Sonic Subcultures unpacks formative records to understand the cultural moments that emerge from popular music. Our first season looked at the Nu Metal resurgence, when a decades-old genre found new momentum with a younger generation. Our second season looks at then of our most formative records from across our lives to understand how personal taste is made and developed over time.
Blending soul, funk, rap and synth-heavy pop, Tyler, The Creator’s IGOR is as chaotic as it is controlled, capturing the push-pull of love, ego and emotional fallout.
In this episode, Marc Lajeunesse and Safa Hachi explore IGOR’s storytelling, the cult of interpretation around it, and how Tyler’s heartbreak became a cultural movement.
We ask: When artists hide emotion behind aesthetics, what gets revealed and who’s really listening?
4 Feb 2026
Season 2 Episode 3 - Metallica's S&M
Metallica built their empire on speed, rage and grit, then watched that same empire question whether they still belonged. From Load to Master of Puppets, they blurred the lines between metal and mainstream with varying levels of fan acceptance.
In this episode, Marc Lajeunesse and Safa Hachi unpack how Metallica’s sound, image and ethos evolved while facing loyalty tests from fans, the media, and even themselves.
We ask: How do you stay true to your roots when you’re the reason the genre grew branches?
28 Jan 2026
Season 2 Episode 2 - Arctic Monkeys' AM
In this season of Sonic Subcultures, we ask ‘what makes a listener over time?’ By revisiting 10 formative records for our hosts, we trace the way personal taste can develop and evolve, and how lives intersect with cultural and subcultural moments through music.When AM dropped in 2103, the Arctic Monkeys traded scrappy Sheffield rock for leather jackets and American desert rock swag. The result? A record that didn’t just top the charts but branded itself into Tumblr dashboards and Gen Z nostalgia Playlists.
In this episode, Marc Lajeunesse and Safa Hachi unpack how AM became its own aesthetic ecosystem. From Alex Turner’s “cool guy” act to the double-edged sword of sonic evolution.
We ask: how do you grow as a band when every version of you becomes someone’s personality?
21 Jan 2026
Season 2 Episode 1 - Spice Girls' Spiceworld
In this season of Sonic Subcultures, we ask ‘what makes a listener over time?’ By revisiting 10 formative records for our hosts, we trace the way personal taste can develop and evolve, and how lives intersect with cultural and subcultural moments through music.
With choreographed personas and sleek marketing, the Spice Girls were pop icons built in the boardroom. But they also opened doors.
In this episode, Marc Lajeunesse and Safa Hachi trace the blurred line between empowerment and performance, and how the Spice Girls helped reshape the pop landscape—for better or worse.
We ask: when feminism becomes a product, who does it serve?
9 May 2025
Sonic Subcultures Episode 9 - Limp Bizkit's Chocolate Starfish and the Hotdog Flavored Water and the Nu Metal Legacy
We opened the season with Limp Bizkit’s Significant Other. Now, we close it with Chocolate Starfish. In just a year, the band went from rising stars to overexposed icons– cockier, louder and more self-aware than ever.
In this season finale, Marc Lajeunesse and Safa Hachi reflect on Fred Durst’s transformation from cultural villain to ironic icon, the band’s unapologetic legacy and why Limp Bizkit’s blend of loud, messy rebellion might be exactly what this generation needs.
2 May 2025
Sonic Subcultures Episode 8 - UnityTX's MADBOY and Nu Metal Identity
Dallas-based band UnityTX blends rap, hardocre, and nu metal into a chaotic, genre-blurring sound that challenges everything we thought nu metal was. But their identity as an all-POC band also reveals the deep-rooted racial gatekeeping in alt spaces.
In this episode, Marc Lajeunesse and Safa Hachi explore UnityTX’s 2020 MadBoy EP and how it fits into a broader conversation about nu metal’s legacy. From its whitewashed roots to its revival through fusion and experimentation, we ask: where does nu metal go from here? And who gets to define it?
25 Apr 2025
Sonic Subcultures Episode 7 - Fear Factory's Digimortal and Modern Technology Anxieties
Back in 2001, Digimortal imagined a future where humans and machines merge to survive. Over 2 decades later, Fear Factory’s industrial-meets-nu metal record feels less like sci-fi and more like the blueprint.
In a world of AI, deepfakes and digital immortality, the album's themes of control, technological takeover and existential dread hit closer than ever.
In this episode, Marc Lajeunesse and Safa Hachi dive into Digitmortal’s cybernetic vision, connecting its dystopian riffs to Black Mirror, surveillance capitalism, and the real-world cost of technological obsession.
