. "Sadcore" imitates similar etymology, and the names are used interchangeably. The term itself has an unclear origin, though sources suggest the use of "slowcore" started in the early 1990s. Scholars and bands alike have shown ambivalence towards the name, with some deeming it pejorative.

CharacteristicsEdit

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Slowcore prominently incorporates stylings and traits from indie rock and contemporary folk music.<ref>Template:Harvnb.</ref><ref name="RS New Faces"/><ref name="Times 11 January 2003"/> Indie rock is a broad subgenre of rock music that emerged in the 1980s and encapsulates music released independently or through low-budget record labels that typically fails to appeal to mainstream audiences.<ref name="Atlantic indie">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Similarly, contemporary folk refers to a musical style representative of traditional folk music but with modernTemplate:Emdashthe 20th century and onwardsTemplate:Emdashinterpretations,<ref>Template:Harvnb.</ref> ultimately spawning subgenres like folk rock and indie folk in the later stages of the century,<ref>Template:Harvnb.</ref><ref>Template:Harvnb: "Following Keenan's article, most of the artists and albums included in his piece were tucked under the umbrella of 'New Weird America,' which flowed into the slightly more descriptive 'free-folk,' which became 'freak-folk,' and subsequently devolved, as more and more diverse artists were swept up in the wave, into the catchall 'indie-folk'".</ref> both of which influenced slowcore to different extents.<ref name="Times 11 January 2003"/><ref name="RS New Faces"/> Alongside these core influences, artists often take influence from a variety of other musical genres, including alternative rock,<ref name="Grønstad p176"/> Americana,<ref name="Guardian Aug23"/> dream pop,<ref name="AVC On Fire"/> post-rock,<ref name="Guardian Aug23"/> and shoegaze.<ref name="shoegaze revival pitchfork">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Drone and ambient music are also cited as being similar.<ref>Template:Harvnb: "Codeine's sound was not the heavy, space-filling drone of other slow-core bands".</ref>

There is no definitive characterisation of the genre,<ref name="Bandcamp timeline"/> however it is typically defined by slow tempos and a sombre and atmospheric approach to both the songwriting and composition.<ref name="Crystal p235 1">Template:Harvnb: ""[...] characterised by 'slow temps, a sombre, atmospheric, sometimes densely textured sound, and quiet, forlorn vocals'." Citing Template:Cite OED.</ref> Backing instrumentation is sparse, contrasting with the genres from which slowcore is derived. Slowcore uses simple melodies over a prolonged period to evoke saddening emotions; Andrea Swensson of Pitchfork wrote that the genre "gently pulls [the listener] out of linear time".<ref name="Mimi essential">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> While the songs can implement choruses, they often lack intense changes in instrumentation. Chris Brokaw of Codeine facetiously remarked that he could "play a snare hit, go get a drink and be back at the drumkit before the next beat".<ref name="Guardian Aug23"/> In 1998, SF Weekly wrote that "The best thing about slowcore [...] is that they demand the listener pay attention. The worst thing about them is that sometimes you fall asleep by the third song".<ref name="SF Weekly">Template:Cite OED Citing SF Weekly, 6 May 1998.</ref>

Lyrics in slowcore songs are often melancholic, with the vocal performances subdued.<ref name="Crystal p235 1"/> For example, Swedish singer Stina Nordenstam has been described as slowcore because of "her sadly beautiful little-girl whisper" style of singing.<ref name="encyclopedia"/> Emotion is a core component of slowcore, and the sparse instrumentation emphasises the singer's voice.<ref name="Guardian Aug23"/> Stuart Braithwaite, a founding member of the renowned post-rock band Mogwai, said "You weren't going to play [slowcore] at parties, but it was beautiful: the lyrics bare and honest, the musicality sparing".<ref name="Guardian Aug23"/>

SadcoreEdit

File:Lana Del Rey Releases Music Video For New Track 'Burning Desire'9.jpg
Lana Del Rey, pictured in 2013, has self-described her music as "Hollywood sadcore".

