In a collapsing world, artists like Slayyyter and Cobrah are chasing extreme highs with hyperactive music and debauched lyrics. Their trashy vibe is either emancipating or contrived, as they reject feminine respectability with brash electronic pop and shamelessly hedonistic lyrics.
Covered in leopard print and rhinestones, a cohort of young female pop stars are defying societal expectations with anarchic sexuality and an obsession with what was once dismissed as 'white trash'. Performers such as Slayyyter, Kim Petras, Cobrah, Demi Lovato, Snow Strippers' Tatiana Schwaninger, Tove Lo, and returning scene godmother Kesha embrace this aesthetic.
On 'I'm Your Girl Right', Tove Lo sings about sex on Ritalin, while Slayyyter describes herself as a 'too drunk, trashy St Louis girl'. London-based musician Amara ctk100 celebrates barely-there pants in her single 'Thong'. This trend is seen as an extension of post-lockdown nihilism, with things so bad politically that we may as well have fun.
What sets this apart from previous recession pop is its reckless main character energy and rejection of feminine respectability. Tove Lo, 38, says the pressure to be a 'good woman' feels boring, and there's confidence in not doing everything perfectly. The sound is influenced by 00s electroclash, with aggressive maximalist production and rock-star energy.
The trash-pop scene draws from mid-00s US culture, including MTV's Spring Break, Britney Spears, and the proliferation of online porn and reality TV. Old pop songs by reality TV stars like Paris Hilton and Heidi Montag have been reclaimed as trash-pop ur-texts. These stars evoke a time when fame offered a ladder out of poverty.
