We’ve all been there; you discover a band for the first time and they become your entire personality for a few months. Telling everyone about them, listening to their albums on repeat, essentially becoming a walking, talking press release for your new favorite band. For many Millennials in the 2000s, the following indie bands were just some of the artists that became our entire personalities.
The Strokes
Depending on who you ask, The Strokes were either the indie rock band of the early 2000s or annoying nepo baby posers. For those who loved them, though, The Strokes became something of a personality trait. Their 2001 debut EP The Modern Age had several labels fighting over them, with RCA releasing their debut LP It This It that same summer. This record sparked a wildfire of Strokes mania, with “Last Nite” effectively becoming their most well-known song.
The Strokes are often considered a mainstream indie rock band, an oxymoron that most likely frustrates quite a few fans. Still, for many Millennials, they’ve come to symbolize a unique moment during the 2000s. The Strokes were one of the bands at the forefront of indie rock, which gave way to the indie sleaze aesthetic through the 2010s. Whatever your opinion of them, there’s no denying their relevance.
Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend debuted their self-titled album in 2008, combining academic style with indie pop sound to create a literate yet laid back album. Albums like Vampire Weekend and Contra from 2010 buzzed with nervy energy in the vocals and instrumentation, but seemed to possess an effortless cool as well. Especially the debut, which featured elements of African pop styles and various string textures. This creates an interesting mix of preppy east coast sentiment and worldly musical interests.
This attitude came from tracks like “A-Punk”, “Oxford Comma”, “The Kids Don’t Stand a Chance”, and “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa”. At the time, Vampire Weekend represented a specific aesthetic of urban college campuses and indie pop academia. And it’s possible that those who latched onto that energy probably ended up getting some sort of liberal arts degree.
Death Cab For Cutie
Death Cab For Cutie is technically a late-90s indie rock band, but they gained more widespread attention in the 2000s with albums like Transatlanticism, Plans, and Narrow Stairs. Additionally, frontman Ben Gibbard’s side project The Postal Service helped give Death Cab a boost. Their sensitive, introspective, often bittersweet and sad indie rock built them a fanbase of devoted Millennials at that time.
Many of those fans remain Death Cab devotees years later. They defined the early 2000s experience for many high schoolers just trying to survive and young adults finding their way in the world. Death Cab For Cutie made a great companion for all kinds of emotional experiences, and their discography still holds up to today’s standards.
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