18 Apr 2025
Sonic Subcultures Episode 6 - Kittie's Spit, the Gender Dynamics of Nu Metal Rage, and Canadian Content
In 1999 four Canadian teens dropped Spit, a raw and aggressive debut that carved space for women in a genre dominated by male rage.
Kittie didn’t just make noise, they made space. These teen girls were angry, emotional and proudly feminine, their sound still resonates across generations. Over 20 years later, they’re trending again, resurfacing on TikTok through edits, outfit recreations and relatable lyric quotes.
In this episode, Marc Lajeunesse and Safa Hachi explore how kittie fought back against misogyny with guttural vocals, eyeliner, and fierce vulnerability. From shaping alternative fashion to opening the doors for women in metal, we dive into the cultural legacy of a band that dared to scream back.
11 Apr 2025
Sonic Subcultures Episode 5 - Deftones' Around the Fur and Nu Metal's Current Appeal
Before Around the Fur became a TikTok staple, Deftones were already defining the sexier, moodier corner of nu metal. With breathy vocals, distorted riffs, and a vibe that sits between violence and vulnerability, their sound has become a Gen Z identity marker.
In this episode, Marc Lajeunesse and Safa Hachi break down the band’s sonic evolution, viral (sex) appeal and the contradictions that make them so relatable to a generation obsessed with both individuality and trend cycles. From “My Own Summer” to “Change (In the House of Flies),” we explore how Deftones helped turn nu metal into a lifestyle.
4 Apr 2025
Sonic Subcultures Episode 4 - Rage Against the Machine's Self-Titled Record and Nu Metal Politics Part 2
In a lineup full of theatricality and angst, Rage Against the Machine stands out for turning nu metal into a tool of protest, with lyrics that respond to police brutality, racism and capitalism, their music still hits as hard today– especially for Gen Z.
In this episode, Marc Lajeunesse and Safa Hachi explore RATM’s debut album and how its message echoes through current movements, from anti-censorship protests in the 90s to conversations about war crimes, public health and modern rebellion. Unlike trend-driven virality, Rage Against the Machine’s influence is rooted in purpose, making them a different kind of icon in the digital age.
28 Mar 2025
Sonic Subcultures Episode 3 - Staind's Break the Cycle and Nu Metal Politics Part 1
When Staind’s Break the cycle dropped in 2001, it was a massive nu metal success, topping the Billboard charts and producing anthems of frustration and self-loathing. But in 2025, Staind’s cultural legacy feels different, especially with frontman Aaron Lewis now making headlines as a conservative country artist.
In this episode, Marc Lajeunesse and Safa Hachi break down the album’s themes, Staind’s place in nu metal history as well as why Gen Z isn’t embracing the band’s legacy like they have for Limp Bizkit and Rob Zombie. From its emotional weight to its ideological contradictions, we explore whether Break the Cycle was always leading to this moment.
21 Mar 2025
Sonic Subcultures Episode 2 - Rob Zombie's Hellbilly Deluxe and Nu Metal Aesthetics
Rob Zombie’s Hellbilly Deluxe (1998) blended nu metal, industrial and horror aesthetics, influencing music and pop culture beyond its release. Marc Lajeunesse and Safa Hachi discuss how horror, rebellion and theatricality define the album’s impact, and why its energy is being revived in today’s music.
From Playboi Carti’s Opium collective to Megan Thee Stallion’s metal collaborations, this episode connects nu metal’s past to its surprising influence on Gen Z’s music landscape.
14 Mar 2025
Sonic Subcultures Episode 1 - Limp Bizkit’s Significant Other and the Nu Metal Resurgence
In July 2021 - amidst a seemingly endless barrage of pandemic misinformation and American political turmoil - an unexpected topic began trending on Twitter: Limp Bizkit. Twenty-two years after their first Billboard number one album Significant Other, the flagship act for turn-of-the-millennium disgruntled youth returned with surprising fanfare and cultural relevance. After nearly two decades of popular media obscurity, Limp Bizkit was the standout act of Lollapalooza 2021, one of the most popular music festivals in the United States. Band frontman Fred Durst, wearing a grey wig accompanied by a dusty handlebar mustache and pink-shaded aviator glasses, refers to himself as ‘Dad’ as the crowd goes wild. Durst’s presentation alongside the energetic crowd transforms what might otherwise be a flaccid nostalgia act into something surprisingly self-aware and curiously resonant for a young modern audience.
How did we get here? How did a genre as maligned as nu metal reenter the cultural moment? Sonic Subcultures Season One looks at nine nu metal records to understand what nu metal even meant in the first place, and how the genre has found renewed cultural relevance.
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