Indie pop

Indie pop refers to indie music which is considered to be based on the conventions of pop music. The term is nebulous. Because indie rock is sometimes used to mean

Indie pop refers to indie music which is considered to be based on the conventions of pop music. The term is nebulous. Because indie rock is sometimes used to mean indie music as a whole, indie pop can be discussed as a sub-set of indie rock, but other times the terms are used to illustrate a pop-rock dichotomy within the indie music scene. The term is further blurred by disagreement over what qualifies as pop music. Pop is seen as being radio-friendly and disposable, two things that indie music generally eschews. Indie pop is thus the pop music that operates outside of the boundaries of conventional pop music. It is often lo-fi, or otherwise unusual.

Indie pop's sonic roots lie in pioneers like Jonathan Richman and the quieter songs of The Velvet Underground. The sweeter sounds of 1960s garage pop/rock, as well as mainstream 1960s artists like The Association, The Monkees, The Byrds, The Mamas and the Papas, and of course The Beatles, The Beach Boys and the early Syd Barrett-led Pink Floyd. 1960's girl groups also heavily influenced indiepop, both musically and stylistically, with The Shangri-Las being the most obvious. The Ramones mixture of 60's melodies with a crudely played wall of sound guitar was also a key influence. The perfect pop statement was the string of singles issued by British punk-pop group Buzzcocks, who adapted The Ramones' sound into a speedy jangle with high whining boy voice, elements that were to become keystones of the later indie pop sound.