Imagine: it’s fall, you’re a teen, and there are girls in skirts and flannels and Doc Martens everywhere. You have your earbuds in, not AirPods, but the wired buds. Lana Del Rey is playing, up next in your queue is Arctic Monkeys.

This one might be for the older audience, but many of us Zillennials – those of us born anywhere from 1996 and 2002 – are appreciating the comeback of so many of the quintessential artists that shaped our moody preteen and teen years. 

The 1975, Arctic Monkeys, The Wombats, Marina and many others have garnered attention lately as they gear up to release new albums and go on tour. 

Part of the reason why I think we’ve dipped back into early 2010’s indie pop is because it’s reminiscent of our childhood, or at least what we listened to when we had nothing else to hold onto. 

Another reason I think we’re going back to listening to these artists is because they’re just plain good and we want to revisit listening to them for the first time.

I grew up on this music, so it’s easy for me to say that this has good, quality, early adulthood angst vibes. Maybe it’s the autumn weather that makes us want to fall back into the comfort of our sweaters. Perhaps it’s the Diet Mountain Dew we’ve been downing because it’s the only thing available to us. 

A large part of me believes that this is going to be the new “Dad Rock” or “Soccer Mom Music;” the defining music genre for this specific generation, a real telling of when we grew up and how chronically online we were as kids. Another example of this would be “emo” fans of the early 2000s.

Much like fashion trends that come around again and again (see: bootcut jeans and claw clips), music naturally does as well. Because of the shrinking world due to social media, trends are coming and going more and more often. The 2014 music trend is one I can really get behind, as I never really stopped listening to the artists I discovered way back in middle and high school.

The widespread uncovering of music that these younger kids have brought back to light is somewhat refreshing and actually quite nostalgic to me. Rather than gatekeeping or insisting that I liked these bands “before they were cool,” being able to share my music with a new generation of listeners feels like a blessing.