Editing Slowcore

{{Short description|Subgenre of indie rock}}
{{good article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2023}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2023}}
{{infobox music genre
| name              = Slowcore
| other_names       = Sadcore <!-- Sourced in main body -->
| stylistic_origins = {{hlist|[[Indie rock]]|[[contemporary folk]]}}
| cultural_origins  = 1980s, United States
| other_topics      = {{flatlist| <!-- Sorted alphabetically -->
* [[Alternative rock]]
* [[ambient music]]
* [[Americana (music)|Americana]]
* [[dream pop]]
* [[Drone music|drone]]
* [[post-rock]]
* [[shoegaze]]
}}
}}

'''Slowcore''',{{efn|name=Spelling differences}} 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 [[contemporary folk|folk]], laid the groundwork for the genre in the early years and until the mid-1990s, when [[Low (band)|Low]] played a pivotal role in establishing slowcore as one of the era's [[microgenre]]s; however, despite their retrospective acclamation as slowcore pioneers, Low was not the first band to produce slowcore. [[Codeine (band)|Codeine]], [[Red House Painters]], and [[Bedhead (band)|Bedhead]] all released influential albums earlier that decade, while [[American Music Club]]{{emdash}}widely considered to be the genre's first act{{emdash}}formed 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 (band)|Spain]], [[Duster (band)|Duster]], and [[Ida (band)|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 (musician)|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.

== Characteristics ==
{{Listen
|filename="Lullaby" - Low.ogg
|title="Lullaby"
|description="Lullaby" by [[Low (band)|Low]] from their 1994 debut album ''[[I Could Live in Hope]]''. This album is considered foundational within slowcore,<ref name="Times 11 January 2003"/><ref name="Grønstad p176"/> a genre that "stretch[es] a simple melody into a 10-minute meditation that gently pulls [the listener] out of linear time".<ref name="Mimi essential"/>
}}

Slowcore prominently incorporates stylings and traits from [[indie rock]] and [[contemporary folk music]].<ref>{{harvnb|Earles|2014|pages=4, 124}}.</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 [[Independent music|released independently]] or through low-budget [[record labels]] that typically fails to appeal to mainstream audiences.<ref name="Atlantic indie">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/06/how-indie-rock-changed-the-world/392057/|title=How Indie Rock Changed the World|first=Deborah|last=Cohen|url-access=subscription|magazine=[[The Atlantic]]|date=June 2015|accessdate=12 April 2024}}</ref> Similarly, contemporary folk refers to a musical style representative of [[traditional folk music]] but with modern{{emdash}}the 20th century and onwards{{emdash}}interpretations,<ref>{{harvnb|R. Ferris|L. Hart|2010|pages=3–5}}.</ref> ultimately spawning subgenres like [[folk rock]] and [[indie folk]] in the later stages of the century,<ref>{{harvnb|Sweers|2005|pages=4, 29–31}}.</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Petrusich|2008|page=225}}: "Following [[David Keenan|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 <!-- listed alphabetically -->[[alternative rock]],<ref name="Grønstad p176"/> [[Americana (music)|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">{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/features/article/the-shoegaze-revival-hit-its-stride-in-2023/|title=The Shoegaze Revival Hit Its Stride in 2023|first=Philip|last=Sherburne|date=14 December 2023|accessdate=5 February 2025|work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|url-status=live|archivedate=5 February 2025|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20250205012856/https://pitchfork.com/features/article/the-shoegaze-revival-hit-its-stride-in-2023/}}</ref> [[Drone music|Drone]] and [[ambient music]] are also cited as being similar.<ref>{{harvnb|Fox|2009|pp=2–3}}: "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 [[tempo]]s and a sombre and atmospheric approach to both the songwriting and composition.<ref name="Crystal p235 1">{{harvnb|Crystal|2014|p=235}}: ""[...] characterised by 'slow temps, a sombre, atmospheric, sometimes densely textured sound, and quiet, forlorn vocals'." Citing {{Cite OED|term=slowcore|id=7503491735}}.</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 (website)|Pitchfork]]'' wrote that the genre "gently pulls [the listener] out of linear time".<ref name="Mimi essential">{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/remembering-lows-mimi-parker-with-6-essential-tracks/|title=Remembering Low's Mimi Parker With 6 Essential Tracks|first=Andrea|last=Swensson|date=7 November 2022|access-date=15 June 2023|work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|archive-date=6 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230606030455/https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/remembering-lows-mimi-parker-with-6-essential-tracks/|url-status=live}}</ref> While the songs can implement [[refrain|chorus]]es, they often lack intense changes in instrumentation. [[Chris Brokaw]] of [[Codeine (band)|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">{{Cite OED|term=slowcore|id=7503491735}} Citing ''[[SF Weekly]]'', 6 May 1998.<!--Reference is present in OED, but it is unavailable everywhere else online--></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"/>

