Are We Headed into a Recession? Charli xcx Says Yes

The re-emergence of 'recession pop' music

The word ‘recession’ has now floated around the ether for well over half a decade as Covid-19, the cost-of-living crisis, and recent global economic and political turmoil have spelled constant trouble for international markets. Professional and armchair economists can’t seem to agree, however, as to whether this economic catastrophe is impending, has already commenced, or simply is a false alarm. Terms like ‘delayed recession’ and ‘recession indicator’ are increasingly thrown about on social media and the news, but there remains little to show for these theories and speculations; while it would be misleading to label these anything but pseudo-scientific, playing hobbyist behavioural psychologist and mapping social patterns onto economic trends isn’t only interesting, but fun too. So, let’s have fun and furnish the ‘dismal science’ with even some colour.

Music, considered by many to be the world’s most popular and beloved commodity, provides plenty of fodder for this kind of amateur study; in having a sensitive finger on the pulse of societal moods, the genres of music produced, artists that become popular, and defining songs of a period speak volumes on society’s present condition. Pop music production — as an extension of the broader ‘dance’ genre — oddly flourishes in periods of economic downturn, earning the oxymoronic label ‘recession pop’. ‘Recession pop’s’ philosophy is simple: if the economy is going to the dumps, why not just dance your anxieties away? It makes sense, then, that the tunes that readily translate to the dancefloor thrive off the escapism that pervades the disillusioned and destitute.

In the throes of the Great Depression, swing music and big band dominated the scene with loud brass, quickening tempos, and catchy twelve-bar blues stanzas; Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, and Count Basie defined this period. Amid the aggressive stagflation of the 1970s, disco, funk, and dance-pop bloomed, the likes of Parliament-Funkadelic, the Bee Gees, and ABBA monopolising discotheques. James Brown’s ‘Get Up Offa That Thing’, a quintessential product of ‘70s funk, deftly relates the dispiritedness of his generation and inspires moxie in his call to “dance ‘til you feel better.” 

More relatable to a 21st-century audience, though, might be the pop icons of the early 2010s, the direct descendants of the 2008 financial crisis. Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream, Miley Cyrus’ The Time of Our Lives, and Black Eyed Peas’ THE E.N.D., all released within two years of the housing market crash, exemplify ‘recession pop’, opting for exaggerated beats, EDM structures, and catchy, chantable verses; the lyrics on these albums exude the carefree, hedonistic, party-going attitudes that have come to define the ‘recession pop’ genre. Other songs are less than discreet in their relationship with the Great Recession and address directly the pervasive economic anxieties of the early 2010s. Pitbull’s ‘Time of Our Lives’ reads: “I knew my rent was gon’ be late about a week ago (hey) / I worked my ass off, but I can’t still pay it, though (woo) / But I got just enough to get off in this club / Have me a good time, before my time is up.” Macklemore’s ‘Thrift Shop’ also light-heartedly records the growing necessity for frugality and shopping second-hand. If the big banks are to blame for mass global unemployment, the European Debt Crisis, and general economic strife, they are also to thank for ushering this golden age of pop music.

What does the music industry have to say about a recession in 2025? Nothing optimistic, unfortunately. In June 2024, Charli xcx released her sixth studio album, Brat, sparking a summer trend of emboldened youth rebellion through raves, drugs, and debauchery — ‘brat summer’. Brat’s lyrics hinge on a rejection of social conformity and deference, ‘365’ playing: “No, I never go home, don’t sleep, don’t eat / Just do it on repeat (bumpin’ that) / When I’m in the club, yeah, I’m (bumpin’ that) / 365, party girl (bumpin’ that).” Other summer anthems from 2024 strike similar themes; ‘APT.’ by Bruno Mars and Rosé, ‘HOT TO GO!’ by Chappell Roan, and ‘A Bar Song (Tipsey)’ by Shaboozey contain lyrics that articulate a growing culture of recklessness — of partying, drug use, and sexual vivacity — echoing the essential motifs of pop music post-2008. Trends also show that recent pop releases have become faster and are more danceable, catchy, and playful.

If music is any barometer for society’s present temperaments, the dial most certainly reads ‘pessimistic’. The symptoms are clear — people want to dance, drink, do drugs, and party — but the diagnosis remains fuzzy; are these signs of an impending recession or a more minor economic slump? Only time will tell, but, perhaps with a little more dancing, we won’t even notice. 

Image from Wikimedia Commons