Chris DeVille

I can't believe we finally made it. My debut book 'Such Great Heights: The Complete Cultural History of the Indie Rock Explosion' is OUT TODAY! So, what is this book? In multiple senses, it's about how indie rock went pop. Such Great Heights takes a big-picture look at the way "indie" music and the attendant culture transformed over the course of the 21st century, evolving from an insular subculture to an aesthetic descriptor so flexible it was applied to Taylor Swift's folklore. I start by establishing what "indie rock" meant by the end of the '90s; then, following alongside my own journey with the music, I trace how the public-facing version of indie transformed throughout the first two decades of this millennium, illuminating how indie rock changed the mainstream and how the mainstream changed indie rock. There are chapters about how disco-punk and the New Rock Revolution got the indie kids dancing, how The O.C. and Garden State kicked off Hollywood's indie rock feeding frenzy, how indie folk led us to stomp clap, how Pitchfork and blogs like this one developed into a star-making pipeline, the impact of iTunes and Myspace, the connections between bloghouse and "indie sleaze" fashion, the indie rock audience's sometimes awkward relationship with rap, the rise of the "indie" pop star, and more. We end up in the 2010s, as streaming and social media irreparably alter the Big Indie ecosystem and a new generation of indie artists takes hold, perhaps to start the cycle all over again. Along the way, there is discussion of coffee shops and indie dance nights, of Urban Outfitters and Bonnaroo, of (sorry) hipsters and (SORRY) poptimism. I don't think there's been a more comprehensive look at the trajectory of indie music over the past quarter-century. I'm so proud of the book and so excited for you to read it. Buy it at the link in my bio and let me know what you think.

I haven't listened to any album this year as much as @kevinmorby 's LITTLE WIDE OPEN, so it was my privilege to go through the tracklist with Morby, unpacking this brilliant body of work one song at a time. I've always enjoyed and admired Morby's music, but this album caught me by surprise — maybe because it's his greatest collection of songs so far, maybe because it hits so close to home. It's full of wise reflections: on Morby's Midwestern homeland and the adventures that have carried him far from it, on isolation and connection, on reckless youth and hard-won maturity, on how to navigate this life and what makes it worth living. Morby and @aarondessner cast these songs in such a gorgeous light, too. It sounds just like the sun setting over Kansas City, except when it sounds like that same sun coming back up and a whole world of possibility springing to life. As you can tell, the album means a lot to me. Our interview is live now at @stereogum , so go read it while you listen.

When Chance The Rapper released Coloring Book 10 years ago today, the world went nuts for Chancellor Bennett, myself very much included. A decade later, public perception of Chance's music has changed a lot. In this case, a decade feels like an especially long time. So... what happened there? I did my best to explain. The retrospective is live now at @stereogum , so go read it.

A Moon Shaped Pool came out 10 years ago today. At @stereogum , I poured out a lot of words about grief and the final(?) Radiohead album. I hope you enjoy it.

Had a long and anecdote-filled conversation with Kevin Drew about the new Broken Social Scene album and lots more. He shared great stories about Zach Galifianakis, Leslie Feist, Nigel Godrich, Gord Downie, acting on a 'Law & Order' spinoff, and much more. This is a good one. It's live now at @stereogum , so go read it.

After discussing 'Drive' on @soundtrackcast , I made a 40-song playlist. Chromatics, Kavinsky, forebears like Vangelis, peers like M83, synthwave, etc. I also wrote about the movie's influence on 2010s music and our neverending nostalgia for an imagined 1980s. Behold the 'Drive' diaspora, live now at the Such Great Heights newsletter. [Link in bio.]

The best Kacey LP since Golden Hour is also her twangiest since Pageant Material, but it's less a wholesale return to country than an integration of everything she's done well over the years. She sounds like herself again. My review of Middle Of Nowhere is live now at @stereogum , so go read it.

I wouldn't want to live in @lipcritic 's headspace all the time, but Theft World is so potent because so many people do. It's a manic genre-spliced portrait of a culture run by scammers all the way down. My Album Of The Week review is live now at @stereogum , so go read it.

EPISODE 143 @chrisdevilleofficial , author of Such Great Heights: The Complete Cultural History of the Indie Rock Explosion, joins Nicole and Ryan to talk about the soundtrack to the 2011 Nicholas Winding Refn film, Drive. The Cliff Martinez score and the needle drops from artists like The Chromatics, Kavinsky, Electric, and Desire brought synthwave to the forefront of pop culture in 2011. The music sound as fresh in 2026 as it did 15 years ago. Available wherever you listen to podcasts: #soundtrackyourlife #filmpodcast #musicpodcast #colturepodcastnetwork #suchgreatheights

Massive ep!!! ⚡️⚡️ This week we’re covering Emergency & I, the 1999 Dismemberment Plan record that remains one of the most singular albums to come out of the DC indie scene. We’re joined by @chrisdevilleofficial , Managing Editor of @stereogum and author of Such Great Heights, to dig into what makes this record so special. A life of pod-sibilities awaits, get into it! #indierock #dcrockhistory #thedismembermentplan

The Lemonade era feels so long ago. Way longer than 10 years. But according to the calendar, today marks a decade since Beyoncé put this hugely ambitious project out into the world. In a new retrospective, I did my best to assess why Lemonade was so universally acclaimed in its time and came away with a fresh appreciation for what Beyoncé created here. There are fair critiques to be levied, but big-swing superstar pop albums don't get much better than this. The piece is live now at @stereogum , so go read it.

Happy to announce I'll be a featured author at the @columbusbookfestival July 11-12!