Indie Pop

Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early 1980s such as Orange Juice and Josef K, and the dominant U.K. independent band of the mid 1980s, The Smiths. While the term 'indie' had been used for some time to describe artists on independent labels (and the labels themselves), the key moment in the naming of the genre was the release of NME's C86 tape in 1986.

Although featuring a wide range of bands including Primal Scream, The Pastels and The Shop Assistants, it over time became shorthand for a genre known by a variety of terms. Initially it was dubbed 'C86' (after the tape itself), the more ambiguous "indiepop", "cutie" or a term coined by John Peel – "shambling bands".

Musically, its key characteristics were jangling guitars, a love of 1960s pop and often fey, innocent lyrics. The U.K. label Sarah Records and its most popular band The Field Mice were probably its most typical proponents. It was also inspired by the DIY scene of punk. Scenes later developed in the United States, particularly around labels such as K Records. Genres such as Riot Grrrl and bands as diverse as Nirvana, Manic Street Preachers, and Belle and Sebastian have all acknowledged its influence.

In the mid to late 1980s, indie pop was criticised for its tweeness and underachievement but many now argue that C86 and the birth of the genre was a pivotal moment for independent music in the U.K. It continues to have a strong following and inspire musicians, not just in the U.K. but around the world with new labels, clubs and bands devoted to the sound.

This description is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses materials from the Wikipedia article "Indie pop".