’80s Indie Essentials

’80s Indie Essentials

By the '80s, punk's DIY ethos had become manifest in a groundswell of independent labels, zines and venues across the U.S. And while L.A. hardcore legends Black Flag were among its key catalysts, this network accommodated an increasingly pluralised definition of punk that would become known as indie rock. It comprised bands who were spurred into action by hardcore but soon broke free of its strictures, be it through dreamy discord (Sonic Youth) or buzzsawed power pop (Hüsker Dü). By contrast, the UK's indie scene emerged as a pop-oriented outgrowth of post-punk, as heard in the glimmering goth of The Cure or the jaunty jangle of The Smiths.

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