We don’t want to admit it, but our music taste can change significantly with age. There are many reasons for this, and it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Naturally, we shift with age and experiences. If you’re experiencing this as well, here are 3 ways that your music changes as you get older.
relying on nostalgia
For many millennials, we watched alternative take over the 1990s. With this, many subgenres formed, such as emo, and we’re heavily nostalgic for it. We were angsty teenagers, and emo bands were something we hadn’t heard before. Bands hadn’t been so personal before, so we attached to them on an emotional level during vulnerable and impressionable times in our lives. Collectively, we’re stuck in the past, unwilling to give new bands a fair shake. Even if they share the same elements that forced us to fall in love with 2000s emo. Which brings me to my next point.
mellowing out
As you get older, you don’t overthink your emotions as much. We were angsty teenagers, attaching our whole identity to any band with sorrowful lyrics. As we age, we decide that we’re not going to feel better about ourselves unless we focus on positive outlooks. I often wonder how I would like the same bands that I discovered in my teens, had I discovered them in my 30s. The result wouldn’t be the same, as it’s not the kind of music I resonate with anymore. We can still reminisce and feel pure nostalgia listening to our old favorite emo and punk bands. But when new groups come out with the same sound, it doesn’t hit quite like it did when we were 16.
appreciation for the classics
For years, our draw to alternative music meant we abandoned appreciation for the classics. Classic rock, soul, blues, country, and jazz all sit on the back burner in your teenage years. As you age, you suddenly start resonating with Steely Dan. They’re the perfect example of a band that doesn’t speak to us until we reach a certain state of maturity. They are the main band that confirms you’re in your 30s. And that’s okay. You’ve grown into a new appreciation for jazz.
Blues and country classics are the same way. The way we handle heartbreak in our middle-aged years is quite different than our teen years. Teenage heartbreak is often angry and confusing. Middle-aged heartbreak is more of deep disappointment, and the sound of blues guitar is the tone. Rather than throwing a fit, oftentimes we want something to mellow us out in the moment. No more dwelling, and simply finding the strength to move past a dark time.
Photo Illustration by Ian Waldie/Getty Images
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