Slowcore is occasionally referred to as "sadcore", and many journalists and scholars consider the neologisms to be synonymous.<ref>Template:Harvnb: "It is no coincidence that slow core rock is also known as sad core."</ref><ref name="encyclopedia">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> When distinguished, the differences are attributed to a heightened melancholy in the lyrics of sadcore songs.<ref name="Crystal 235">Template:Harvnb: "The gloomy lyrical content rather than the acoustic effects led to the synonymous sadcore."</ref><ref name="citynews">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite OED</ref>

The sadcore categorisation saw considerable use in the early 2000s. Mentions include The Washington Post calling Mark Eitzel, the lead singer of American Music Club, the "reluctant king of sadcore" in 2002<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and LA Weekly calling Charlyn Marshall (stage name Cat Power) the "Queen of Sadcore" in 2003.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Reviewers also used it in passing for albums such as Red House Painters' Rollercoaster (1993),<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Shearwater's Everybody Makes Mistakes (2002),<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and Low's box set A Lifetime of Temporary Relief (2004).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Since then, Lana Del Rey described her own music as "Hollywood sadcore" in an interview with Vogue in 2011.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Phoebe Bridgers's music has also been called sadcore, a description she dislikes: speaking to The New Zealand Herald in 2023, she said "I hate the 'sad girl' label".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

EtymologyEdit

Within music, the suffix "-core" infers a scene or style, originating with "hardcore".<ref>Template:Cite OED</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The American Dialect Society describes it more generally as a "productive suffix for aesthetic trends".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> "Slow" refers to the pace of the music.<ref name="Earles 124 1"/> For "sadcore", the same applies, except "sad" refers to the emotion of the lyrics.<ref name="Crystal 235"/>

There is no definitive origin of the label "slowcore" outside of the agreement between scholars that its use began in the 1990s.<ref name="Earles 124 2"/><ref name="Bandcamp timeline"/><ref name="Grønstad p176"/> The first instance of "slowcore" cited in the Oxford English Dictionary is from 1991: Chuck Eddy's book Stairway to Hell: The 500 Best Heavy Metal Albums in the Universe.<ref>Template:Cite OED. Citing Template:Harvnb: "The slowcore dirge-disco that produced said tune often devolves into this chic bored hush-hush."</ref> Another claim to the origin of the term is from Alan Sparhawk of Low, a band often considered monumental in the growth of the genre. In an interview with The Paper Crane podcast, Sparhawk said his friend had coined the term "slowcore" as a joke and that he had humorously mentioned it in one of his band's earliest shows (Template:Circa 1993).<ref>Template:Cite AV media</ref> He said that after he used it in an interview, the popularity of the phrase increased, as did Low's media coverage.<ref name="NYT Mimi Parker obituary"/>

ReceptionEdit

Template:Quote box The "slowcore" label has been criticised by scholars and bands, who have called it pejorative.<ref name="Earles 124 1">Template:Harvnb: "[...] what the music press came to call 'slowcore,' an unfortunate term often attached to bands such as Codeine, Low, Seam, Mazzy Star, Bedhead, and Rex [...] known for really slow tempos and a general prettiness or melancholy tendencies."</ref><ref name="Low cheesy"/> Matt Kadane of Bedhead called it an "insult" and Jim Putnam of Radar Bros. resisted the term and repeatedly informed music journalists that his band was "not slowcore".<ref name="Guardian Aug23"/> Similarly, members of Low disliked the label:<ref name="Grønstad p176">Template:Harvnb: "I Could Live in Hope is of course seen as one of the albums that were key in ushering in the so-called 'slowcore' genre of alternative rock, which comprise artists such as Codeine, Red House Painters, Bedhead, and Blue Tile Lounge. The members of Low appear to disapprove of this moniker".</ref> in 1998, Sparhawk called it "cheesy".<ref name="Low cheesy">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Regardless, the term became increasingly popular and in an interview with Vice in 2018, Sparhawk recognised his band as being influential in slowcore's growth and success.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

HistoryEdit

Late 1980s: Stylistic originsEdit

File:American Music Club 11-09-08 -- Bush Hall (2860179547) (cropped).jpg
American Music Club performing at Bush Hall in 2008. They are considered to be one of the earliest slowcore bands.