===Sadcore===
[[File:Lana Del Rey Releases Music Video For New Track 'Burning Desire'9.jpg|thumb|right|alt=A woman wearing a white dress laying on a red velvet couch in front of a grandiose red wall with gold accents|[[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 [[neologism]]s to be synonymous.<ref>{{harvnb|Metzer|2017|p=14}}: "It is no coincidence that slow core rock is also known as sad core."</ref><ref name="encyclopedia">{{cite news |url=https://www.thetimes.com/sunday-times-rich-list/profile/article/slowcore-encyclopedia-of-modern-music-900nb75xf93|newspaper=[[The Sunday Times]]|date=1 February 2009 |title=Slowcore: Encyclopedia of Modern Music |last=Edwards |first=Mark|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615172315/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article5597945.ece|archive-date=15 June 2011 |access-date=8 December 2022|url-access=subscription|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/1998-somehow-brought-us-boy-bands-nu-metal-and-neutra-1828308107|title=1998 somehow brought us boy bands, nü-metal, and Neutral Milk Hotel|first1=Clayton|last1=Purdom|first2=Alex|last2=McLevy|first3=Erik|last3=Adams|first4=Katie|last4=Rife|first5=Matt|last5=Gerardi|first6=Laura|last6=Adamczyk|first7=Gwen|last7=Ihnat|first8=A.A.|last8=Dowd|first9=David|last9=Anthony|work=[[The A.V. Club]]|date=20 August 2018|access-date=21 May 2023|archive-date=21 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230521130154/https://www.avclub.com/1998-somehow-brought-us-boy-bands-nu-metal-and-neutra-1828308107|url-status=live}}</ref> When distinguished, the differences are attributed to a heightened melancholy in the lyrics of sadcore songs.<ref name="Crystal 235">{{harvnb|Crystal|2014|p=235}}: "The gloomy lyrical content rather than the acoustic effects led to the synonymous sadcore."</ref><ref name="citynews">{{cite web|url=https://toronto.citynews.ca/2022/12/10/the-music-subgenre-sadcore-finds-a-new-life-with-a-new-generation/|title=The music subgenre sadcore finds a new life with a new generation|first=Christian|last=Collington|date=10 December 2022|access-date=20 May 2023|work=[[CityNews]]|archive-date=19 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230519143803/https://toronto.citynews.ca/2022/12/10/the-music-subgenre-sadcore-finds-a-new-life-with-a-new-generation/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite OED|term=sadcore|id=2515705092}}</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>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2002/05/24/the-melancholy-man-lightens-up/edd94d7b-51bd-42ac-afcf-ca4451e7fbf9/|title=The Melancholy Man Lightens Up|date=24 May 2002|first=Richard|last=Harrington|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=21 May 2023|archive-date=18 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200718155501/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2002/05/24/the-melancholy-man-lightens-up/edd94d7b-51bd-42ac-afcf-ca4451e7fbf9/|url-status=live}}</ref> and ''[[LA Weekly]]'' calling Charlyn Marshall (stage name [[Cat Power]]) the "Queen of Sadcore" in 2003.<ref>{{cite journal |title=The Queen of Sadcore |last=Payne |first=John |journal=LA Weekly |date=13 February 2003 |access-date=28 September 2016 |url=https://www.laweekly.com/the-queen-of-sadcore/ |archive-date=29 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200429023801/https://www.laweekly.com/the-queen-of-sadcore/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Reviewers also used it in passing for albums such as [[Red House Painters]]' ''[[Red House Painters (Rollercoaster)|Rollercoaster]]'' (1993),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/red-house-painters-red-house-painters-1798212369|title=Red House Painters: Red House Painters|first=Marc|last=Hawthorne|date=25 September 2007|access-date=21 May 2023|work=[[The A.V. Club]]|archive-date=19 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221219094936/https://www.avclub.com/red-house-painters-red-house-painters-1798212369|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Shearwater (band)|Shearwater]]'s ''[[Everybody Makes Mistakes (Shearwater album)|Everybody Makes Mistakes]]'' (2002),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/7102-everybody-makes-mistakes/|title=Shearwater: Everybody Makes Mistakes Album Review|work=[[Pitchfork (magazine)|Pitchfork]]|date=9 February 2003|access-date=21 May 2023|first=Brian|last=James|archive-date=18 March 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090318102024/http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/7102-everybody-makes-mistakes/|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Low (band)|Low]]'s [[box set]] ''[[A Lifetime of Temporary Relief: 10 Years of B-Sides and Rarities|A Lifetime of Temporary Relief]]'' (2004).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/low-a-lifetime-of-temporary-relief-10-years-of-b-side-1798199812|title=Low: A Lifetime Of Temporary Relief: 10 Years Of B-Sides & Rarities|first=Josh|last=Modell|date=2 August 2004|access-date=21 May 2023|work=[[The A.V. Club]]|archive-date=21 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230521131156/https://www.avclub.com/low-a-lifetime-of-temporary-relief-10-years-of-b-side-1798199812|url-status=live}}</ref> Since then, [[Lana Del Rey]] described her own music as "Hollywood sadcore" in an interview with ''[[Vogue (magazine)|Vogue]]'' in 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/lana-del-rey-interview|title=Meet Lana Del Rey|date=20 October 2011|access-date=21 May 2023|work=[[Vogue (magazine)|Vogue]]|archive-date=22 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160522222111/http://www.vogue.co.uk/blogs/the-culture-edit/2011/10/20/lana-del-rey-interview|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/apr/03/lana-del-rey-review-hollywood-sadcore-shines-in-australia|title=Lana Del Rey review – 'Hollywood sadcore' shines in Australia|first=Isabella|last=Trimboli|date=3 April 2018|access-date=21 May 2023|work=[[The Guardian]]|archive-date=21 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230521123903/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/apr/03/lana-del-rey-review-hollywood-sadcore-shines-in-australia|url-status=live}}</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>{{cite web|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/phoebe-bridgers-on-lorde-laneway-and-the-sad-girl-label-i-hate-it/U5H7QTAIMNAJDNESHIBSRQROBM/|title=Phoebe Bridgers on Lorde, Laneway, and the 'sad girl' label: 'I hate it'|first=Bethany|last=Reitsma|access-date=21 May 2023|date=28 January 2023|work=[[The New Zealand Herald]]|archive-date=21 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230521123905/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/phoebe-bridgers-on-lorde-laneway-and-the-sad-girl-label-i-hate-it/U5H7QTAIMNAJDNESHIBSRQROBM/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Etymology==
Within music, the suffix "[[:wikt:-core|-core]]" infers a scene or style, originating with "[[hardcore punk|hardcore]]".<ref>{{cite OED|id=8451760115|term=-core}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/cottagecore-goblincore-cluttercore/2021/09/09/4656e958-09b6-11ec-aea1-42a8138f132a_story.html|title=Cottagecore, cluttercore, goblincore — deep down, it's about who we think we are|first=Maura|last=Judkis|date=13 September 2021|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=26 June 2023|archive-date=13 September 2021|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210913170517/https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/cottagecore-goblincore-cluttercore/2021/09/09/4656e958-09b6-11ec-aea1-42a8138f132a_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/03/arts/music/03indie.html|title=When Indie-Rock Genres Outnumber the Bands|first=Ben|last=Sisario|date=31 December 2009|access-date=26 June 2023|work=[[The New York Times]]|archive-date=26 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230626062606/https://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/03/arts/music/03indie.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[American Dialect Society]] describes it more generally as a "productive suffix for aesthetic trends".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://americandialect.org/nominations-for-words-of-the-year-2021|title=Nominations for Words of the Year 2021|publisher=[[American Dialect Society]]|date=7 January 2022|access-date=26 June 2023|archive-date=26 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230626064708/https://americandialect.org/nominations-for-words-of-the-year-2021|url-status=live}}</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>{{Cite OED|term=slowcore|id=7503491735}}. Citing {{harvnb|Eddy|1991|p=144/2}}: "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 ({{circa}} 1993).<ref>{{cite AV media |date=20 September 2021 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJyBSdPDa5M |title=Alan Sparhawk from Low tells the story of the origin of 'Slowcore' |publisher=The Paper Crane Podcast |via=[[YouTube]] |access-date=5 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211002042718/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJyBSdPDa5M |archive-date=2 October 2021 |url-status=live}}</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"/>

