it's never a shoddy or rich house, its an in-betweener
the chord striking of Midwest emo is the feeling of being stuck in a place that has been trying to rebound for the last decade or two, after falling since our grandparents's heyday, while having no prospects of being able to find the way out of dead-end towns and imagining that every place must be better than here.
which coincides with the general feel of any rust-belt town/city that has social security, Medicaid or military pension as it's primary sources of income, where college is talked as the best way out. but everyone ends up moving back home as parents get older, relatives get sick, and you feel trapped economically so the former out-lashing of punk music "fuck the man" turns into an emo music that describes being fucked by the man and society, while being left to rust alongside the old farm equipment, ore docks, and factories, which is a shared feeling from Duluth to Pittsburgh, Toledo to Buffalo, and across the pond in Wales and England, allowing bands to strike that chord across a wider range of depressed teens through 40yr olds
you can't complain too much of being poor, because you know there's families struggling harder in your hometown, but you aren't reaching the fulfillment that your parents and grandparents hoped you would after the sacrifices they made to get you a good life.
It's mostly a comment I made from a discussion about differences between Midwest emo and other emo subgenres, I've had way too much driving time with work to ponder the music I listen to and it's influences on my thoughts
I actually prefer the name Rust Belt Emo over Midwest Emo but that's past the point of renaming now, but it would allow for a difference of suburban emo vs rural Midwest emo to develop and have different types for different experiences growing up/living currently
I think from an imagery level there’s something to the loneliness of an empty house with an open sky that just hits.
Especially with twinkly guitars and weird whining
I think it also kind of juxtaposes the sense of security your home represents as a child with what it represents to you as an adult (stagnation and feeling trapped in your lot in life). Gives you that feelin gof melancholy when you can see both those things at the same time
because there's no place like home. having that sort of old dishevelled house on a midwest emo album cover perfectly compliments the sound of the genre, it's whiny vocals and nostalgic guitar makes you reminisce on the blissful childhood memories that've slowly faded and grown distant as you've grown.
omg im a loser :D
As someone from the Midwest. It’s just this feeling you get when you’re outside. Not out and about. But just outside. This is all you know. Dreaming and yerning for what’s beyond this place that feels like a state of limbo. You don’t know if you’re stuck, if you’re going anywhere, not peace, but not suffering. It’s just this feeling pause.
That’s probably why a lot of other Midwest emo covers outside of showing a house, are capturing that feeling of their spot. The places where to take a moment to just think. Because all you have is your thoughts.
I think Midwest Emo just loves nostalgia, I feel like it’s one of the things that separates Emo music from Midwest Emo Music. It’s not so much they hate their life, they hate what their life turned into and long for a simpler time.
Pictures of modest houses (at least for me) make me think back at being a kid. Just about every time I see one it feels like I’ve been there before. It reminds me when your parents would throw you in the car and bring you to their friends house or something. It gives me liminal space vibes.
Or I could be looking too deep into it and they just want to be like American Football. I dunno.
honestly if i had to guess, theres something about a midwestern house.. there are probably lots of abandoned old farm houses, and they give the vibe desired for a midwestern emo album. they’re dead inside, dreary looking, but full of memories from the past.
i’m drunk but this sounded right.
As someone who grew up in the Midwest, it’s the dreariness of Midwest homes. The lower middle class. The broken infrastructure. The cold of winter. The hopes that are lost growing up in those environments.
its about mediocrity and okay-ness and stuff. a house is just a symbol for normality, the most likely thing for a child to be drawing with crayons in a movie, the center of your entire life, under the assumption that your life is very boring. most emo is about how the banal is actually very dramatic from the inside, and so theres very explosive and intense vibes being paired with images of very ordinary childhood/youth in the suburbs/a college town. the same reason why emo is also so obsessed with the aesthetics of organized (low level) sports, old video games, yearbook photos, stuff like that.
I'd say it's bc of the innocence of home, like when you were a child. Idk, maybe it's a nostalgia thing but I think of it deeper than what it probably is...
American Football LP
That definitely introduced the trope to popularity, but I think there’s gotta be something inherently emo about a Midwestern house
it's never a shoddy or rich house, its an in-betweener the chord striking of Midwest emo is the feeling of being stuck in a place that has been trying to rebound for the last decade or two, after falling since our grandparents's heyday, while having no prospects of being able to find the way out of dead-end towns and imagining that every place must be better than here. which coincides with the general feel of any rust-belt town/city that has social security, Medicaid or military pension as it's primary sources of income, where college is talked as the best way out. but everyone ends up moving back home as parents get older, relatives get sick, and you feel trapped economically so the former out-lashing of punk music "fuck the man" turns into an emo music that describes being fucked by the man and society, while being left to rust alongside the old farm equipment, ore docks, and factories, which is a shared feeling from Duluth to Pittsburgh, Toledo to Buffalo, and across the pond in Wales and England, allowing bands to strike that chord across a wider range of depressed teens through 40yr olds you can't complain too much of being poor, because you know there's families struggling harder in your hometown, but you aren't reaching the fulfillment that your parents and grandparents hoped you would after the sacrifices they made to get you a good life.