The sound that would become known as "slowcore" began emerging in the United States in the late 1980s and early 1990s as a counterpoint to the rapid growth of louder rock genres, especially grunge.<ref name="Rogers p640"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Grunge fused elements of punk rock and heavy metal to create a scene which Bruce Pavitt, co-founder of the record label Sub Pop, described as "gritty vocals, roaring Marshall amps, ultra-loose grunge that destroyed the morals of a generation".<ref name="Guardian grunge">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="RS grunge"/> Grunge, in the form that it came to be known, emerged during the mid-1980s in and around Seattle, Washington,<ref name="RS grunge">Template:Cite magazine</ref> though unlike grunge, the early years of slowcore did not have a defined scene or any geographic hotspots.<ref name="Bandcamp timeline">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

American Music Club, hailing from San Francisco, California, are considered an early slowcore band.<ref name="NYT Mimi Parker obituary">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite podcast</ref> Releasing their debut album The Restless Stranger in 1985,<ref>Template:Harvnb.</ref> the band's music was slow and with characteristics akin to genres like folk and singer-songwriter.<ref>Template:Harvnb: "Red House Painters emerged from San Francisco's Bay Area in 1992, and proceeded to release a string of exceptional – and determinedly uncommercial – albums on the British label 4AD. Long, rambling reflections on death, love and drugs, invariably to a spartan backing of folk guitar and brushed drums, Kozelek's work has been described as slow fi, slowcore, lo-fi and even snorecore".</ref> This style was echoed by other bands at the time, such as the Canadian Cowboy Junkies, who were creating minimalist country and blues,<ref>Template:Harvnb: "[...] country- blues minimalists Cowboy Junkies".</ref><ref>Template:Harvnb: "What The Trinity Session is is a country music album for people who hate country, a blues album for people who are bored to tears by blues and an album of traditional folk music for hardcore kids. Above all, it is a Cowboy Junkies album".</ref> and would come to define aspects of slowcore.<ref name="Times 11 January 2003"/> Within the same period of time, Galaxie 500 formed in Cambridge, Massachusetts and began releasing dream pop albums. Their sophomore album, On Fire (1989), strongly influenced the genre,<ref name="AVC On Fire">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> as did the rest of their discography,<ref name="Earles 124 2">Template:Harvnb: "Like many bands featured in this book, Galaxie 500 was a big influence on a successive subgenre of band within indie rock. In the case of this seminal Boston trio, they are seen as progenitors of what the music press came to call 'slowcore'".</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> although their dream pop style was not entirely indicative of how slowcore would develop.<ref name="Bandcamp timeline"/> Regardless, the band is frequently cited as one of slowcore's leading antecedents. Andrew Earles, in his 2014 book Gimme Indie Rock: 500 Essential American Underground Rock Albums 1981-1996, described them as slowcore's "progenitor".<ref name="Earles 124 2"/> Robert Rubsam, writing for Bandcamp Daily, called Galaxie 500 the "fountainhead for all that would come".<ref name="Bandcamp timeline"/>

The 1980s also saw other bands that would help define slowcore form, although many did not release any material until the 1990s. These include Codeine,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Red House Painters,<ref name="Bandcamp timeline"/> and Mazzy Star.<ref name="Earles 124 1"/>

1990s: Peak growth and evolutionEdit

While many of the bands that influenced the concept of slowcore existed before the 1990s, this decade is often cited as being when the genre began,<ref name="encyclopedia"/> as well as being its heyday.<ref name="Guardian Aug23"/><ref>Template:Harvnb: "It was in this loose framework that indie rock and all its various subgenres experienced its heyday from roughly 1986 to 1996, give or take a year on either end."</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Throughout this period, the amount of bands and albums associated with the genre grew greatly, establishing its fundamental sound and style.<ref name="Guardian Aug23"/><ref name="Bandcamp timeline"/>

File:Codeine - Alexandra Palace London 260512.jpg
Codeine are considered to be one of the first slowcore bands. They are pictured here performing at Alexandra Palace during their 2012 reunion tour.

