New Wave music is a large subgenre of rock music made in the late 70s that combines elements of pop, art rock, synth-pop, funk, reggae, and punk rock, as well as some lighter 60s pop. The term came from music critics referring to bands new on the scene, not quite creating punk rock, but something still expressing individuality and irreverence. Although, it’s also said that the term could’ve come from French New Wave films of the 1950s, as both were pretty experimental. But no matter the name, it was something new, and eventually was the standard term for emerging bands in the underground UK rock scene. It was first used in music reviews of The Velvet Underground and the New York Dolls in the early 70s.
New Wave was very stylistically diverse. Some new wave music was led by pub rock veterans like Nick Lowe, Graham Parker, and Elvis Costello. Others were ska revivalists like Madness and the Specials. There were also synthesizer bands like Human League, Heaven 17, Tears for Fears, Eurythmics, and A Flock of Seagulls. There was also a group called the New Romantics, which slightly differed since they were more emotional than fun-loving, which included Duran Duran, Adam and the Ants, Soft Cell, Talk Talk, Simple Minds, and Culture Club which have all been influenced or in it. Some other bands had some more punk rock influence in them like Blondie and XTC. The new wave label was inclusive, bands like Television and The Modern Lovers were considered both punk and new wave. Ultimately, punk was consistently given to more indie rockers, and eventually died, while new wave went on to be more popular. Anyway, other bands incorporated reggae and West African rhythmic concepts, like The Police and Bow Wow Wow, and they had an overall more avant-garde feel like the Talking Heads and Devo. Of course, there’s also the more pop and upbeat sound other bands have like the B-52s. Bands in the 70s like The Cars, Talking Heads, and The Police were largely driven by guitars with influence from David Bowie and Lou Reed. However, by the 80s, synthesizers became widespread, evident through bands such as Depeche Mode, Gary Numan, and Human League.
New Wave music got to be very successful, this success being brought on by MTV and popular films. Bands like Depeche Mode, Duran Duran, Billy Idol, and The Cars dominated television and radio by then. As previously mentioned, the light, fun, and romantic tone of most of its music is what made it so appealing to people along with the artist’s styles and visuals. At the height of its popularity, in the 80s, people displayed all sorts of outfits. Their hair would be drowned in Aqua-net hairspray, they’d have bright makeup, and their outfits could range from leather to mesh. This doesn’t apply to everyone, obviously, but some looks from back then were charmingly bizarre.
Anyhow, regardless of what the descriptor of new wave became, it’s easy to see why new wave music became as popular as it did. Its popularity is evident in music now, as many bands are influenced by new wave music by either its instruments or styling. But regardless of what’s new, the original bands are still very popular. Artists like The Cure, Duran Duran, Blondie, Depeche Mode, Talking Heads, I could go on, are still enjoyed by adults and the youth.
