Distorted vocal takes, 4-Track cassette production style, immediacy, thrash metal, hardcore punk, deliberately skuzzy rap – it seems the stuff that’s bursting from the underground into the mainstream is all resolutely LoFi, and you have to wonder if this is a direct response to the rise of not only slick, studio music, but also, artificial intelligence.

See, AI has done a number on supposedly LoFi Beats, by which we mean, the kind of LoFi Beats For Studying which has vaguely attempted to recreate the sound of the likes of J Dilla and the likes of Thievery Corporation from years gone by – you can ask a program to make 7 hours of music like this, stick it on YouTube with a cute enough animation, and then see if the algorithm bites.

And it almost certainly will, given the relationship between Big Tech and the programme makers. Timelines are now tuned-in to give special dispensation to computer generated materials, and A.I. is predisposed to make things that the algorithm will reward.

As such, social media is eating itself – but young people aren’t having it. From knotty, Dadaist DIY memes ruling the roost over shoddy, often right wing A.I. memes, to seemingly purposeful under-produced hip hop, to bedroom pop and more, it feels like the rush toward automation is being resisted by the need for seeing the greasy fingerprints of a real person all over a project.

One of the biggest albums of the last few years saw the kids raging to Playboi Carti’s album, which compared to albums that came before it, showing itself to be one of the more challenging listens. Compared to the relative gloss of Megan Thee Stallion or the consistent fine-tuning of someone like Drake, Carti’s music is frenetic and beat-up like listening to video game menu music through a busted TV speaker, and all the better for it.

Even with the hip hop where there’s been a nod to Golden Era rappers, the MC’s personality is absolutely key to a track’s success, which is not something easily recreated with the robots. The mess of being human, it seems, is coming back.

In rock and indie circles, we’ve seen a huge critical and fan interest in groups like Slippers and Way Dynamic, which in past years, may have been accused of being unfinished or rushed – but in 2026, it’s scratching an itch for a real connection and, maybe like punk, a production style that feels attainable for anyone picking a guitar up for the first time.

The hardcore renaissance has been notable too, with a surge in underground punk shows with zero focus on boring professionalism or polite shows. These records and circle pits are about as real as shit gets, with music fans able to not only get blasted by wave after wave of sonic beatdowns, but also, wearing merch with indecipherable band logos that aren’t supposed to be legible by your mum and dad.

When a group like Knocked Loose appear on prime-time US television, frightening half of Middle America to death, you can feel the other half punching the air and thinking about starting their own bands, which is what it’s all about after all.

See, A.I. is being sold as the great leveller, affording opportunities to those who can’t afford whatever it is Big Tech companies think we’re talking ourselves out of – however, lousy gig posters made by a crappy program that makes some homogenous lump of stuff won’t appeal to the young ‘uns like a hand drawn, photocopied thing that’s promoting a bunch of actual people about to blow your socks clean off.

A.I. makes you want to stay at home – DIY stuff makes you want to go outside and hang out with other people.

The people are reacting to A.I, and the younger people are reacting poorly to it. Normally, technology in music and entertainment is embraced by the young, but this time it is very different. The response to A.I, it’s environmental impact, the kind of people using it, the things it sells, and the implied laziness of slop – not to mention the stylistic awfulness of it – is garnering a negative response, wholesale.

A tweet did the rounds from an AI apologist, who thinks that infinitely customisable music is where we’re headed, but in terms of what the kids are listening to, it seems like they’re looking for something that feels like it came directly from someone else, idiosyncrasies and all.

Tastes have changed so much that now, boring pedants are losing ground over people who will actively champion a typo or errant apostrophe over the much that ChatGPT is serving up. A.I. posters are too busy, and they’re lacking in any type of personality.

A.I. media is outsourcing the things we liked best about music, design, films and everything else – the decision making. Pristine records from the past are still loved, because they serve as minor miracles of how to make precise things when it was difficult to do so – now, new razor sharp records are deemed to lack the charm and immediacy of albums where the fidelity is intentionally low.

There’s a reason Tyga’s new album was panned, while the kids raged to Playboi Carti’s Gonzo Hip Hop. You imagine there’s a similar feeling as to why Taylor Swift’s newest music is being met with ridicule, because her output lacks the charm of someone who is willing to leave a few bum notes in the mix.

For too long, it feels like the ecosystem of music has been suffering, but now, we can see the shoots of recovery as fanzine culture, DIY gigs, self-produced records, independently released physical media, circle pits, and stick ‘n’ poke tattoos are coming back in the place of safe, polished materials. Streaming is already broken, news media too – now artificial intelligence is breaking everything even further, and people are revolting.

You can’t be summoned to a protest by an A.I. made placard, and you certainly won’t find a convincing call-to-arms through music generated by someone prompting Suno or Gemini. Lo Fidelity is back and it’s influencing the overground. Someone like Slayyyter makes pop music for people who like a bit of messiness in their ears, and Fcukers and Underscores are making music that sounds like it comes drenched in sweat before you’ve got to the end of the album. Even Charli XCX’s ‘Brat’ showed off the immediacy of warty, blown-out production, and she took that to the largest stages on the planet to financial and critical acclaim.

We’re seeing a shift between the generations, and you’d be wise to catch on.