===Reception===
{{Quote box
 |quote  = Journalists dubbed this genre "slowcore", much to the musicians' chagrin. "It was an insult," says Bedhead's Matt Kadane. "We never saw slowness as the essence of what we were doing."
 |author = Stevie Chick
 |source = ''[[The Guardian]]''<ref name="Guardian Aug23"/>
 |align = right
 |width = 400px
}}
The "slowcore" label has been criticised by scholars and bands, who have called it pejorative.<ref name="Earles 124 1">{{harvnb|Earles|2014|page=124}}: "[...] 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 and Bubba Kadane|Matt Kadane]] of [[Bedhead (band)|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">{{harvnb|Grønstad|2020|p=176}}: "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">{{cite web|url=http://www.silbermedia.com/qrd/archives/low14.html|title=Low interview from QRD #14|date=October 1998|access-date=20 May 2023|work=QRD|publisher=Silber Media|quote=[[Alan Sparhawk|Alan]] – what's the cheesiest? slow-core.  I hate that word.  the most appropriate is anything that uses the word minimal in it, but I don't think anybody's made one up for that.|archive-date=22 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230522063105/http://www.silbermedia.com/qrd/archives/low14.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Regardless, the term became increasingly popular and in an interview with ''[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]]'' in 2018, Sparhawk recognised his band as being influential in slowcore's growth and success.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/rank-your-records-low-alan-sparhawk/|title=Low's Alan Sparhawk Ranks the Band's 11 Albums|work=[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]]|date=5 October 2018|first=Cam|last=Lindsay|access-date=20 May 2023|archive-date=20 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230520121801/https://www.vice.com/en/article/9k7z9d/rank-your-records-low-alan-sparhawk|url-status=live}}</ref>

