The Musical Vernacular of Depression

Research output: Book/ReportBookpeer-review

Abstract

The books examines the representation of mental health in contemporary pop music relative to the increasing prevalence of clinical depression among young people and its related gendered and racial inequalities. What I call “the musical vernacular of depression” is a coherent aesthetic category comprised of distinct semantic practices and stylistic conventions that I argue blur a biomedical definition of depression as a “common and serious mood disorder” with a generational sensibility that is unbounded by diagnosis and pathology.
Original languageEnglish
PublisherUniversity of Michigan Press
Publication statusIn preparation - 31 Dec 2026
SeriesMusic and Social Justice

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