In a discussion of his book Such Great Heights: The Complete Cultural History of the Indie Rock Explosion, debut author Chris DeVille explores indie music during the first 15 years of the 21st century, a period that coincides with the rise of streaming services and industry changes that came along with it.
Nerdy, fun, and a time machine for millennials, Such Great Heights details how subculture becomes pop culture, how capitalism consumes what’s “cool,” and who gets to define what’s hip and why.
The book covers the gamut of bands — like The Postal Service, Radiohead, Arcade Fire, TV On the Radio, LCD Soundsystem, and Bon Iver — and, in the vein of Chuck Klosterman’s The Nineties, touches on staggering pop culture moments, like the way MySpace changed how listeners discovered new bands.
DeVille, the managing editor at Stereogum, has profiled bands like Tame Impala and Run the Jewels. He’s also written extensively about the full spectrum of indie music for the last 12 years for outlets like The Atlantic, The Washington Post, Rolling Stone, and The Ringer.
During the event, Mills Record Company will host a pop-up record store, with albums for sale discussed in the book.
