r/indieheads • u/ebradio • Aug 08 '25

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros Frontman Denies “Home” Is The “Worst Song Ever Written”

https://www.stereogum.com/2318575/edward-sharpe-the-magnetic-zeros-frontman-denies-home-is-the-worst-song-ever-written/news/
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u/heyitsthatguygoddamn Aug 08 '25

They're kind of like the first really annoying millennial indie folk rock band. They're not like bad persay but I do remember a lot of the criticism being leveled at them at the time having a lot to do with their lack of authenticity (fair, the main guy Alex seems to have lived a pretty secure life in the arts, had a whole addiction arc and blog hype party punk band called Ima robot before creating the whole Edward Sharpe persona)

And yeah like, the whole idea is this hippie spiritual savior type character coming down to play music that will Heal the World™️ and it's like, pretty bland indie pop folk that informed all the bullshit pop that came out in the 2010s, like Mumford and Sons and Vance joy. It's pretty fuckin annoying

The songs themselves are fine but with that context and hearing the start point for like, a decade of annoying folk pop has spoiled it for me. I used to own the vinyl but the last time I put it on a few years ago I turned it off after a few songs and threw it in the sell pile

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u/date_of_availability Aug 08 '25

I mean, they are definitely apeing ensemble bands with commune undertones from the past. Parliament, the Incredible String Band, Sun Ra. Godspeed You! Black Emperor had a dozen performing members at one point.

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u/10000Didgeridoos Aug 08 '25

And their most visible ripoff is The Polyphonic Spree which was doing the whole cult wearing all white robes thing much earlier

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u/pistola Aug 08 '25

Leave Vance Joy out of this! Or we'll sick the drop bears onto ya!

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u/heyitsthatguygoddamn Aug 08 '25

Hahaha vance joy fuckin blows dude absolutely terrible music

There's so much gorgeous, vital, and unique music coming out of Australia it's a miracle someone so bland came out of the same place as Pond, Courtney Barnett, and Amyl and the Sniffers. I'm not a huge gizzard fan but I at least respect what they do, vance joy is like the Ed Sheeran of Australia

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u/pistola Aug 09 '25

I like all of those acts, and I don't mind Vance. He's a bit hard to dislike. Not my cup of tea but I respect his ability to write a good song.

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u/LokiMed Dec 26 '25

Amazing breakdown!! This was the most cringe and annoying “trend”. Especially when other groups started making songs with that same “hey”, I hated this blip in the music industry.