== History ==
===Late 1980s: Stylistic origins===
[[File:American Music Club 11-09-08 -- Bush Hall (2860179547) (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|alt=Three people performing on stage at Bush Hall, in the United Kingdom. They are illuminated by red and blue lights.|[[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>{{cite news|title=Low, Turning Its Slowcore Fidelity to High|first=Joe|last=Heim|date=2 February 2005|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|accessdate=23 November 2023|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2005/02/02/low-turning-its-slowcore-fidelity-to-high/18622a1b-8d96-4eef-bf2a-63daf952ca62/|issn=0190-8286}}</ref> Grunge fused elements of [[punk rock]] and [[heavy metal music|heavy metal]] to create a scene which [[Bruce Pavitt]], co-founder of the record label [[Sub Pop]], described as "gritty vocals, roaring [[Marshall Amplification|Marshall]] amps, ultra-loose [[:wikt:grunge|grunge]] that destroyed the morals of a generation".<ref name="Guardian grunge">{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/aug/24/grunge-myths-nirvana-kurt-cobain|title=Ten myths about grunge, Nirvana and Kurt Cobain|first=Everett|last=True|date=25 August 2011|accessdate=11 April 2024|archivedate=11 April 2024|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20240411062003/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/aug/24/grunge-myths-nirvana-kurt-cobain|url-status=live|work=[[The Guardian]]}}</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">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/grunge-city-the-seattle-scene-250071/|title=Grunge City: The Seattle Scene|first=Michael|last=Azerrad|date=16 April 1992|accessdate=11 April 2024|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|archivedate=11 April 2024|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20240411062157/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/grunge-city-the-seattle-scene-250071/|url-status=live}}</ref> though unlike grunge, the early years of slowcore did not have a defined [[music community|scene]] or any geographic hotspots.<ref name="Bandcamp timeline">{{cite web|url=https://daily.bandcamp.com/lists/slowcore-a-brief-timeline|title=Slowcore: A Brief Timeline|first=Robert|last=Rubsam|date=27 April 2017|work=[[Bandcamp Daily]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230524135010/https://daily.bandcamp.com/lists/slowcore-a-brief-timeline|archive-date=24 May 2023|access-date=27 May 2023}}</ref>

[[American Music Club]], hailing from [[San Francisco]], California, are considered an early slowcore band.<ref name="NYT Mimi Parker obituary">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/11/arts/music/mimi-parker-dead.html|title=Mimi Parker, Moody Alt-Rock Vocalist, Is Dead at 55|first=Alex|last=Williams|date=11 November 2022|accessdate=24 November 2023|work=[[The New York Times]]|url-access=subscription|archive-date=29 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230829102658/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/11/arts/music/mimi-parker-dead.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite podcast|url=https://www.npr.org/2008/02/27/56988288/american-music-club-slowcore-and-more|title=American Music Club: 'Slowcore' and More|work=[[NPR]]|access-date=27 May 2023|date=27 February 2008|first=David|last=Dye|archive-date=9 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230409155046/https://www.npr.org/2008/02/27/56988288/american-music-club-slowcore-and-more|url-status=live}}</ref> Releasing their debut album ''[[The Restless Stranger]]'' in 1985,<ref>{{harvnb|Schoemer|1989|p=67}}.</ref> the band's music was slow and with characteristics akin to genres like folk and [[singer-songwriter]].<ref>{{harvnb|Cairns|2001}}: "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 music|country]] and [[blues]],<ref>{{harvnb|Dafoe|1988}}: "[...] country- blues minimalists Cowboy Junkies".</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Griffin|1988}}: "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|Cambridge]], Massachusetts and began releasing dream pop albums. Their sophomore album, ''[[On Fire (Galaxie 500 album)|On Fire]]'' (1989), strongly influenced the genre,<ref name="AVC On Fire">{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/the-slow-and-steady-perfection-of-galaxie-500-s-on-fire-1832429384|title=The slow and steady perfection of Galaxie 500's On Fire|date=12 February 2019|accessdate=27 March 2024|publisher=[[G/O Media]]|work=[[The A.V. Club]]|first=Ashley|last=Naftule|url-status=live|archivedate=27 March 2024|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20240327090705/https://www.avclub.com/the-slow-and-steady-perfection-of-galaxie-500-s-on-fire-1832429384}}</ref> as did the rest of their discography,<ref name="Earles 124 2">{{harvnb|Earles|2014|page=124}}: "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>{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/6-great-albums-named-after-other-great-albums/|title=6 Great Albums Named After Other Great Albums|first=Sam|last=Sodomsky|work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|date=24 January 2018|accessdate=5 May 2024|url-status=live|archive-date=21 January 2024|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20240121103914/https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/6-great-albums-named-after-other-great-albums/}}</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 (band)|Codeine]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/reconsidering-codeine-a-90s-band-frozen-in-time-1798231556|title=Reconsidering Codeine, a '90s band frozen in time|date=25 May 2012|access-date=20 May 2023|first=Jason|last=Heller|work=[[The A.V. Club]]|archive-date=20 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230520125622/https://www.avclub.com/reconsidering-codeine-a-90s-band-frozen-in-time-1798231556|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/17781-low-the-invisible-way/|title=Low: The Invisible Way Album Review|access-date=20 May 2023|date=21 March 2013|first=Stephen|last=Deusner|work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|archive-date=20 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230520131744/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/17781-low-the-invisible-way/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Red House Painters]],<ref name="Bandcamp timeline"/> and [[Mazzy Star]].<ref name="Earles 124 1"/>

