Season 1 of Sonic Subcultures looks at 9 records that represent the range of musical styles that fall under the nu metal banner. Each record represents an aspect of nu metal that has surprising relevance today as nu metal has become a strangely resurgent genre. How is nu metal back? Why? To find some answers, Safa Hachi and Marc Lajeunesse look back at each record from our unique perspectives: Marc was there when nu metal began but Safa got into it twenty years later. We do a deep dive on each record, consider their form, lyrics, and impact when they were released...
Latest episodes
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50 min
Sonic Subcultures Episode 9 - Limp Bizkit's Chocolate Starfish and the Hotdog Flavored Water and the Nu Metal…
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,…
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27 min
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-P…
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31 min
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…
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35 min
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.…
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44 min
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 betw…
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38 min
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 a…
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39 min
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,…
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28 min
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 discus…
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38 min
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…