The Indie Sleaze Revival

In October 2021, TikToker and trend forecaster Mandy Lee not only predicted but also coined the term 'indie sleaze', the resurgence of a fashion style that was popular from approximately 2006 to 2012. Think Tumblr, American Apparel, amateur flash photography, opulent displays of clubbing, Ray-Ban Wayfarers, graphic t-shirts, ironic furry hats, smudged eyeliner, electronic music, indie-rock, Alexa Chung, LCD Soundsystem, The Strokes, Crystal Castles, Sky Ferreira, Zooey Deschanel, and so on. Remember all that? Well, Mandy Lee was, in fact, absolutely right when, in 2021, she saw this resurgence coming. In 2024, not only are we seeing different aspects of the indie sleaze style have a revival in fashion, but, in music and nightlife alike. 

It is interesting, in our opinion, that when the 'original' indie sleaze movement was developing, from 2006 to 2008, we were under a Saturn-Neptune opposition (considering a 10º orb). Now, in 2024, when we are beginning to see the indie sleaze revival come at full force, we are at the start of a Saturn-Neptune conjunction (considering a 15º orb). What is it, then, in the Saturn-Neptune archetype that allowed the original indie sleaze movement to come about and that it is now making it come back in popular culture once more?

2006-2008: Indie Sleaze and the Saturn-Neptune Opposition

As mentioned, 'indie sleaze' is a term coined for a particular style of fashion (and, in a way, might I say, lifestyle?) that was on trend around approximately 2006 to 2012. In this particular case, we are focusing on the years between 2006 and 2008, as it coincided with a Saturn-Neptune opposition and was the time in which this movement was coming into being. 

As Naina Zilbermints describes indie sleaze for The Saint, "it is effortless but meticulously curated, over the top but somehow understated, grungy but maximalist, chic yet ironic". This movement happened before there was Instagram, with blogs, Tumblr, MySpace and (the very beginnings of) Facebook being the only forms of social media. There were, of course, no iPhones yet, as well. All of this allowed unprofessional, messy flash photography to be all the rage. “The it-girls of the time were life-of-the-party types who embodied a nonchalant, slightly disheveled brand of cool, a stark contrast from the carefully curated celebrities and influencers of today”, says Melanie Forcier for Byrdie. Think of Alexa Chung, Mary-Kate Olsen, Sky Ferreira and Zooey Deschanel. Their more relaxed (and sometimes even careless) approach to celebrity was able to exist thanks to both the limited social media and carefree celebrity culture during those years.

It is also important to note that the late 2000's and early 2010's were heavily shaped by The Great Recession, a period of marked decline in economies around the world (which approximately happened between 2007 and 2009). The economic recession during these times manifested in popular culture as an almost unconscious collective desire to escape the dire situation via art and fashion. What we know as 'recession pop' refers to the popular music that emerged from around 2007 to the early 2010's that seemed to be all about partying and simply having a good time. An example of this is Lady Gaga's 2008's single Just Dance, telling us to "just dance, it'll be OK". 

The fashion style of indie sleaze is a strange concoction of grunge, boho-chic and preppy (or, 'twee', as it was referred to at the time). But, as Liz Doupnik for The Zoe Report points out, "it was less about who you wore, but how — and why — you wore it”. What's perhaps most characteristic of the indie sleaze movement is that it takes inspiration from a lot of different movements. It also mixes and matches all different types of styles and looks. Francophile classic fashion was often mixed with smudged makeup. The aesthetic both encompasses going 'full mod', with head-to-toe 1960s-inspired attire, as well as rocking a 90's-inspired grungy look made up of an American Apparel tube dress, a faux fur cheetah coat and some worn-out Converse. You get the point. "The uniting factor of all of these looks, though, was a focus on reinterpreting disparate music and art references to create something new — no matter if you were an indie darling or a downtown kid, such as myself”, adds Doupnik. The fashion during the indie sleaze era exhibits a dedication to the diversity of styles and creativity in art and culture that is hard to find in other fashion aesthetics. 

