Twee Pop

In ’85, the very first record Beat Happening was released on K. Some of the other labels that rose up across the country, included Bus Stop in ’89, Picturebook in ’87, Harriet in ’89 and Slumberland in ’89, which brought together the Beat Happening American Sound, which seemed to be a little pared down and rawer, with Sarah and others British indie pop, which was occasionally softer, more twee, and more harmonious. Some of the other important groups included Honeybunch and Tiger Trap.

Cuddlecore:
In the middle of the nineties, a variant of the indie pop music genre that was influenced by punk was prominent and it was dubbed as cuddlecore. Cuddlecore, led by bands like Bunnygrunt, cub and Maow, was marked by the pop melodies and harmony vocals atop a backing of the punk-style music. Normally even though not always, cuddlecore bands consisted of all females and represented essentially a variation that was more pop oriented on the scene of riot grrrl that was current then. Within the United States, the indie pop music genre was commonly referred to as twee pop or twee. This term has since then been rejected and then it was adopted by several of the bands that had a sound that could be described this particular way. This is what spawned a lot of inside jokes like some T-shirts stating “Twee as Fuck” and “Twee Fucker”. Then Tullycraft was able to record Twee as a track which feature the single line “Fuck me, I’m twee”.

Twee Pop Lyrics and Music:
Twee pop is considered to be a unique style of indie pop that is well known for its sweet and simple lyrics and melodies that are normally combined with some jangling guitars. While the groups included within this style had previously existed, twee pop was recognized first as a very distinct music genre during ’86, which was when a number of these types of bands, which include some Shop Assistants, The Pastels and Primal Scream, which simultaneously emerged, and then they were showcased on C86, which was a compilation that was released by mail order through the New Musical Express.

Even though the roots of this music genre can be followed all the way back to the sixties groups like The Loving Spoonful and The Byrds, the plainest influence on this music genre comes from the artists of the latter seventies post-punk and the early eighties who mixed a DIY approach with a rejection of the rock machismo that was chest beating.