New Wave Music - Post-1980s Revivals and Influence

Post-1980s Revivals and Influence

In 1991 retro futurist acts such as Stereolab and Saint Etienne mixed New Wave and kitschy 1960s pop. In the aftermath of grunge, the British music press launched a campaign to promote the New Wave of New Wave. This campaign involved overtly punk and New Wave influenced acts such as Elastica but was eclipsed by Britpop. Other acts of note during the 1990s included No Doubt, Metric, Six Finger Satellite, and Brainiac. During that decade the synthesizer-heavy dance sounds of British and European New Wave acts influenced various incarnations of Eurodisco and trance. Chris Martin was inspired to start Coldplay by a-ha.

During the 2000s a number of acts emerged that mined from a diversity of New Wave and post-punk influences. Among these were The Strokes, Interpol, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Franz Ferdinand, The Epoxies, She Wants Revenge, Bloc Party, Foals, Kaiser Chiefs, and The Killers. These acts were sometimes labeled "New New Wave". By 2004 these acts were described as "hot". New Wave became revived during the mid 2000s with acts such as The Sounds, The Ting Tings, The Birthday Massacre, Hot Chip, Passion Pit, The Presets, La Roux, Ladytron, Shiny Toy Guns, Hockey, Gwen Stefani and Ladyhawke. While some journalists and fans regarded this as a revival, others argued that the phenomenon was a continuation of the original movements.

The Drums are an example of the trend in the United States indie pop scene that mines both the sounds and attitudes of the British New Wave Era. In addition, in the late 2000s a New Wave influenced genre called Chillwave developed. Notable artists are Toro Y Moi, Neon Indian, Twin Shadow and Washed Out.

Disney Channel stars such as Jonas Brothers and Hannah Montana have been described as embracing New Wave sounds, as have acts like Marina and the Diamonds. Hip-hop artists commonly sample 1980s synthpop and R&B artists such as Rihanna have also embraced that subgenre. It has been claimed that daring, spunky and over-the-top fashions of today's stars such as Katy Perry and Lady Gaga channel 1980s New Wave fashion.