One more important factor of the indie sleaze movement is, undoubtedly, the music. While it does not refer to a specific genre of music, indie sleaze does point to what was going on at the time within the music scene. This movement was emerging in the late 2000’s, when it was becoming a ‘thing’ for regular people to have their own websites and/or blogs for the first time ever. This allowed people to become more easily acquainted with the music acts happening all over the world, no matter how ‘independent’ these acts were. Consequently, we saw a big rise in the popularity of indie-rock ‘garage’ bands and electronic music. Some of the more prominent artists of that time are The Strokes, LCD Soundsystem, Grimes, MGMT, Justice and Azaelia Banks. 

Perhaps the most obvious manner in which we can see the archetype of Saturn-Neptune within the original indie sleaze movement is in the fact that it happened during The Great Recession, as this combination is often associated with financial anxieties. Having been the farthest planet visible to the naked eye once, Saturn symbolizes stone-cold reality and ego-boundaries. Thus, it tends to be seen as representing our finances. There is maybe nothing that reminds us of the fact that we are a person here on Earth better than our bills, after all. Neptune, on the other hand, is often seen as the planet related to dissolution, confusion and disillusionment. Therefore, we can say that, in a Saturn-Neptune transit, Neptune can wreak a little havoc to Saturn's finances. The economic upheaval that happened during these times influenced the indie sleaze fashion in that, because people didn’t have a lot of extra money, it was common to go thrifting for second-hand pieces, as well as wearing one’s own pieces to death. This caused people’s style to have a grungy or ‘worn in’ look. Hence the ‘sleaze’ in indie sleaze.

As mentioned, The Great Recession also definitely had its impact within the music of the indie sleaze era, as we can often feel in it an attitude of “hey, we are in a recession, let’s just party through it!”. In fact, we can see this attitude in the indie sleaze movement as a whole, not only within its music. This exact attitude can most definitely be seen as another manifestation of the Saturn-Neptune archetype. Neptune is all about escapism and, when touched by Saturn, which can bring some trials and tribulations, as well as lessons, to whatever it touches, it is only natural that Saturn-Neptune transits tend to manifest in (oftentimes problematic) escapist tendencies. We can also see the Saturn-Neptune archetype as representative of the abuse of drugs and alcohol, as well as the undermining of authority, both of which are things that we can most definitely see within the indie sleaze movement's escapist nature.

Additionally, the Saturn-Neptune archetype can also be seen in the movement's serious commitment (Saturn) to and appreciation for the arts and culture (Neptune). As touched upon already, indie sleaze fashion consists of an interesting mix of 90's grunge, 60's mod, 50's pin-up and 70's boho. The music, along the same lines, was a sort of revival of 60's garage rock (like The Velvet Underground). As mentioned, the point of this movement was to put together a bunch of different references in order to create something different. We can also view this as nostalgia, which is often associated with Saturn, for cultural and artistic movements of the past (Neptune (as it is often associated with art and culture)).

2024: Indie Sleaze Revival and the Saturn-Neptune Conjunction

It was perhaps most notorious that the indie sleaze aesthetic was coming back in style when we encountered Venetia in Emerald Fennel's 2023 movie Saltburn, a 2007 period piece. Rocking smudged black eyeliner, messy bleached hair with just enough of her roots showing to reveal her as a natural brunette, as well as eccentric but understated party-girl outfits, Saltburn's character Venetia left an impact on the fashion viewers. But we have seen snippets of this revival coming for the last (at least) 4 years. For example, we have witnessed a fascination for the Instagram account @indiesleaze, which is both an inspirational albeit cringey time capsule of the 2010's. Instagram feeds are also becoming more and more like the informal party shots of The Cobrasnake, the most prominent party photographer at the time. In fact, The Cobrasnake himself seems to be making a comeback, as we have seen him photograph some of the A-list parties this year in his famous candid style, Charli XCX's 32nd birthday party being one of them. Chemena Kamali's Chloé debut, additionally, confirmed 2010's boho-chic to be back at the forefront of fashion.