===1990s: Peak growth and evolution===
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>{{harvnb|Earles|2014|page=4}}: "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>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/27/AR2008052702529.html|title=Ida at Iota: Showing Indie Rock's Softer Side|date=28 May 2008|access-date=27 May 2023|first=Catherine|last=Lewis|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|archive-date=27 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230527133954/https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/27/AR2008052702529.html|url-status=live}}</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|thumb|left|alt=Three people performing on a stage with white lights in the background. The photo is positioned from the perspective of the crowd.|[[Codeine (band)|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>{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/7150-sub-pop-20/|title=Sub Pop 20|date=11 July 2008|access-date=27 May 2023|work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|archive-date=27 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230527085425/https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/7150-sub-pop-20/|url-status=live}}</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>{{harvnb|Punter|1993}}.</ref> By ''[[The White Birch (album)|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>{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/20517-box-set/|title=Red House Painters: Box Set Album Review|date=6 May 2015|access-date=15 June 2023|work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|first=Brandon|last=Stosuy|archive-date=27 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230627034349/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/20517-box-set/|url-status=live}}</ref> The album is bleak in both lyrics and composition;<ref name="RS New Faces">{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|title=New Faces|date=16 September 1993|last=Goldberg|first=Michael|issue=665|quote="That music is quiet, stripped-down, intensely atmospheric folk rock with occasional psychedelic touches, played at a hypnotic dirge tempo."}}</ref> ''Down Colorful Hill'', alongside their following albums ''[[Red House Painters (Rollercoaster)|Rollercoaster]]'' (1993) and ''[[Red House Painters (Bridge)|Bridge]]'' (1993),<ref>{{harvnb|Earles|2014|pages=253–4}}.</ref> have been described as instilling feelings of "desperation, regret, and general darkness".<ref>{{harvnb|Earles|2014|page=253}}: "''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>{{harvnb|Earles|2014|page=177}}: "Of the bands grouped into 'sadcore' and 'slowcore' classifications by critics in the early '90s, none were lower{{emdash}}or perhaps sadder (though Red House Painters might win that contest){{emdash}}than Low."</ref>

Another early band was [[Bedhead (band)|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 (album)|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>{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/19717-bedhead-bedhead-1992-1998/|title=Bedhead: Bedhead: 1992-1998 Album Review|work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|access-date=27 May 2023|date=14 November 2014|first=Mark|last=Richardson|archive-date=27 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230527085426/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/19717-bedhead-bedhead-1992-1998/|url-status=live}}</ref> A year after Bedhead's formation, [[Idaho (band)|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 decade{{emdash}}their debut being ''Year After Year'' (1993); however, Idaho persisted into the next century.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/15713-you-were-a-dick/|title=Idaho: You Were a Dick Album Review|accessdate=14 November 2023|date=8 August 2011|work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|first=Brian|last=Howe|archive-date=14 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231114082453/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/15713-you-were-a-dick/|url-status=live}}</ref>

