Amid the coronavirus lockdown, singer-songwriter April Levin had to decide whether she would stay in New York or head back to her hometown in Colorado. She chose the latter, leaving her band and the local music community indefinitely. As a college sophomore at SUNY Purchase, the school’s recording studios where she could track live instruments are now miles away. But Levin says she has enough resources to continue her craft at home.
“I make a lot of my music in my bedroom . . . A lot of the original form of the track is done in my own space with Logic on my laptop,” she said. “It’s very accessible.”
Singer-songwriter April Levin, who releases music under the pseudonym April Gloom, discusses her music and audience.
Levin, who releases music under the name April Gloom, layers gauzy vocals over soft snares and guitar strums on the title track of her 2019 EP “Sad Soup." Lyrics like “My hair is dry but I bleach it/I know I’ll never be famous,” capture her music’s humorous yet profound duality. Her track “The Grinch Song” closes with a haunting sample of “Jingle Bells.”
The pandemic upended her plans to record an album in New York. Instead, she is writing and experimenting with unique sounds and odd production techniques — Levin’s music falls under the scope of bedroom pop. The genre includes an expansive variety of artists and sounds but is categorized by having a “lo-fi,” unpolished quality. Bedroom pop music often intentionally sounds like it was made in a bedroom.
Within the genre, a bedroom is integral to the creative process. Many artists are making music at home during the pandemic, but bedroom pop artists have always done so.
Levin shares ideas and pieces of unfinished songs with her followers on Instagram. Early demos are on SoundCloud and completed songs are posted to Spotify and Apple Music. The combination of social media and music platforms allows smaller artists to share their work with national audiences. The bedroom pop genre has taken off largely in part to this online interactivity between fans and artists.
"Sad Soup" is the title track on April Gloom's 2019 EP. Spotify.
The pipeline between a musician and their audience was not as direct about 20 years ago. Having spent several decades in the music and entertainment industry, Richard Bengloff has seen the changes firsthand. An artist could market their song in the press and on the radio, but there was no way to trace back to the listener. He recalls artists gathering addresses and sending postcards to reach fans. Now music sharing occurs online.
“Before, you could tell someone that you heard something great on the radio, but you couldn’t forward them the radio,” he said. “Now you have a piece of music; you can actually send them a link and say, ‘go listen to this.’ That’s a big change with sharing.”
Many bedroom pop artists sign with labels and record in-studio with producers, refining the production value of their work. But their early music catalog must gain popularity, often done online, to capture the interest of labels and collaborators.
Clairo, a bedroom pop artist who began making music in her college dorm and sharing it on SoundCloud, was named “Best New Act in The World” during this year’s NME Awards. Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas O’Connell won several Grammys for a record that was made in a bedroom. The two are not considered bedroom pop artists, but the duo shows that artists can break into the mainstream with music that was made at home.
Quadio is a free music streaming service for college students. Quadio.
Many bedroom pop artists within the genre are unsigned, college-age adults balancing school and their music careers. Quadio, a new music streaming service for college students, aims to help artists grow a local fanbase that will translate to success beyond the platform.
The service allows users to listen based on their school, region, state or country. Songs land on the discovery feed based on the time of upload, eliminating algorithms and curated playlists. Fans can chat with artists through the platform and leave comments on songs. Chief growth officer Miranda Martell says Quadio acts as a social media network, building relationships and giving artists exposure within their local community.
“It’s about creating that effective virality amongst your community that can rally around you,” said Martell. “For listeners, this is relevant content that is not only made by someone they know, but it’s truly undiscovered talent a lot of the time.”
Payouts from Spotify reflect the popularity of unsigned artists and the place they have made on streaming platforms. Bengloff says over 30% of Spotify’s payout goes to independent artists. The platform’s curated bedroom pop playlist has over 500,000 followers and continues to grow with every song and sound.
Levin describes her music as a mix of bedroom pop and ambient folk.
“I think the timbre that’s sought after right now is that lo-fi, ‘you did it yourself in your bedroom’ sound. It can be very raw, and I kind of like the non-overproduced feel of it,” said Levin. “Anybody can make it, and I think that’s why [bedroom pop] has grown in popularity— it’s a very inclusive genre.”
Shimmering synthesizers and twangy guitars compose one track; the next song may feature heavy beats and sharp vocals. Like Levin, a bedroom pop artist can find a space in the genre — and their home — to make art.
Spotify's "Bedroom Pop" playlist. Spotify.