What’s My Age Again?

Good music should be for everyone. That’s the kind of idea we are supposed to believe writing for a site like this, where sharing new bands and albums we think deserve some more recognition is a fundamental part of our identity. Have you ever felt like you’re not ‘supposed’ to be enjoying an album by an artist though? Not for problematic reasons, more that there’s a definite intended audience for this music and it isn’t you. It can be a genre, or a style of music you really shouldn’t be involved in, or in my case it might finally hit you that you aren’t young enough to relate anymore. I’ve started to feel that way and never more so than buying Olivia Rodrigo’s latest album Guts on vinyl this week.

Some could say, ‘Sam what are you on about, pop music is as mainstream as it comes’ and yes that’s true but there was something specific about standing in my local shop the day after release, absolutely intentionally being there to buy this specific album that I swapped looks with the woman behind the till as we both know I’m not the target audience. I feel older than I should a lot of the time I dive into pop music and live gigs, but something does feel like it’s changed very recently.

For context I’m 31. I’m far from old and being caught up on the age thing kind of misses the point, it’s more that these pivotal moments in music, these hugely influential records and cultural highs don’t feel like mine anymore. I’ve gone from being embedded in the culture itself to watching it from afar.

In so many ways this is a great way to experience music as good as this. Getting to watch Ethel Cain perform to an adoring crowd of queer teens and 20 year olds twice in one week was a highlight of the year so far, I saw myself in so many of the young people looking up to such an exciting and engaging new talent. I went in thinking I’d still be part of it though, I was emotional while singing along to so many of the songs that really affected me last year, but I wasn’t ‘in’ the same moment as everyone down the front. I’m there but I’m not ‘there’ if that makes any sense.

And it’s the same for so many of the recent breakout teen stars we have seen in pop music. Billie Eilish is by far one of my most listened to artists of the last 10 years and yet she’s not ‘for’ my generation of fans and I’ve found quite a lot of people my age never really ‘got’ the hype outside of a few hit singles. The music is phenomenal though and again is defining culture and the music industry around it. It’s the same for this new Olivia Rodrigo album, the music is good because it pulls from a teen perspective. The young kids relating to both the Sour and Guts albums will have such a tight connection to this music a decade from now, just like me with Good Girl Gone Bad by Rihanna or Loose by Nelly Furtado, pop records that were not only stacked with radio hits but really shaped the sound of pop music for the next few years.

Yes I’m allowed to listen to these artists, yes I’ll even go and see some in concert – Billie’s show specifically was one of the highlights of last year, but for as much as I listen to, write about and rave about some of the best pop music in years I still feel like I’m missing that key link that will define these artists for a lot of people. I’m someone who still clings onto listening to BBC Radio 1, refusing to move to the more genre aligned Radio 2 or the ‘too cool for me’ Radio 6. I love current and exciting new pop music, and I don’t want to let that go.

Maybe a song like ‘Ballad of a Home School Girl’ isn’t aimed at me, but my god is it still a great track to listen to as a 31 year old man.

Words by Sam Atkins