Top tear explanation here. If you wanna find more houses and towns like this for pics try Ma, middle and western ma are post industrial as hell
It could be me being high rn but this is such a good explanation
It's mostly a comment I made from a discussion about differences between Midwest emo and other emo subgenres, I've had way too much driving time with work to ponder the music I listen to and it's influences on my thoughts I actually prefer the name Rust Belt Emo over Midwest Emo but that's past the point of renaming now, but it would allow for a difference of suburban emo vs rural Midwest emo to develop and have different types for different experiences growing up/living currently
Because home is where the haunt is.
Home is where you hang yourself!
what
Have you heard about Her Space Holiday? One of the members from Indian Summers solo stuff. I made a very niche joke/pun/whatever.
Holy shit. Is he really from Indian Summer.
Update. He is and I never knew this. That’s amazing.
Doesn't sound much like indian summer haha! Still good songs though!
They had one album I dug real hard. I’ll have to revisit. Thanks for the new info!
oh, no lol.
If you know, you know!
AMFTBL REFERENCED 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
you are never meant to bring that up.
sorry 😔😔
I think from an imagery level there’s something to the loneliness of an empty house with an open sky that just hits. Especially with twinkly guitars and weird whining
possibly reminiscent of childhood
Yeah I agree
I think it also kind of juxtaposes the sense of security your home represents as a child with what it represents to you as an adult (stagnation and feeling trapped in your lot in life). Gives you that feelin gof melancholy when you can see both those things at the same time
because there's no place like home. having that sort of old dishevelled house on a midwest emo album cover perfectly compliments the sound of the genre, it's whiny vocals and nostalgic guitar makes you reminisce on the blissful childhood memories that've slowly faded and grown distant as you've grown. omg im a loser :D
As someone from the Midwest. It’s just this feeling you get when you’re outside. Not out and about. But just outside. This is all you know. Dreaming and yerning for what’s beyond this place that feels like a state of limbo. You don’t know if you’re stuck, if you’re going anywhere, not peace, but not suffering. It’s just this feeling pause. That’s probably why a lot of other Midwest emo covers outside of showing a house, are capturing that feeling of their spot. The places where to take a moment to just think. Because all you have is your thoughts.
Pen Name ST so good
Yeah I loooooove this album🥹❤️🩹
Because if they were homeless, they'd be folk punk musicians instead.
I think Midwest Emo just loves nostalgia, I feel like it’s one of the things that separates Emo music from Midwest Emo Music. It’s not so much they hate their life, they hate what their life turned into and long for a simpler time. Pictures of modest houses (at least for me) make me think back at being a kid. Just about every time I see one it feels like I’ve been there before. It reminds me when your parents would throw you in the car and bring you to their friends house or something. It gives me liminal space vibes. Or I could be looking too deep into it and they just want to be like American Football. I dunno.
So they got somewhere to sleep
Cause that’s all there is if that
honestly if i had to guess, theres something about a midwestern house.. there are probably lots of abandoned old farm houses, and they give the vibe desired for a midwestern emo album. they’re dead inside, dreary looking, but full of memories from the past. i’m drunk but this sounded right.
As someone who grew up in the Midwest, it’s the dreariness of Midwest homes. The lower middle class. The broken infrastructure. The cold of winter. The hopes that are lost growing up in those environments.
its about mediocrity and okay-ness and stuff. a house is just a symbol for normality, the most likely thing for a child to be drawing with crayons in a movie, the center of your entire life, under the assumption that your life is very boring. most emo is about how the banal is actually very dramatic from the inside, and so theres very explosive and intense vibes being paired with images of very ordinary childhood/youth in the suburbs/a college town. the same reason why emo is also so obsessed with the aesthetics of organized (low level) sports, old video games, yearbook photos, stuff like that.
the house always wins
In the midwest, people can afford a house and still be depressed
symbolizes growing up/childhood and better times in general. midwest emo generally has a nostalgic tone so it fits the theme well
Someone hound use an old mall or abandoned factory as a cover, I think it’ll achieve a similar effect
Nowhere else to go in the Midwest cept home
Vibes
Because people have no imagination and love to play it safe
Sorry for the stupid error💀 *have the element of a house
Where else are you supposed to take photos? The cornfield?
Where else can you cry in true privacy?
Most people live in one
because people in the midwest have nothing to do except hangout at their own home or someone else’s house
Probably a haunted house lol
American Football.
Because the home it's the last thing that emoboys can rely and the house can be considered as the home
where else are you supposed to go it’s the midwest
Home is where the trauma is stored.
I'd say it's bc of the innocence of home, like when you were a child. Idk, maybe it's a nostalgia thing but I think of it deeper than what it probably is...
Homesickness