The popular narrative about New Wave music is that it was derived from Punk; thus, Post-Punk.
That suggestion was correct but only partially, because of this less-discussed and often-dismissed part of the story.
Punk is not the only root of what became New Wave, which took inspiration also from earlier and more elaborate styles of music. Significantly, ’60s Sunshine Pop, Baroque Pop, Psychedelic Rock, Folk Rock, Krautrock, and Art Pop/Rock were all contributory to the sonic conception of New Wave.
If Post-Punk was the type of New Wave that came directly out of Punk, then from the other roots developed the non-Punk branches such as Guitar Pop, Indie Pop, Jangle Pop, Dream Pop, Twee Pop, and Synthpop.
Indie Pop, in particular, is best characterized by the folky and jangly guitars and horn, woodwind, and string embellishments. Keyboard and synthesizer melodies do appear, too, but only minimally, unlike in Synthpop.
Many female-fronted groups that released Indie Pop-classifiable albums began to emerge in the late ’80s and thrived in the decade that followed. Here are some examples.
* 10,000 Maniacs – Blind Man’s Zoo (1989)
* The Primitives – Pure (1989)
* Shelleyan Orphan – Century Flower (1989)
* The Darling Buds – Crawdaddy (1990)
* Voice of the Beehive – Honey Lingers (1991)
* frente! – Marvin the Album (1992)
* The Sundays – Blind (1992)
* Sixpence None the Richer – The Fatherless & the Window (1994)
