From Alex G to Alvvays: Five ultimate coming-of-age albums
From John Hughes movies to Olivia Rodrigo albums, the concept of “coming of age” has inspired countless works of art. Perhaps this is due to the emotional turbulence that comes with this period of a person’s life — the nervous excitement of first love, the anxiety of going off to college or moving away from home for the first time, the ever-confusing emotions swirling around in your head. It’s easy to see how these feelings have inspired great music, in particular.
The songs, albums and artists each of us associate with “coming of age” may depend entirely on when we experienced it. If you grew up in the 1990s, you might find youthful nostalgia in the laddy sounds of Britpop or the polished pop of the Spice Girls. Or if you came of age in the 2000s, you might associate indie bands like The Strokes and Arctic Monkeys with the transition from teen to adult.
There is an element of subjectivity to the topic, but there are also certain albums that take direct inspiration from the experience of “coming of age”. Clairo’s Immunity, for example, pairs her internet-driven bedroom pop sound with tales of self-discovery and sexuality, presenting a tender look at her transition from childhood to adulthood.
Instrumentally, too, albums may lend themselves to a place on a teen movie soundtrack through hopeful or haunting indie pop stylings, angsty 90s-esque rock, or truly chaotic genre-blending. Their intimate, indulgent soundscapes may ignite wistful eyes in even the most nostalgia-avoidant listeners, leading them to look back on their teen years with rose-tinted glasses.
Below, we’ve collated five albums that perfectly capture the feeling of coming of age, from Alex G to Alvvays.
Five perfect coming-of-age albums:
Clairo – Immunity
Clairo came of age somewhere between SoundCloud uploads and Rookie mag interviews in the 2010s, pushing her way onto countless teen girls’ playlists with her breakout track ‘Pretty Girl’. A couple of years later, she unveiled her debut album Immunity, a tender collection of internet-friendly bedroom pop hits charting tentative self-discovery, shy crushes, and innocent intimacy.
Standout track ‘Sofia’ finds Clairo grappling with her sexuality, quietly but defiantly declaring, “Sofia, know that you and I shouldn’t feel like a crime”. ‘Bags’ touches on similar topics, desperately hoping to be understood. Opener ‘Alewife’ acts as an ode to an eighth-grade friend who helped Clairo through some of her darkest thoughts, containing her gratitude into twinkling pianos and declarations of sisterhood.
Soccer Mommy – Clean
Debut albums may be a common occurrence on this list. Artists often seem to use their first release to expel the angst of their teen years in the studio, and Clean by Soccer Mommy serves as yet another example of this. In a slightly harsher manner than Clairo, Sophia Allison contends with the mixed-up, messed-up feelings of coming-of-age amidst 90s indie rock soundscapes.
‘Cool’ describes a longing to be as cool as the heart-breaking stoner girl Mary, while ‘Flaw’ finds Allison kissing boys on second dates and “ripping her flowers out”. The record is full of all the ugly feelings that run through your head as you’re coming of age, from jealousy to bitterness to betrayal. It’s a record full of the kind of rage and rumination only a teen has time for.
Alex G – Trick
No coming-of-age playlist is complete without an Alex G track. In the last few years, the indie icon has expanded his musical ventures into the world of film composition, scoring Jane Schoenbrun’s tales of teenagehood. It’s a trajectory that makes sense, given his solo sound, which is steeped in hazy, haunting nostalgia. Almost any of his albums could fit into this list tonally, but we’ve narrowed it down to just one: 2012’s Trick.
In 16 songs, many of which barely surpass two minutes, Alex G weaves wistful strums into intermittent saxophones, creating a darkly sentimental sound. His lyrics are full of youthful admissions. He makes bold declarations of forever love, confesses that he gets sick when he gets stoned, and waits patiently for baggies. There are silly songs that call back to the innocence of youth – ‘Whale’, for example – but there are also darker offerings like ‘Kute’.
No thought stays around too long on this album, as Alex G expertly captures the fast-moving ephemerality of coming-of-age.
Alvvays – Alvvays
Another staple band for indie teens, Alvvays nailed the hopeful feeling of turning 18 on their dreamy debut self-titled album in 2014. Between Molly Rankin’s sweet vocal tones, Alex O’Hanley’s endlessly jangly guitars, and their truly unmatched approach to indie pop, the record sounds like a coming-of-age gone completely to plan (an impossible but appealing prospect).
‘Archie, Marry Me’ is, of course, the standout track from Alvvays. Rankin spells out her lover’s name as if she’s writing it in a notebook surrounded by love-hearts, longing for him to shrug off his contempt for matrimony and marry her anyway. She promises not to waste a moment amidst bouncy twangs on ‘Adult Diversion’, takes comfort in debauchery on ‘Party Police’, and finds love walking along the rocks by the river on ‘Next of Kin’. Every song is full of youthful promise.
Kero Kero Bonito – Time ‘n’ Place
Coming of age is often defined by uncontrollable chaos, and the same can be said about Time ‘n’ Place, the second album by Kero Kero Bonito. The record fuses singer Sarah Bonito’s youthful vocals with torrents of noise, moments of blissful electronica, and more palatable indie pop. “I realise in all of my life,” she sings on the opening track, “I don’t think that I remember it being so vivid.”
Bonito pens letters to her future self, shares and indulges in her hopes and dreams, and feels “all worlds at once.” It’s quirky and kitschy, unable to keep still for very long, like the angsty experience of coming of age. The record also feels like Kero Kero Bonito’s coming-of-age, pushing them beyond the catchy hyperpop and playful but undeveloped lyrics of their previous releases.