“But more than a desire to simply replicate, the fashion is perhaps a yearning for this way of life”, says Naina Zilbermints for The Saint. “In a time when new viral aesthetics are spurring into existence before they have even fully formed, it is only natural for us to yearn for nonchalance and chic carelessness which the era of indie sleaze not only embraced but popularised”, she adds. This feels true considering that a Saturn-Neptune transit happened both during the indie sleaze original movement and another one is going on now, particularly an opposition and a conjunction, which are usually seen as the most impactful transits. We are perhaps yearning for the feeling of the late 2000’s and early 2010’s, and attempting to find it through the clothes, music and lifestyle of the era. 

It is important to mention, however, that while we are bringing some of indie sleaze’s aesthetic back in 2024, we also seem to be adapting it to our times. As an example, we have been seeing fake prescription glasses everywhere again, but this time the office-siren ‘Bayonetta’ style, instead of the thick-framed millenial glasses. The ironic graphic t-shirts reminiscent of the era are another trend that Gen Z seems to be super on-board with. ”The underlying irony of this style is something that I think particularly resonates with our generation as the ironic t-shirts of the 2010s have come back in the form of ironic ‘I heart’ tops of the 2020s. It is this unique brand of irony-nostalgia that is being replicated and modernised now”, says Zilbermints. Along the same lines, while the original indie sleaze movement was exclusively focused on young, thin and white beauty ideals, the indie sleaze revival “stands to be a little more self-aware”, as Liz Doupnik says for The Zoe Report. 

The transition from the previous years’ ‘clean-girl aesthetic’ and ‘quiet luxury’ to last year’s ‘coquette’ to this year’s ‘indie sleaze revival’ also makes a lot of sense. “The put-together, understated aesthetic perhaps brought us the no-nonsense calm we all needed post-pandemic, but the pendulum is always bound to swing the other way, and the indie sleaze revival is satisfying a hunger for maximalism that’s been growing over the past few seasons”, says Melony Forcier for Byrdie. “Girlhood-inspired fashion is coming of age for fashion’s “messy girl” era. Bows are getting bigger, colorful thighs and knee-high socks are back, and ballet flats are continuing their seasons-long reign, leaning into the twee side of indie sleaze”, she adds. 

Interestingly, we can see several clear correlations between the current trend of ‘brat summer’ and the indie sleaze resurgence. One of them being The Dare, a Brooklyn-based DJ and musician that has become the face of the indie sleaze revival movement and a big part of ‘brat summer’ alike. When it comes to music, we have seen a big comeback of the synth-based electronic type of music that was popular during the late 2000’s and early 2010’s with acts like Justice and LCD Soundsystem. ”Something interesting is happening in New York’s music scene. A non-stop carousel of shows and parties are fusing together indie rock and nightlife once more, breathing life into a new era of what, in the last couple of years, has become known as “indie sleaze”, says Emily Sandstrom for Dazed. One of these parties being The Dare’s Freakquencies, which were hosted weekly since after the pandemic up until last March and were both free and inclusive, compared to most of other clubs in New York, that tend to be very expensive and exclusive. Harrison aka, The Dare, became associated with the indie sleaze revival as the @indiesleaze instagram account posted about The Dare and his music. His single Girls perfectly encapsulates the indie sleaze mood as it says: “I like the girls who do drugs/Girls with cigarettes, in the back of the club”. The song became instantly iconic after its release but has grown significantly in popularity (along with The Dare and his music in general) after Harrison produced the song Guess for Charli XCX and even got to have an appearance in the music video for its remix with Billie Eilish. 

As the New York Fed’s recession probability model suggests there is a 55.8% chance of a U.S. recession sometime in the next 12 months, it is interesting that we are seeing a movement from the times of the last recession come back around. It is even more interesting that the indie sleaze movement happened at a time in which there was a Saturn-Neptune opposition and that, now that it is coming back, another Saturn-Neptune alignment is unfolding. Perhaps all this means is that, in troubled times, what we are really craving for the most is creativity and escapism. The good thing is that, whether there is a recession or not, we can look back at indie sleaze for inspiration and say: “let’s have a good one!”.