In these early years, the genre was defined by bands that had a style of minimalist and prolonged instrumentation with melancholic vocal performances. Codeine, having formed in 1989, released Frigid Stars LP in 1990, which incorporated "tortured lyrics and tired vocal melodies".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Codeine's music received attention over the following years, and after the release of the Barely Real extended play in 1992, the Toronto Star described them as having a "unique 'slowcore' sound".<ref>Template:Harvnb.</ref> By The White Birch, their 1994 sophomore and ultimate album, Codeine had cemented themselves as a prominent band within the scene.<ref name="Bandcamp timeline"/> Two years after Codeine's debut, Red House Painters, having formed in 1988,<ref name="Bandcamp timeline"/> released their debut album: Down Colorful Hill (1992). Similar to other bands on the 4AD label, this album consisted of a select handful of demos that had been polished before their official release.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The album is bleak in both lyrics and composition;<ref name="RS New Faces">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Down Colorful Hill, alongside their following albums Rollercoaster (1993) and Bridge (1993),<ref>Template:Harvnb.</ref> have been described as instilling feelings of "desperation, regret, and general darkness".<ref>Template:Harvnb: "Down Colorful Hill and two eponymous titled full-lengths recorded in 1993 together form a linear block of music from which emotes, with unequivocal intensity, authentic sadness, disenchantment, desperation, regret, and general sadness."</ref> Earles contended that Red House Painters was the saddest band within slowcore in the early 1990s.<ref>Template:Harvnb: "Of the bands grouped into 'sadcore' and 'slowcore' classifications by critics in the early '90s, none were lowerTemplate:Emdashor perhaps sadder (though Red House Painters might win that contest)Template:Emdashthan Low."</ref>

Another early band was Bedhead, which formed in 1991 and released WhatFunLifeWas, their debut album, in 1994. This album consisted of soft vocals and dynamic instrumentation,<ref name="Bandcamp timeline"/> and the band would release two further studio albums, Beheaded (1996) and Transaction de Novo (1998), which maintained the same slow sound as their debut but deviated in technique. After this, the band disbanded and fell out of public discourse.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> A year after Bedhead's formation, Idaho, another prominent band in these preliminary years, formed, and started to release music in 1993 after signing with Caroline Records. Like Bedhead, they released slowcore albums throughout the decadeTemplate:Emdashtheir debut being Year After Year (1993); however, Idaho persisted into the next century.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

1994-1999: Refinement of an archetypical soundEdit

File:Low band.jpg
Low, pictured in 2013, are heralded as pioneers of slowcore with their early releases.

The mid-1990s were an experimental period in music throughout North America and Europe, with new microgenres rapidly appearing.<ref>Template:Harvnb: "By the mid-1990s, the independent music scenes in North America and Europe were thriving and cycling through microgenres, such as shoegaze, slowcore, and psychobilly, at an exceedingly rapid rate".</ref> Other bands, such as Acetone, Slint, and Swans were producing slow songs that, on the outset, appeared to relate to slowcore but were better categorised under these other emerging genres. These elements resulted in slowcore being an unclearly defined and confusing genre.<ref name="Guardian Aug23"/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Vice sad music">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Low, hailing from Duluth, Minnesota, would ultimately create the genre's archetypical sound.<ref name="Grønstad p176"/> Formed in 1993 by Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker, the band started by experimenting with slow and quiet rock music and in December 1994, released their debut album I Could Live in Hope.<ref name="encyclopedia" /><ref name="Mimi Parker angel">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> This album was different from its predecessors: while it maintained stylistic similarities with other bands' sparse instrumentation,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> it was more difficult to categorise into the other associated genres, like dream pop or shoegaze. Due to this unique sound, Low are heralded as pioneers of the genre;<ref name="Times 11 January 2003">Template:Cite newspaper The Times</ref><ref name="Bandcamp timeline"/> in their review of Trust (2002), Brad Haywood of Pitchfork proclaimed I Could Live in Hope and Long Division (1995) "drew the blueprint for slowcore as we know it today".<ref name="Pitchfork Trust">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Low would continue to release slowcore albums throughout the rest of the decade and the early 2000s, after which they transitioned towards other genres.<ref name="Low history"/>

