Finding the obscurely huge

 
By Stewart Dowouis

Navigating popular modern music in this post-monoculture world is quite a surreal experience for old Gen X farts like me. It’s definitely taking some getting used to if I’m being honest. No longer do we have monolithic media sources like MTV, FM radio or Hit Parader front and center guiding us through the ever evolving landscape of popular culture. These outlets may still be operational, but they’ve been relegated to the outskirts, just a handful of relatively insignificant sources in a sea of sources. Everyone is off in their own corner of the internet experiencing their own thing on their own schedule, and that process has lead to a pretty interesting new world…

Benson Boone and PinkPantheress. I’d be willing to bet that this is the first time many of you over the age of 35 reading this now have ever heard these names. Heads up…they’re MASSIVE pop stars. Huge. In the 80s, everyone and their grandma were at least somewhat aware of the existence of artists like Cyndi Lauper and Lionel Richie. Boy George and Madonna were everywhere. We’d see and hear them on MTV and local radio, as guests on SNL and other late night talk shows…hell...even at grocery stores and the local news. Today…not so much. That collective experience is dead. Benson Boone and PinkPantheress are today’s Cyndi Lauper and Lionel Richie. Wild, right? Tens of millions of people are consuming these new artists all across the globe, but they’re doing it on their own terms, not through a handful of dominate media outlets. It’s no wonder half of America let out a collective “who?!” when Bad Bunny, one of the world’s most listened-to artists, was announced as this year’s Super Bowl Half Time Show.

When I started writing this piece, I intended it to be a review of Superheaven, the self-titled album from a relatively new rock band released in 2025. Huge. FOUR MILLION monthly listeners on Spotify alone. They’ve apparently been releasing music since 2013 and yet I’m just discovering them this week. (Hence the million words about monoculture and being oblivious about stuff…SQUIRREL!) Long story short: if you’re into 90s post-hardcore and alternative stuff along the lines of Quicksand, Handsome, Failure, Helmet, Hum, etc. give it a spin. Kinda shoegazey. Kinda grungy. It’s solid. I’m enjoying it. Grab a copy at the shop.

Are you too finding it difficult to navigate modern popular music in this hyper-digital new world? If so, record stores like 22 Sound are here for you. We’ll do the hard work. We’ll do the diggin’. We’ll tell you about stuff like Superheaven. Keep following us. Keep visiting. We’ll happily be your MTV/Hit Parader.

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