Tumblr Girl Revival

This might be obvious because we're talking about tumblr in 2014, but the description of this mix contains mentions of disordered eating. It's in the second paragraph after the photo and it's not very detailed, but I still wanted to give a warning, just in case.

Despite the fact that it was undeniably one of the worst points in my life, I find myself extremely nostalgic for the era of the ~tumblr girl aesthetic~

Let me provide an image for reference:

(Also wanted to note that this image came from the Etsy of someone who is selling printed out versions of these photos as a "wall collage kit" which is a whole third thing I could go into because these are just old uncredited tumblr pictures. But like, girlbossing or whatever.)

I hate saying this phrase, because I think it's thrown around so loosely, but the 2014 tumblr girl aesthetic totally glamorized mental illness. Because it wasn't just dressing the part, it was a whole lifestyle that mostly revolved around self hatred and self harming behaviors. Such as keeping an entire blog to track your anorexia weight loss and reblogging other skinny white girls who had become legends on the site for their "success." I could get into it so much further, but this is supposed to be a mixtape about music I enjoy. So what the fuck did I enjoy about this era then?

It must have been the fact that I finally felt like I was growing up a little bit, that I was making friends for real, and developing my own style and understanding of the world. Music had a huge part in it too. This was the era in which I discovered the website 8tracks, which introduced me to more new music than I had ever heard before. I had always just listened to what my dad played or what was on the radio, but now I was seeking things out for myself. The stuff I listened to was still pretty popular at the time, but I definitely remember it feeling like the first time I was really finding music without anyone else's influence.

While not all of these songs are from 2014, they are songs that at least I myself listened to in 2014, during the height of my tumblr girl era. There are a few from 2015 as well that I felt fit with the vibe. While picking out these songs I also thought it would be cool to look at exactly when they were released and see if I could find any sort of pattern. This was a surprisingly difficult task, and it made me think a lot about how being a music artist has changed from the 2000s to 2010s. I'll discuss as we go.

2003

We're starting all the way back in 2003 because Tumblr Girl has roots in Indie Hipster. The songs on this playlist that are from before what I consider to be the actual Tumblr Girl Era still have very strong connections to the vibe for me. This is a good time to remind you that this is purely ~vibes based~ so if I claim that there is a connection between certain moments in culture, know that I am talking about my perception of these moments rather than anything concrete. This is not a playlist about the state of music in 2014. This is a playlist about the state of me in 2014.

September 22 - Maps by Yeah Yeah Yeahs

2007

April 23 - 505 by Arctic Monkeys

2008

October 13 - Kids by MGMT

2009

August 14 - Intro by The XX

October 26 - Islands by The XX

2010

April 23 - Tighten up by The Black Keys

originally also included howlin for you but it doesnt fit

2011

February 7 - What You Know by Two Door Cinema Club

August 16 - Midnight City by M83

October 7 - Video Games

Lana Del Rey is a big player in world of 2014 tumblr girls. Song has three different release dates - oct 7 official, may 5 on her youtube according to wiki, june 29 on her youtube according to reddit

October 13 - Tessellate by Alt-j

December 20 - Little Talks

I am going to be honest with you, this song does not belong in this playlist. It's not a 2014 Tumblr Girl song. I included it becuase I think there's something here that ties into 2014 Tumblr Girl music. Some sort of lead up.

2012

February 7 - Anna Sun by WALK THE MOON

March 28 - Sweater Weather by The Neighborhood

Ladies and Gentlemen, we are now firmly in the era of the Tumblr Girl. This song is crutial. This song is THE Tumblr Girl song.

March 30 - Blue Jeans by Lana Del Rey

April 27 - Teen Idle by Marina and the Diamonds

May 18 - Breezeblocks by Alt-j

June 22 - Summertime Sadness by Lana Del Rey

August 19 - Bad Blood by Bastille

2013

You'll notice that the majority of my 2014 Tumblr Girl songs come from 2013. I think there are a few things at play here. First, of course, we don't just stop listening to music once it gets old. I also discover a lot of music well after it comes out because I don't necesarily follow artists that closely. Then there's also the fact that 2014 was ten years ago and it's very possible that some of my 2014 Tumblr Girl memories are actually 2013 Tumblr Girl memories.

January 14 - Let It Go by The Neighborhood

Since this will be my final mention of The Neighborhood, I want to state here that I looked to see if they had any other songs that I wanted on the playlist. I remembered another album that had their classic sound but discovered that this album, apropriately titled "Hard To Imagine The Neighborhood Ever Changing," actually came out in 2018. I'm a little tempted to make a playlist with more recent songs that have the same feel as the 2014 Tumblr Girl music, as I think it might allow an interesting and objective look at what sound qualities I associate with this time period.

February 7 - Out of My League by Fitz and The Tantrums

February 25 - Seen It All by Jake Bugg

March 4 - Chocolate by The 1975

March 14 - Still Into You by Paramore

April 5 - Stolen Dance by Milky Chance

April 12 - Where Did The Party Go by Fall Out Boy

May 20 - So Far (It's Alright) by The 1975

June 7 - Tennis Court by Lorde

June 19 - Do I Wanna Know? by Arctic Monkeys

July 14 - Miss Jackson by Panic! At The Disco

August 12 - Come a Little Closer by Cage The Elephant

August 23 - Sex by The 1975

August 26 - Cigarette Daydreams by Cage The Elephant

September 6 - Knee Socks by Arctic Monkeys

2014

June 24 - Cardiac Arrest by Bad Suns

October 11 - Hurricane by Halsey

2015

September 4 - Bite by Troye Sivan

November 29 - The Less I Know The Better by Tame Impala