Following Low, several bands emerged.<ref name="Guardian Aug23">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Among them was Ida, composed of Elizabeth Mitchell and Daniel Littleton, who released their debut album, Tales of Brave Ida in 1994.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> This was followed by I Know About You in 1996, which Rubsam considered a slowcore "classic".<ref name="Bandcamp timeline"/> Ida continued to release music throughout the 1990s and into the late 2000s, with Heart Like a River from 2005 also often highlighted as an exemplary slowcore album.<ref name="Bandcamp timeline"/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Bluetile Lounge, an Australian band, released their debut album (Lowercase) a year after Ida's debut, in 1995.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Grønstad p176"/> Also in 1995, Spain and Cat Power released their debut albums: The Blue Moods of Spain and Dear Sir, respectively.<ref>Template:Harvnb.</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The For Carnation released their debut EP, Fight Songs the same year.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Two years later, Radar Bros.'s self-titled debut album was released.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> These latter four bands were mentioned by Stevie Chick as examples of the way slowcore evolved after Low in an article for The Guardian. She writes, in respect of the first three: "the genre grew to encompass the blue lullabies of Spain; the hypnotic intimacy of the For Carnation [...]; [and] the whispered confessions of early Cat Power".<ref name="Guardian Aug23"/> She also cites Rex, which included Codeine's Doug Scharin, as another influential band.<ref name="Guardian Aug23"/> By the years surrounding 1996, "slowcore" was no longer solely an esoteric phrase; an article in The Sydney Morning Herald in May jested that Spain, among others, were playing a sort of music that "new-trend-every-week folk are calling slowcore".<ref>Template:Harvnb.</ref>

Nearing the end of the decade, Duster released Stratosphere (1998).<ref name = "Stratosphere p4k">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> By this point, the band had already released a few EPs but had failed to garner a notable reputation. The album was reviewed by Pitchfork and other zines, and the band would release one final album, Contemporary Movement (2000), before disbanding until 2018. Despite this, Duster's initial cult following and later resurgence would ultimately make them one of the most influential bands within slowcore.<ref name="Stereogum Duster">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="npr duster">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

2000s and onwards: Continued expansionEdit

Template:Quote box

Through the success of several bands in the mid-to-late 1990s, the slowcore sound had been conceptually established by the commencement of the 2000s. Through this, the genre continued to grow with releases from both existing and new artists. This era also saw bands experiment by amalgamating the slowcore sound with other genres.<ref name="Bandcamp timeline"/>

File:Carissa's wierd (4781159971).jpg
Carissa's Wierd at a reunion show in 2010. Commentators have used this band as an example of how slowcore continued into the 2000s.

The first few years of the century saw multiple bands release staple slowcore albums, including Duster's Contemporary Movement,<ref name="Stereogum Duster"/> Low's Things We Lost in the Fire (2001) and Trust,<ref name="Pitchfork TWLITF">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Pitchfork Trust"/> and Jason Molina, with Songs: Ohia (later called Magnolia Electric Co.),<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> releasing Ghost Tropic (2000),<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Didn't It Rain (2002),<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and The Magnolia Electric Co. (2003).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Alongside these, new bands began venturing into the genre. Carissa's Wierd, having formed in 1995, did not release anything until the turn of the century, when they put out Ugly But Honest: 1996-1999 (2000), followed a year later by You Should Be at Home Here (2001). These albums were then succeeded in 2002 by Songs About Leaving, the band's final album.<ref name="Pitchfork CW"/> This lattermost release was their most notable with respect to slowcore.<ref name="Bandcamp timeline"/><ref name="Pitchfork CW"/> Despite this, Carissa's Wierd remained obscure throughout their existence, disbanding in 2003.<ref name="Pitchfork CW">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