====1994-1999: Refinement of an archetypical sound====
[[File:Low band.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Three people performing on a dark stage illuminated by red ceiling lights. In the background, a video is projected onto a wall.|[[Low (band)|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 [[microgenre]]s rapidly appearing.<ref>{{harvnb|Arsel|Thompson|2011|p=796}}: "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 (band)|Acetone]], [[Slint]], and [[Swans (band)|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>{{cite web|url=https://www.gq.com/story/a-new-box-set-unearths-the-greatest-90s-rock-band-youve-probably-never-heard|title=A New Box Set Unearths Acetone, the Greatest '90s Rock Band You've (Probably) Never Heard|first=Alex|last=Scordelis|date=17 November 2023|accessdate=23 November 2023|work=[[GQ]]|publisher=[[Condé Nast]]|archive-date=22 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231122140047/https://www.gq.com/story/a-new-box-set-unearths-the-greatest-90s-rock-band-youve-probably-never-heard|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Vice sad music">{{cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-value-of-sad-music/|title=The Value of Sad Music|first=Aidan|last=Baker|website=[[Noisey]]|date=26 February 2013|access-date=23 November 2023|archive-date=23 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231123054157/https://www.vice.com/en/article/rk7zer/the-value-of-sad-music|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Low (band)|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">{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/features/afterword/low-mimi-parker/|title=Mimi Parker Was Indie Rock's Guardian Angel|accessdate=23 November 2023|date=8 November 2022|website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|first=Nina|last=Corcoran|archive-date=23 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231123054157/https://pitchfork.com/features/afterword/low-mimi-parker/|url-status=live}}</ref> This album was different from its predecessors: while it maintained stylistic similarities with other bands' sparse instrumentation,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://pitchforkmedia.com/top/90s/index6.shtml |title=Top 100 Albums of the '90s |work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |accessdate=July 28, 2019 |page=6 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030225202458/http://pitchforkmedia.com/top/90s/index6.shtml |archive-date=February 25, 2003}}</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">{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Pop albums|date=11 January 2003|page=110|issue=67657|column=e|first=Stevie|last=Chick|quote=[...] elemental folky music spearheaded by Low, the acclaimed pioneers of 'Slocore' {{sic}}.}}</ref><ref name="Bandcamp timeline"/> in their review of ''[[Trust (Low album)|Trust]]'' (2002), Brad Haywood of ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' proclaimed ''I Could Live in Hope'' and ''[[Long Division (Low album)|Long Division]]'' (1995) "drew the blueprint for slowcore as we know it today".<ref name="Pitchfork Trust">{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/4891-trust/|title=Low: Trust Album Review|work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|accessdate=27 March 2024|date=29 September 2002|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20240327092410/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/4891-trust/|archivedate=27 March 2024|url-status=live|first=Brad|last=Haywood}}</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">{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/aug/02/glacial-pleasures-of-slowcore-codeine-duster|title='Our music didn't build. We were anti-catharsis': the glacial pleasures of slowcore|first=Stevie|last=Chick|date=2 August 2023|accessdate=14 November 2023|work=[[The Guardian]]|archive-date=15 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230915010007/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/aug/02/glacial-pleasures-of-slowcore-codeine-duster|url-status=live}}</ref> Among them was [[Ida (band)|Ida]], composed of [[Elizabeth Mitchell (musician)|Elizabeth Mitchell]] and Daniel Littleton, who released their debut album, ''Tales of Brave Ida'' in 1994.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/tales-of-brave-ida-mw0000122669|title=Ida – Tales of Brave Ida|accessdate=14 November 2023|first=Marc|last=Ruxin|work=[[AllMusic]]|archive-date=14 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231114082453/https://www.allmusic.com/album/tales-of-brave-ida-mw0000122669|url-status=live}}</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>{{cite web|url=http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/ida-heart/|title=Ida: Heart Like a River|first=Jill|last=LaBrack|date=16 February 2005|accessdate=14 November 2023|work=[[PopMatters]]|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121111122012/http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/ida-heart/|archivedate=11 November 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Bluetile Lounge]], an Australian band, released their debut album (''[[Lowercase (album)|Lowercase]]'') a year after Ida's debut, in 1995.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/listen/doublej/music-reads/features/lost-albums-bluetile-lounge---lowercase/10272158|title=Lost Albums: Bluetile Lounge – lowercase|work=[[Double J (radio station)|Double J]]|publisher=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]]|accessdate=14 November 2023|date=17 February 2015|first=Andy|last=Hazel|archive-date=14 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231114082455/https://www.abc.net.au/listen/doublej/music-reads/features/lost-albums-bluetile-lounge---lowercase/10272158|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Grønstad p176"/> Also in 1995, [[Spain (band)|Spain]] and [[Cat Power]] released their debut albums: ''[[The Blue Moods of Spain]]'' and ''[[Dear Sir]]'', respectively.<ref>{{harvnb|Stewart|2004|p=764}}.</ref><ref>{{cite web|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|last=Sheffield|first=Rob|title=Cat Power: Album Guide|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artist/album/news/artists/8828/54952/54990|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101127011444/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artist/album/news/artists/8828/54952/54990|archive-date=27 November 2010|date=10 April 2010|accessdate=14 November 2023}}</ref> [[The For Carnation]] released their debut EP, ''[[Fight Songs (EP)|Fight Songs]]'' the same year.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/fight-songs-mw0000644769|title=The For Carnation: Fight Songs|work=[[AllMusic]]|accessdate=14 November 2023|archive-date=14 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231114092700/https://www.allmusic.com/album/fight-songs-mw0000644769|url-status=live}}</ref> Two years later, [[Radar Bros.]]'s self-titled debut album was released.<ref>{{cite web|work=[[AllMusic]]|accessdate=14 November 2023|title=Radar Bros.: Radar Bros.|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/radar-bros-mw0000593121|first=Stephen|last=Thomas Erlewine|archive-date=14 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231114092705/https://www.allmusic.com/album/radar-bros-mw0000593121|url-status=live}}</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 (band)|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>{{harvnb|Casimir|1996}}.</ref>

Nearing the end of the decade, [[Duster (band)|Duster]] released ''[[Stratosphere (Duster album)|Stratosphere]]'' (1998).<ref name = "Stratosphere p4k">{{cite web|url=http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/record-reviews/d/duster/stratosphere.shtml|title=Duster: Stratosphere|website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|last=Richard-San|first=Mark|access-date=18 June 2023|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010216072359/http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/record-reviews/d/duster/stratosphere.shtml|archive-date=16 February 2001}}</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">{{Cite web |date=23 February 2018 |title=The Low-Key Legacy Of Duster, Your Favorite Indie Band's Favorite Indie Band |url=https://www.stereogum.com/1984421/the-low-key-legacy-of-duster-your-favorite-indie-bands-favorite-indie-band/columns/sounding-board/ |access-date=18 June 2023 |website=[[Stereogum]] |language=en |archive-date=23 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230523020354/https://www.stereogum.com/1984421/the-low-key-legacy-of-duster-your-favorite-indie-bands-favorite-indie-band/columns/sounding-board/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="npr duster">{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2019/03/22/705591894/the-old-disappearing-reappearing-band-trick|title=How Millennials Rescued Duster's Music From The Abyss|first=Marissa|last=Lorusso|date=22 March 2019|accessdate=27 March 2024|publisher=[[National Public Radio]]|archive-date=27 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230727094444/https://www.npr.org/2019/03/22/705591894/the-old-disappearing-reappearing-band-trick|url-status=live}}</ref>

===2000s and onwards: Continued expansion===
{{Quote box
 |quote  = Whereas subcultures like [[emo]] and [[New York hardcore|NYHC]] became ever-more constricting over time, [slowcore] began with a specific set of goals and expanded outward. Perhaps because slowcore was always more about a feeling and less a particular set of sonic parameters, it was always more open to interpretation than some of its fellow spawn of the underground.
 |author = Robert Rubsam
 |source = ''[[Bandcamp Daily]]''<ref name="Bandcamp timeline"/>
 |align = right
 |width = 400px
}}

