An Ode To The Bands That Made Me

I remember the first CD I bought in stark clarity. I was twelve years old, pacing around Target as my older sister gathered the items she needed. Drawn towards the “entertainment” section, I wandered between rows of vinyl, CD, DVDs, and books. I ended up leaving with a copy of Fall Out Boy’s hit 2005 album From Under The Cork Tree. Clad in titles such as “Of All The Gin Joints In All The World” and “Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying,” I had shyly slid the album onto the check out line, knowing it was a long shot away from the Top 40 Carly Rae-Jepsen -esque pop I was used to. Surely enough, the lyrics from this album along with various others from the pop-punk genre brought me great comfort. This is a universal feeling that my generation can resonate with, reflecting back on the artists that brought us solace in our budding youths. 

There is a collection of years in my mind that is defined by my immersion into this genre of pop-punk (and with honorable mention to indie-rock). Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, Arctic Monkeys, Paramore, Panic! At The Disco, Pierce The Veil, and Twenty One Pilots… Just to name a few. Whether it was the smudgy eyeliner, high contrast photos, guttural lyrics, or the spunky yet depressive poetry, there was a frequency that all of the kids were tuning into. Trying to pinpoint exactly what it was that inspired the “it’s not a phase” eras in our lives can be difficult. For me at least, I can attest that the music found me in a sense of fostering individualism and belonging. 

The formation of individual music taste is a beautiful, unique thing. When I first started discovering music that truly spoke to my younger self, it was me and my iPod Touch against the world with non-premium Spotify and Youtube music videos. This genre of pop-punk and indie-rock stuck to me like no other. I looked up to Pete Wentz and Gerard Way as if they were gods. A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out was replayed endlessly with anthem after anthem. Growing up listening to my parents' classic rock and 80s pop, I began to desire sounds and energy that resonate more with my generation and my reality. I wanted to stem past radio-pop and I desired something vindicating and restless, which this genre fulfilled. These songs were youthful and angsty, full of doors to escape into. 

Going back to From Under The Cork Tree, this album can be looked at as the perfect soundtrack to accompany the awkwardness and disorientation that comes with growing pains. Patrick Stump’s soulful vocals are saturated with emotion, complimenting the powerhouse instrumentals in Fall Out Boy’s songs. He belts out in “7 Minutes In Heaven (Atavan Halen)” the lyrics “I keep telling myself / I’m not the desperate type / I’m sitting out dancing on the wall / Trying to forget everything that isn’t you.” The lyrics create movie-like glimpses into teenage heartbreak and isolation. Even “Dance, Dance” is a head-bopping tune partnered with a music video that takes place at a highschool homecoming. The songs uncover the hard to discern feelings that define the utter discomfort and loneliness that comes with growing up. Ramping our emotions up into their most powerful form, albums from this genre create a resonating and “seen” type of feeling. 

The reason I can refer to these bands as “comfort music” now is in the fact that their music is layered with nostalgia for a time where the rebellion or angst of my teenage years was exerted through their gritty lyricism. With this in mind, I think many kids felt alike to these bands and artists because of the topics and spirit conveyed in their music. To us, it was the most daring thing we had probably heard in the ripe years of middle and high school and so forth. Like I mentioned earlier, pop-punk music created an outlet for individualism. The artists themselves were experimental, creating powerful and energetic projects that addressed emotions at their most permeate form. 

To say the least, I owe a lot to these artists. I believe the trajectory of my youth would differ immensely without their presence. Their music fostered community in my life and encouraged expression through dauntless emotion. While my music taste has evolved into something entirely different in the present, I believe their work still seeps into the influences of what I listen to now. And no, it was not “just a phase!”