Catherine Cox ’29
Guest Writer
The band LCD Soundsystem defined the indie sleaze era of New York City at the beginning of the 21st century, with their unique electronic sound bringing a new vibe to the music scene of the city. Led by James Murphy, the band’s electronic sound made them a polarizing figure of the time, as their synthesizer filled stage set up brought the audience into the process of their live music focus. With hit songs like “Daft Punk Is Playing At My House,” “Dance Yrself Clean,” and “All My Friends,” the band became a popular cult classic group to those who were immersed in the era themselves, and beyond.
My love for LCD Soundsystem began in 2022 when I discovered their music, and has only continued ever since. From time to time, my favorite tracks change up as I learn more about the cultural references in them, or when my desires for an upbeat track change to a ballad, and vice versa. I was lucky enough to have seen the group on May 1, 2026, at the Boston music venue Roadrunner, where they had an amazing set list of both their hits and deep cuts, all of which I knew and deeply enjoyed.
As I watched various Instagram reels, TikToks, and YouTube videos of the band’s live concerts to prepare and get excited for my experience, I noticed that there was a new crowd that was posting under the #lcdsoundsystem hashtags and content pages. Many of the videos were referencing Harry Styles’s latest LP release, Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally, which Styles said was largely influenced by his experiences seeing LCD Soundsystem live. While I was looking for videos that showed LCD’s niche tracks played live, I was finding hard core Harry Styles fans talking about LCD in a way that ignored their cultural significance and legacy.
This phenomenon occurred previously when the “indie sleaze revival” act The Dare, whose real name is Harrison Patrick Smith, was becoming popular around his involvement with Charli xcx’s Brat album , along with his own debut album release, What’s Wrong with New York?, in 2024. The content that I was seeing online about The Dare was a “knockoff LCD Soundsystem,” as his music had a similar sound to the electronic indie sleaze era that LCD formed. In addition to the electronic style of music that his releases included, The Dare’s New York base as a DJ did not help the allegations, as this came to be noted as another indie sleaze cultural theft in his artistry.
Before Harry Styles and The Dare released their work, The 1975 were noted as the original appropriators of LCD Soundsystem, as they took from the hit song “All My Friends” to inspire instrumentals the track “Sex” from their debut album, as well as returning to this homage in the opening track of their most recent album, Being Funny In A Foreign Language. Though the case of The 1975 is much different from that of Styles and The Dare, as lead singer Matty Healy has consistently credited the LCD track as one of the “greatest of all time.” However, the three artists have common listeners among them, who find themselves hearing the name “LCD Soundsystem” quite frequently, which has led to a new fan base of the band as they connect the music to their favorite artists’ influences.
This new era of fans is most certainly welcome in the LCD community, but sometimes frowned upon when they take their influenced artist too far into conversation. While focusing on the dance feel of Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally, or calling the iconic “All My Friends” piano line “that one from The 1975 song,” to even getting banned from Reddit chains, many fans have been putting themselves in a position that gets criticism from those who know, love, and appreciate the work and cultural influence of LCD Soundsystem. I, for one, am one of these people.
Although I do appreciate how the modern artists are bringing a new awareness and understanding to the cultural significance of the indie sleaze era of NYC in the early 2000s, I do sometimes find myself explaining LCD’s importance to the point of exhaustion. Yes, influences and influencees are important when discussing music and its evolution; if the punk scene of NYC in the 1970s did not exist, we would not even have the great indie sleaze scene. I do believe that with every artist you listen to, you should take the time to learn about their musical background, influences, and what got them to the point of making the music that you enjoy today. As for the case of LCD Soundsystem, maybe it is my strong love and appreciation for every aspect of the band that gets me so opinionated about this topic. But, I do believe that everyone who has enjoyed the works of The 1975, Harry Styles’s latest album, and The Dare should most certainly listen to LCD’s discography in its entirety, as they might find something that they like, just from a bit of musical exploration.
Copy edited by Caroline Gammon ’30
Featured image courtesy of Resident Advisor
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