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|thumb|right|alt=Three people clearly pictured on stage, with a fourth obscured in the background. On the wall in the background there is a blurred poster of the band Carissa's Wierd|[[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 (album)|Things We Lost in the Fire]]'' (2001) and ''Trust'',<ref name="Pitchfork TWLITF">{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/4892-things-we-lost-in-the-fire/|title=Low: Things We Lost in the Fire Album Review|work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|accessdate=28 March 2024|date=21 January 2001|first=Ryan|last=Schreiber}}</ref><ref name="Pitchfork Trust"/> and [[Jason Molina]], with [[Songs: Ohia]] (later called Magnolia Electric Co.),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.stereogum.com/2177942/songs-ohia-didnt-it-rain-turns-20/reviews/the-anniversary/|title=Songs: Ohia's Didn't It Rain Turns 20|accessdate=28 March 2024|date=3 March 2022|first=Chris|last=Terry|work=[[Stereogum]]}}</ref> releasing ''[[Ghost Tropic]]'' (2000),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/7336-ghost-tropic/|title=Songs: Ohia: Ghost Tropic Album Review|accessdate=28 March 2024|work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|date=13 November 2000}}</ref> ''[[Didn't It Rain]]'' (2002),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/19805-songs-ohia-didnt-it-rain/|title=Songs: Ohia: Didn't It Rain Album Review|accessdate=28 March 2024|work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|date=1 December 2014|first=Jason|last=Heller}}</ref> and ''[[The Magnolia Electric Co.]]'' (2003).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/18704-songs-ohia-the-magnolia-electric-co/|title=Songs: Ohia: The Magnolia Electric Co. Album Review|accessdate=28 March 2024|work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|date=12 November 2013|first=Jason|last=Heller}}</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">{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/14915-ugly-but-honest-you-should-be-at-home-here-songs-about-leaving/|title=Carissa's Wierd: Ugly But Honest: 1996-1999 / You Should Be at Home Here / Songs About Leaving Album Review|work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|accessdate=15 November 2023|date=2 December 2010|first=Stephen|last=M. Deusner|archive-date=15 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231115081504/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/14915-ugly-but-honest-you-should-be-at-home-here-songs-about-leaving/|url-status=live}}</ref>

