Remember Emo?  Generation Z rediscovers the emotional rock of bands like The Maine, who play in SP

Remember Emo? Generation Z rediscovers the emotional rock of bands like The Maine, who play in SP


Understand the comeback of style, which found fertile ground in teenage angst on TikTok. Maine, the North American exponent of the genre, plays two shows in São Paulo with an after party

Checked dresses, bangs over the eyes and a joke: “Mom, it’s not just a phase.” Renewed, emo bands and artists have returned to the music scene, bringing nostalgia to fans and conquering young people. After four years, the band The Maine lands in Brazil to make a short stop of shows in São Paulo this Friday 25 and Saturday 26 at the Vip Station, in the Santo Amaro neighborhood. In an interview with Estadaothe band’s lead singer John O’Callaghan talked about returning to the country and the growth of the emo group over the years.

Hailing from Arizona, USA, the group of five Americans began their career in 2007 and have already released seven albums. The fans and the band have grown together over the years. A closeness appreciated in the shows that have always had “meet and greets” (meeting backstage) and now with the party after the show organized by Solid Music here in Brazil. “It’s amazing to see people we’ve known for 16 years become doctors, teachers, have children,” says O’Callaghan.

Talking about feelings and vulnerability isn’t easy for everyone, but emo has opened a window on the issue, explains psychologist Tanize Viçosa Cardoso and member of the Tutorial Education Program in Psychology at the University of Brasilia.

Remember Emo?

The emo or emocore was born in the 80s in Washington DC, in the United States. The punk sound mixed with melodies about love and loneliness attracted attention. In the 2000s, emocore was already emerging in Brazil with bands like Fresno and NX Zero. “Emo brought this preparation to discuss things that weren’t discussed publicly before,” Tanize points out. It was the style’s commercial heyday.

Ten years later, the lyrics still resonate with Gen Z, who are speaking ever more openly about mental health. Simple Plan became a hit on Tiktok during the pandemic with the song “I’m just a kid”. The trend went viral with users posting photos from when they were teenagers.

Anxiety, depression, loneliness are some points covered by the songs. “It’s a way of addressing issues that often cannot be talked about because the hegemonic culture gives priority to rationality,” explains Cardoso.

In shades of black and white, the latest album “The Maine” was released on July 31st. As a songwriter, John says he no longer feels uncomfortable being vulnerable and talking about his personal life in his lyrics. “This album puts emphasis on thinking: what feelings do we want to convey?” he reflects. Father of a girl and expecting his second child, at the age of 35, the singer asks: how tired can an adult get?

the return of the emo

“Guitars are back,” says O’Callaghan. If before it was the drama of adolescence, now emo lyrics bring with them the reality of being an adult. For the singer, culture is cyclical, it comes and goes, but the return of groups of this genre is a reminder of how attractive they were in the 2000s and 2010s.

Today fans of the genre have grown up and are reliving the nostalgia of their youth with the return of bands like NX Zero, Restart and My Chemical Romance. From generation Z, Olivia Rodrigo, in “Good 4 u”, takes up the Paramore classic “Misery Business”. New artists, new languages.

It’s an exchange between generations linked to the TikTok video platform, thinks publicist Isabella Barros, 26, who has been passionate about the genre since she was a teenager. Now a music content creator with over 200,000 followers on the social network, ‘Bells’, as she is known, she tells the story behind the industry’s biggest hits. For her, the bands are renewed and conquer the new generations. “The emo wave is nostalgic, but it creates new music,” she points out.

@agorapensacomigo

Replying to @Amanda Beraldo Isabela from 15 years ago is very happy to go again to a concert of nx #nxzero #emo #rock #music #aprendinotiktok

Sooner or later: NX Zero

Between dances and guitar sounds, lovers of emo aesthetics have found a community on the video platform. Julianna Prado, 30, is a content creator and shares her routine on the account which has more than 600,000 followers. From the age of 15, Prado adopted the emo aesthetic.

What stands out in the profile of the girl from Minas Gerais are the dark colors and the different check patterns. Being able to dress up and express yourself within a community shows how emo culture survives in areas other than music. “The movement has helped me a lot in building my identity,” says Julianna. Together with husband Bruno Costa and daughter Luna, the family’s daytime looks mostly consist of boots, chains and black T-shirts. For her 30th birthday her theme was, “It’s Not a Phase.”

Service – Maine

At your place: 25 and 26 August

Local: vip station

Address: Rua Gibraltar, 346, Santo Amaro – San Paolo, SP

Opening of the gates: 6pm

Show time: 21:00

After the party: from 23.00 to 04.00

Age classification: 16 years. Minors accompanied by parents or guardians.

Source: Terra

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