Season 1 of Sonic Subcultures looks at 9 records that represent the range of musical styles that fall under the nu metal banner. Each record represents an aspect of nu metal that has surprising relevance today as nu metal has become a strangely resurgent genre. How is nu metal back? Why? To find some answers, Safa Hachi and Marc Lajeunesse look back at each record from our unique perspectives: Marc was there when nu metal began but Safa got into it twenty years later. We do a deep dive on each record, consider their form, lyrics, and impact when they were released, and piece together what each record means now in the present day.
Season 1 of Sonic Subcultures looks at 9 records that represent the range of musical styles that fall under the nu metal banner. Each record represents an aspect of nu metal that has surprising relevance today as nu metal has become a strangely resurgent genre. How is nu metal back? Why? To find some answers, Safa Hachi and Marc Lajeunesse look back at each record from our unique perspectives: Marc was there when nu metal began but Safa got into it twenty years later. We do a deep dive on each record, consider their form, lyrics, and impact when they were released, and piece together what each record means now in the present day.
Before Around the Fur became a TikTok staple, Deftones were already defining the sexier, moodier corner of nu metal. With breathy vocals, distorted riffs, and a vibe that sits between violence and vulnerability, their sound has become a Gen Z identity marker.
In this episode, Marc Lajeunesse and Safa Hachi break down the band’s sonic evolution, viral (sex) appeal and the contradictions that make them so relatable to a generation obsessed with both individuality and trend cycles. From “My Own Summer” to “Change (In the House of Flies),” we explore how Deftones helped turn nu metal into a lifestyle.