In a similar vein to these green flags in a person’s music taste, these four music habits are subjective. If you do any of these, we’re not trying to call you out (although it wouldn’t hurt to take a good hard look at your behavior). These could just be personal icks, but in the hope that there’s someone who can relate, here are four music habits that cause instant secondhand embarrassment.
Gatekeeping For No Good Reason
You know this type: “Oh, you like Nirvana/Green Day/The Rolling Stones? Name five of their albums.” And you know it’s usually a man saying this to a woman about bands that only men like, yadda yadda yadda. Big Boi likes Kate Bush, but I don’t see anyone quizzing him on her discography. That’s because gatekeeping like that is a pointless excuse to shame people who like this thing you also like, but in a way that you don’t like.
So what if someone wearing a Nirvana t-shirt only knows the popular hits? It’s not their fault the band’s image has been co-opted by capitalism to sell overpriced t-shirts at Hot Topic. Basically, judging people based on the depth of their knowledge of an extremely mainstream band is a major ick. You want to be impressed? Having a conversation with someone about their favorite track off David Lynch’s The Big Dream yields much better results.
Being Pretentious About Bands That Suck
One of the most rewarding music habits someone can have is awareness of how much their favorite bands suck. Let’s face it: many of us love and cherish some pretty bad music. Whether it’s just cringe or straight up trash depends on personal perspective. For example, I once played Cobra Starship for a friend who had never heard of them and had to quickly confront the reality that this band, which I hold very dear, is actually not that good.
But it becomes a major ick when people refuse to acknowledge this about their favorite bands. Music taste is subjective, of course, but sometimes these things are obvious. And when an artist can do no wrong, that’s a clear sign of delusion within a fanbase. It’s okay to like bad music, but at least have some self-awareness.
Going on About Psyops and Industry PLants
The key to this icky music habit is going on about psyops and industry plants without knowing what psyops and industry plants actually are. Not every good rock band that seemingly explodes overnight is a psyop. We did this to The Strokes, then to Arctic Monkeys, then egregiously to Geese. And we did it to Chappell Roan and every other pop girly who went from posting YouTube covers to playing Coachella in what felt like a suspiciously short time.
But these artists weren’t engineered by the government to spread propaganda and misinformation and influence the opinions of the people. Because that’s what a psyop is; it’s not a band who used admittedly morally gray marketing techniques to get their music in your algorithm.
This argument is a major ick for a few reasons. One, words have meanings for a reason, and now a bunch of people are confused about what a psyop is. Two, it devalues the work these artists have put in for years already. Three, it also sounds really dumb when the artists are actually good. And four, the people you want to get mad at are the social media marketing teams who manipulate your algorithm and then lie about it. If you want somewhere to direct your anger about Geese, that’s where.
Shutting the Car Off Before the Song Ends
This one is admittedly a personal ick, but maybe there are people out there who agree. Have you ever been riding in the car with someone, having a blast listening to a great song? Ever arrive at your destination only to have the driver turn the car off immediately, ending the great song right in the middle? It’s like being shaken awake from an incredible dream. Jarring. A cruel and unusual punishment for a nonexistent crime. You have to let the song play until the end. It’s the only way to get closure.
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