Artist Spotlights: Static Dress and the Resurgence of MySpace Emo
Post-hardcore band Static Dress reignites a nostalgia encompassing the sweeping wave of early 2000s emo through their angsty music videos, a conflation of genres, and creative self-reliance.
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Written by Lyndsey Segura
Photo courtesy of Ollie Appleyard
Recommended If You Like: Bring Me The Horizon, You Me at Six, and Underoath
After the release of their 2019 breakout single “clean,” Static Dress happily surprised early 2000s post-hardcore fans with a seamless marriage of gritty verses, melodic choruses, and catchy riffs. Hailing from the United Kingdom, the band’s overwhelmingly melancholic sound pushes genre boundaries through a masterful mixing of electronic lo-fi beats and heavy metal. Static Dress’ resonance with the early 2000s emo era suggests a post-hardcore revival is underway, one that recalls MySpace emo nostalgia with a contemporary twist.
MySpace’s impact on music circulation and exposure in the early 2000s cannot be overstated. On the platform, users could easily embed music videos and entire playlists onto their public profiles through its link incorporation feature. The website’s convenience encouraged DIY musical creations, effortless viewing, and quick distribution. Among the most successful MySpace acts is Bring Me the Horizon, which used the site to market themselves and share music. After nearly 20 years, the metalcore act continues to enjoy major success with a sold-out 2023 European tour accompanied by Static Dress. Bring Me the Horizon’s 2023 tour with Static Dress acknowledges that early 2000s-inspired post-hardcore is alive with creative urgency.
Much like the graphic emphasis of social networks, Static Dress has constructed a persona that values their visuals as much as their sonics. Frontman Olli Appleyard is the creative force behind the band’s homemade music videos, allowing Static Dress to synthesize chaotic editing and vibrant colors. The band utilizes a colorful combination of geometric shapes, varied lighting, and a grainy fish-eye lens to propel the carnival-like haze of their music videos.
Appleyard incorporates a blend of catchy choruses and raw verses into his despondent lyricism throughout the band’s discography. In their first single, “clean,” Appleyard reflects on a past relationship with an anxious cadence straddling themes of apathy, regret, and distaste. The exasperated first verse is embittered with the sting of deceit, as Appleyard screams, “I felt your disease / Left blind and so weak.” Tension builds as the verses become increasingly hostile while the singer attempts to reconcile with his past. He confesses to self-medicating to cope with his grief in the third verse, scorching listeners as he shrieks, “The bottle it takes / Away the mistakes we made / I raised everyone / You owe this to me.” Appleyard shifts between crisp and gritty vocals through the chorus and verses, emulating the non-linear process of letting go. An unyielding drumline weaves through the song to reflect the singer’s lingering resentment while the tempo slows during the chorus. The bridge signals an emotional catharsis for Appleyard, who sports softer vocals and grim imagery as he reconciles with the inevitable finality of the relationship.
Static Dress continues its downcast lyrics and unapologetic experimentation on the 2020 track “indecent_.” In this electronic single, the Leeds native’s vocals are restrained and at times indecipherable, distorted by a combination of autotune, synths, and shakers. Pessimism reverberates through the vocalist’s subdued tone to convey a detachment from an artificial life. In a breathy whisper, he muses on insincerity as he states, “You need filters to live / You need attention just to coexist / Pick us all apart to hold hands a little bit.” Although “indecent_” strays far from the band’s post-hardcore origins, the song still displays a consistent willingness to engage with drastically different influences.
MySpace’s DIY forum celebrated and encouraged musical risk-taking, leading to the emergence of trailblazing post-hardcore acts like Black Veil Brides and The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. Despite its decline after the launch of Facebook, the website left an indelible mark on the way audiences conceptualize homemade music. In particular, MySpace democratized musical accessibility by enabling users to be creators, consumers, and distributors. Static Dress calls upon the self-sufficiency of the early 2000s emo era by integrating elements of video game music, electronic influences, and metal into their sound, along with handcrafted visuals. Static Dress’ resonance with MySpace emo dismantles claims of the period’s transience, further proving that experimental post-hardcore is relevant and actively celebrated.