While albums archetypical of the mid-to-late-1990s slowcore sound were still being released during the 2000s{{emdash}}such as those by Carissa's Wierd and Low{{emdash}}some 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>{{cite web|url=https://www.popmatters.com/sunkilmoon-ghosts-2496073226.html|title=Sun Kil Moon: Ghosts Of The Great Highway|date=22 January 2004|work=[[PopMatters]]|access-date=14 June 2023|archive-date=27 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230627034347/https://www.popmatters.com/sunkilmoon-ghosts-2496073226.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/7722-ghosts-of-the-great-highway/|title=Sun Kil Moon: Ghosts of the Great Highway Album Review|date=19 November 2003|access-date=15 June 2023|work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|first=Hartley|last=Goldstein|archive-date=27 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230627034347/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/7722-ghosts-of-the-great-highway/|url-status=live}}</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 (Sun Kil Moon album)|April]]'' (2008) as an essential slowcore record.<ref>{{harvnb|Clayton|Cairns|Nash|Edwards|2009}}.</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 (band)|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>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/inside-hope-sandoval-and-the-warm-inventions-mysterious-chemistry-117635/|title=Inside Hope Sandoval and the Warm Inventions' Mysterious Chemistry|first=Suzy|last=Exposito|date=16 December 2016|accessdate=29 March 2024|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]}}</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">{{cite web|url=https://www.clashmusic.com/news/my-bloody-valentine-side-project/|title=My Bloody Valentine Side Project|work=[[Clash (magazine)|Clash]]|accessdate=29 March 2024|first=Robin|last=Murray|date=9 July 2009}}</ref> This dream pop sound was revisited by [[Cigarettes After Sex]] in 2012, with their single "Nothing's Gonna Hurt You Baby".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-diehard-romanticism-of-cigarettes-after-sex/|title=The Diehard Romanticism of Cigarettes After Sex|first=Christina|last=Cacouris|date=17 February 2016|access-date=15 June 2023|work=[[Noisey]]|archive-date=24 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210124225252/https://www.vice.com/en/article/rb8ax3/the-diehard-romanticism-of-cigarettes-after-sex|url-status=live}}</ref> The song would go relatively unnoticed until it went viral several years later,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/how-the-handmaids-tale-changed-everything-for-cigarettes-after-sex-20171113-gzk5gk.html|title=How The Handmaid's Tale changed everything for Cigarettes After Sex|work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|accessdate=29 March 2024|first=Barry|last=Divola|date=28 November 2017}}</ref> following which the band released their [[Cigarettes After Sex (album)|self-titled]] debut album in 2017, described by ''Pitchfork'' as a "slowcore collection [that] borders on ambient".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/23308-cigarettes-after-sex/|title=Cigarettes After Sex: Cigarettes After Sex Album Review|first=Cameron|last=Cook|date=8 June 2017|access-date=15 June 2023|work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|archive-date=2 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230702140815/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/23308-cigarettes-after-sex/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Slowcore increased in popularity in the early 2020s,<ref name="Guardian Aug23"/> partly through social media trends.<ref name="Stereogum resurgence">{{cite web|url=https://www.stereogum.com/2245469/tiktok-has-made-shoegaze-bigger-than-ever/columns/sounding-board/|title=TikTok Has Made Shoegaze Bigger Than Ever|first=Eli|last=Enis|date=18 December 2023|accessdate=27 March 2024|work=[[Stereogum]]|archivedate=27 March 2024|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20240327093430/https://www.stereogum.com/2245469/tiktok-has-made-shoegaze-bigger-than-ever/columns/sounding-board/|url-status=live}}</ref> Songs like Duster's "Constellations" (from ''Stratosphere'') have been used to soundtrack viral videos to heighten the emotion.<ref name="BBC mascara">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-64465583|title=Mascara: What is the TikTok trend all about?|publisher=[[British Broadcasting Corporation]]|accessdate=19 November 2023|date=2 February 2023|first=Imogen|last=James|work=[[BBC News]]|archive-date=6 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230906044141/https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-64465583|url-status=live}}</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 (Joy Division song)|Atmosphere]]".<ref name="Guardian Aug23"/> Together, this usage increased public interest in slowcore, and its newfound growth allowed both existing bands{{emdash}}like Duster{{emdash}}to 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 (musician)|Grouper]], [[Kowloon Walled City (band)|Kowloon Walled City]], and [[Worm Ouroboros (band)|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>{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/nicole-dollanganger-gold-satin-dreamer/|title=Nicole Dollanganger's "Gold Satin Dreamer" Is an Unsettling and Beautiful Story of Doomed Romance|first=Jacqueline|last=Codiga|work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|date=7 November 2022|access-date=16 June 2023|archive-date=16 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230616124734/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/nicole-dollanganger-gold-satin-dreamer/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Ethel Cain]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/ethel-cain/preachers-daughter-album-review|title=On Preacher's Daughter, Ethel Cain's Jarring, Beautiful Vision Comes to Life|work=[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]|access-date=14 June 2023|date=11 May 2022|first=Devon|last=Chodzin|archive-date=15 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230615110717/https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/ethel-cain/preachers-daughter-album-review|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Daughter (band)|Daughter]],<ref name="Guardian Aug23"/> and [[Snail Mail (musician)|Snail Mail]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Snail Mail's Lindsey Jordan on writing about love: 'It's good to be vulnerable, but not pathetic'|date=29 May 2018|first=Ilana|last=Kaplan|accessdate=23 November 2023|work=[[The Independent]]|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/snail-mail-lindsey-jordan-interview-lush-album-pristine-indie-rock-a8368341.html|archive-date=31 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211231225821/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/snail-mail-lindsey-jordan-interview-lush-album-pristine-indie-rock-a8368341.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Notes and citations==
===Notes===
{{notelist|refs=
{{efn|name=Spelling differences|Occasionally hyphenated as '''slow-core'''<ref name="Rogers p640">{{harvnb|Rogers|2008|p=640}}: "Opposition and fluidity reside at the core of the genre's aesthetic. For example, as US rock band Nirvana succeeded commercially, indie fans grew more interested in post-rock and slow-core,  both  minimalist  genres  antithetical  to  Nirvana  despite  that  band's  origins within indie."</ref> or spaced as '''slow core'''.<ref name="Metzer definition">{{harvnb|Metzer|2017|p=12}}: "Rock fans do not relax but rather despair when they listen to 'slow core,' songs that are not only slow but also long."</ref> Rarely, the genre will be spelled '''slocore'''.<ref>{{Cite OED|term=slowcore|id=7503491735}}</ref>}}}}

===Citations===
{{reflist|refs=
<ref name="Low history">For an exploration of Low's work until 2018, see:
* {{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/sep/21/low-we-want-to-punch-new-holes-in-the-possibilities-of-music|title=Low: 'We want to punch new holes in the possibilities of music'|date=21 September 2018|accessdate=23 November 2023|work=[[The Guardian]]|first=Jessica|last=Hopper|archive-date=23 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231123044615/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/sep/21/low-we-want-to-punch-new-holes-in-the-possibilities-of-music|url-status=live}}
For a brief analysis of Low's work post-2000 in a review for ''[[Hey What]]'', see:
* {{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/low-hey-what-review-3044344|title=Low – 'Hey What' review: Minnesota duo shake off the 'slowcore' tag once and for all|first=James|last=McMahon|date=13 September 2021|accessdate=15 November 2023|publisher=[[NME]]|quote=But elsewhere the band began to experiment with harsher audio tones. For the first time, the previously snug-fitting 'slowcore' tag stopped making sense.|archive-date=15 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231115113924/https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/low-hey-what-review-3044344|url-status=live}}</ref>
}}

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* {{cite magazine|magazine=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]|date=1 February 1989|volume=4|issue=11|title=American Music Club|pages=66–67|first=Karen|last=Schoemer|url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/1438700005|url-access=subscription|location=[[New York City]], [[New York (state)|New York]]|id={{ProQuest|1438700005}}}}

==External links==
* {{AllMusic|class=style|id=slowcore-ma0000012160|title=Slowcore genre overview}}
* {{AllMusic|class=style|id=sadcore-ma0000012286|title=Sadcore genre overview}}

{{Alternative rock}}

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