Over the past three years, the song “Resonance” by synth wave artist Home has gone viral on TikTok through many different contexts. The song has been sped up, slowed down, beats reversed, and even included mashups with other songs like Resonance x Empire State of Mind and Resonance x Genesis x Not Allowed.
The song also is included in various dreamcore videos on TikTok, which are devised to provoke nostalgia and are typically made by Gen Z individuals who seek to reminisce about certain childhood aesthetics of the 2000s and 2010s. The longing chord progression along with the synth’s echoed depth allow listeners to feel as if they have been relocated to another world. This allows for different point of view videos surrounding this nostalgia to be created, such as “Resonance playing in an 80s mall” and “Resonance at 1 AM in the airport.”
The popularity of synth music overall within Gen Z allows us to reminisce on certain moments of our childhood that can evoke feelings of nostalgia. Gen Z has experienced drastic changes from other generations due to the rise of social media and all of the discourse following it, as well as severe global events like 9/11 and the COVID-19 pandemic. It is sensible that we would be the most nostalgic generation, as we feel the need to recall simpler times where the media did not influence our every action and decision. Other generations such as Gen Alpha are eager to grow up fast, with young children taking interest in beauty products, skincare, and social media. This generation tends to enjoy more pop music like Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande. Gen Z greatly enjoys these genres, but synth has is more likely to be consumed by Gen Z individuals due to its nostalgic disposition.
Journalism 2.0 