The difference, by ear
Lo-fi is indie's home-recording wing, where the four-track hiss is the point rather than the budget.
Both are sung cleanly and move at much the same pace, around 90 to 140 bpm. Songs run longer in indie rock: usually 3 to 5 minutes, against 1½ to 3 minutes in lo-fi / slacker rock. To hear the difference, play Pavement next to Guided by Voices. Lo-fi / slacker rock grew out of indie rock, seven years later. United States appears in the origins of both.
In figures
Indie rock
Where it sits
Rock › Alternative rock › Indie rock
In short
Originally an economic description - independent labels - that hardened into an aesthetic: modest production and total freedom.
How it sounds
- Modest production, with a small budget treated as an aesthetic choice.
- Clean or lightly saturated guitars; solos are rare.
- Untrained, natural vocals, often deliberately vulnerable.
Key acts
- Pavement
- Sonic Youth
- Arcade Fire
- The National
Start here
The pickPavement - Slanted and Enchanted. Studied indifference, excellent songs.
Full page →Lo-fi / slacker rock
Where it sits
Rock › Alternative rock › Indie rock › Lo-fi / slacker rock
In short
Recorded on a four-track cassette with the hiss left in deliberately. Indifference as a method.
How it sounds
- Recorded on a four-track with tape hiss and saturation left in.
- Approximate tuning and mistakes kept in the final version.
- Short songs, sometimes under two minutes, with incomplete structures.
Key acts
- Pavement
- Guided by Voices
- Sebadoh
Start here
The pickGuided by Voices - Bee Thousand. Twenty songs, most under two minutes.
Full page →