Why do young people feel so disheartened?
Despite positive economic indicators, a growing feeling of anxiety concerning financial vulnerability–especially within my generation– parallels that of the millennial unease during the Great Recession (2007-2009). Once again, young people are graduating into an insecure job market, facing skyrocketing rent and experiencing intense anxiety about their fiscal futures.
The public has settled further into apprehension with the revival of high-energy pop from the likes of Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan and Charli XCX. These so-called “pop girls” are dominating the charts and providing the soundtrack to our third places and clubs. Contrary to the optimistic, party-centric lyrics heard on the radio, discourse online warns that the return of high-energy music is often synonymous with decline.
However, this feeling of recession does not lie solely in an economic sense.
What we are experiencing today can be described as a connection bankruptcy – a social environment that fosters various forms of escapism, with music as the most accessible outlet. Energetic, high-tempo tracks motivate people to seek connection in spaces like clubs, providing a temporary escape from the alienation they feel in other aspects of life.
In an era marked by social, economic and political discontent, many – particularly young people – struggle with fractured sense of autonomy and agency. This disconnect drives them toward fleeting aesthetics, facades and outlets that offer only momentary solace.
What is recession pop?
Recession pop refers to the canon of music that emerged during the Great Recession, a period that spanned from late 2007 to mid-2009.
The musical trend that emerged during this time was characterized by upbeat, party-centric tracks that were a stark contrast to economic and social reality. Music professor Charlie Harding explains, “It’s a trend of people trying to make sense of a thing that happened to us that was senseless…” Similarly, forensic musicologist Joe Bennett notes, “It was all about dancing and having a good time, despite the economic circumstances.”
In 2008, artists like Kesha (“Tik Tok”), The Black Eyed Peas (“I Gotta Feeling”) and Lady Gaga (“Just Dance”) commanded the charts, offering vignettes that listeners could escape into.
These songs shared common themes of celebration through strife, from Gaga’s “just dance, gonna be okay,” to will.i.am’s “tonight's the night, let's live it up, I got my money, let's spend it up.”
Rather than focusing on an uncertain future, the songs emphasized the night – the now. The only thing that could be guaranteed was the prospect of nightlife and the brief sense of normalcy encountered in the flashing lights and community.
The patterns
This pattern isn’t unique to the early 2000s. Music, like all art, tends to respond to major societal trends.
Findings support that since the Great Depression in the 1930s, consumers consistently demonstrate a preference for optimistic songs during periods of economic uncertainty.
In the 1980s, amid economic downturn and high inflation, subgenres like techno and house music emerged as coping mechanisms.
This cyclical relationship between crisis and music is what fuels today’s conversation. While the economy continues to improve on paper, younger generations face higher costs, drained savings and a crippling reliance on credit.
In the fractured social landscape and flawed economy we’ve inherited, the renaissance of recession pop was inevitable.
The future
The spike in pop music’s popularity, coupled with a pervasive sense of doubt and lack of hope, doesn’t necessarily indicate an impending economic recession; rather, a broader sense of existential bankruptcy. It isn’t about financial security alone – it’s about the loss of connection and meaning in everyday life.
In an era where headlines are filled with unprecedented events, drawing parallels between past and present crises helps to bring some semblance of order to the chaos.
Artists do not operate on the fringes of society: They are deeply affected by the world around them. When they create the energetic party anthems as a means of escape, it mirrors the public’s search for the same kind of relief.
The real issue we face isn’t the looming fear of economic decline, but the urgent need to restore a sense of togetherness to combat rampant escapism and disconnection.
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