While albums archetypical of the mid-to-late-1990s slowcore sound were still being released during the 2000sTemplate:Emdashsuch as those by Carissa's Wierd and LowTemplate:Emdashsome bands were experimenting with introducing slowcore elements to other genres. For example, in 2002, several Red House Painters members formed Sun Kil Moon. Early on, pundits noted that this band departed from the slowcore sound present in Red House Painters releases to instead opt for folk-inspired song construction.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Despite this, others continued to find similarities between Sun Kil Moon's music and slowcore: a 2009 article in The Sunday Times listed April (2008) as an essential slowcore record.<ref>Template:Harvnb.</ref> Like Sun Kil Moon, Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions comprised members of other bands. Hope Sandoval of Mazzy Star and Colm Ó Cíosóig of the shoegaze pioneering My Bloody Valentine formed this duo in 2001, and shortly after, released Bavarian Fruit Bread (2001). The album was reminiscent of dream pop, given the members' past work with other bands,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> but was still recognisable as slowcore.<ref name="Vice sad music"/><ref name="Clash MBV Side"/> This trend continued with their second album, Through the Devil Softly (2009).<ref name="Clash MBV Side">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> This dream pop sound was revisited by Cigarettes After Sex in 2012, with their single "Nothing's Gonna Hurt You Baby".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The song would go relatively unnoticed until it went viral several years later,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> following which the band released their self-titled debut album in 2017, described by Pitchfork as a "slowcore collection [that] borders on ambient".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Slowcore increased in popularity in the early 2020s,<ref name="Guardian Aug23"/> partly through social media trends.<ref name="Stereogum resurgence">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Songs like Duster's "Constellations" (from Stratosphere) have been used to soundtrack viral videos to heighten the emotion.<ref name="BBC mascara">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Similarly, televisions programs used slowcore to similar effect; the Netflix drama series 13 Reasons Why featured Codeine's cover of Joy Division's "Atmosphere".<ref name="Guardian Aug23"/> Together, this usage increased public interest in slowcore, and its newfound growth allowed both existing bandsTemplate:Emdashlike DusterTemplate:Emdashto receive a resurgence in success and enabled new bands to emerge onto the scene.<ref name="shoegaze revival pitchfork"/><ref name="Stereogum resurgence"/> Rubsam listed Planning for Burial, Grouper, Kowloon Walled City, and Worm Ouroboros as examples of "post-slow" bands in his timeline of slowcore, a category "reflecting a broadening and a deepening of the sound".<ref name="Bandcamp timeline"/> Chick stated the "genre's influence is subtle but pervasive" in modern music.<ref name="Guardian Aug23"/> Reviewers have described and labeled releases from contemporary singer-songwriters as slowcore, including those of Nicole Dollanganger,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Ethel Cain,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Daughter,<ref name="Guardian Aug23"/> and Snail Mail.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Notes and citationsEdit

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         | {{AllMusic}} template missing ID and not present in Wikidata.Template:Main other
         }}
       }}
     }}
   }}
 }}

}}

  • {{#ifeq: | yes

| https://www.allmusic.com/style/sadcore-ma0000012286{{

 #if: 
 | /{{{tab}}}
 }}

| {{#if: sadcore-ma0000012286

 | {{#if: 
   | {{#if: |[[{{{author-link}}}|{{#if: |, {{{first}}} }}]]|{{#if: |, {{{first}}} }}}}. 
   }}[https://www.allmusic.com/style/sadcore-ma0000012286{{
   #if: 
   | /{{{tab}}}
   }} {{
   #if: Sadcore genre overview
   | Sadcore genre overview
   | Template:PAGENAMEBASE
   }}] at AllMusic{{
   #if: 
   | . Retrieved .
   }}
 | {{#if: {{#property:P1728}}
   | Template:First word {{#if: Sadcore genre overview | Sadcore genre overview | Template:PAGENAMEBASE }} at AllMusicTemplate:EditAtWikidata
   | {{#if: {{#property:P1729}}
     | Template:First word {{#if: Sadcore genre overview | Sadcore genre overview | Template:PAGENAMEBASE }} at AllMusicTemplate:EditAtWikidata
     | {{#if: {{#property:P1730}}
       | Template:First word {{#if: Sadcore genre overview | Sadcore genre overview | Template:PAGENAMEBASE }} at AllMusicTemplate:EditAtWikidata
       | {{#if: {{#property:P1994}}
         | Template:First word {{#if: Sadcore genre overview | Sadcore genre overview | Template:PAGENAMEBASE }} at AllMusicTemplate:EditAtWikidata
         | {{AllMusic}} template missing ID and not present in Wikidata.Template:Main other
         }}
       }}
     }}
   }}
 }}

}}

{{#invoke:Navbox|navbox}}