Who Says Pop Music Has To Be Superficial And Simplistic?

Why do people always assume if it's pop music, it has to always appeal to the masses and lack depth? That's ridiculous. There is a reason for its intentionally catchy melodies and relatable lyrics. It is supposed to attract general audiences by transcending sociocultural barriers to bring people together in this way. But it doesn't necessarily mean that it lacks depth. And pop music does not necessarily have to appeal to a big crowd. Sometimes artists can experiment with musical aspects such as time signatures, as seen in our latest EP (specifically the track entitled ´°✵ꟻUи-@-p4rTy5? ME?✵°´). And it doesn't necessarily need to have strictly relatable lyrics either. Not every pop song is about love and heartbreak and whatnot. Some well-known pop songs even have NO lyrics!
Plus, a lot of what is considered "relatable" is actually meant to be culturally understood to a specific but significant population. For example, the majority of pop artists today are trying to be a bit raunchy and explicit in their lyrics compared to in the past. Which, although that factor would exclude the portion of their audience that is opposed to those types of lyrics, does not change the fact they still maintain a growing audience - especially if their audience likes other factors of the music too much to worry about the lyrics. And also the most popular pop music tends to lean heavily towards the Western world which has shown a general tolerance to most of those explicit lyrics compared to back then. The lyrics are relatable to a specific big audience, but they do not need to be relatable to literally everyone in the world.
However, this does not mean that pop music has to lack depth and be mediocre. There does not need to be explicit lyrics about repetitive topics. There does not need to be the same melodies over and over. There does not need to be a hook every time. There exists a weatlth of musical techniques that can infuse pop with freshness and innovation, moving beyond the confines of repetition and relatability. For instance, one could, as mentioned earlier, change up the time signatures a bit. While most pop songs adhere to a straightforward 4/4 time, experimenting with 5/4, 7/8, or even shifting time signatures can create a unique rhythmic landscape. For reference, "ꟻUи-@-p4rTy5" has 4/4, 5/4, 6/4, and 3/4 time signatures. This technique not only challenges the listener's expectations but also allows for more intricate melodic and harmonic development.
Pop music also does not have to strictly adhere to a verse/chorus/verse/chorus/bridge/chorus structure all the time. Breaking away from this linear format by using techniques like through composed forms or cyclical patterns can allow for thematic development that dynamically evolves throughout the song, keeping listeners engaged and intrigued. In a through composed form, the music is continuously composed without repeating large sections. Each section of the music is distinct, and new material is introduced throughout the piece. This form is used to tell a story or explore a certain theme. As for cyclical patterns, they involve the repetition of a specific musical idea or motif throughout the piece, but in a way that creates a sense of development or transformation. Instead of specifically repeating a section verbatim, the motif may be varied in terms of rhythm, harmony, or even instrumentation each time it returns. This form is common in genres like minimalism, where a small set of musical ideas is developed and transformed over time.
Pop music typically favors familiar chord progressions, which can lead to a sense of sameness across many tracks. But what if I told you that unconventional harmonic choices in pop music is a thing? There are so many harmonic variations to choose from to make a song sound more unexpected than it actually is, like modal interchange, extended chords, and dissonance. Modal interchange/mixture involves borrowing chords from parallel modes (scales) to create harmonic variety. For example, if a piece is primarily in major key, the composer might borrow chords from the parallel minor key. The borrowed chords often have different qualities than those typically found in the original key. Extended chords go beyond the basic triad of root, third, and fifth by adding additional notes, typically the seventh, ninth, eleventh, or thirteenth. A C major chord consists of the notes C, E, and G, but a Cmaj7 chord adds the note B, and a C9 chord adds the note D, creating a more complex and emotionally nuanced harmonic texture. And lastly, dissonance refers to a combination of notes that creates tension in a way that notes that do not sound perfectly harmonic together are played. It is the opposite of consonance. While it is often used to create drama and conflict, it can be used for some positive moods as well.
All these techniques mentioned above, when used appropriately in a pop song, can and do challenge the norm that pop music is mediocre and only appeals to the masses. As the music landscape continues to evolve, it is essential for everyone to explore those songs that contain any one of the techniques listed above and to encourage other artists to try them as well. Music as a whole should be about creativity and expression, and it shouldn't necessarily be confined to the familiar. There's already so many ways to make pop music more diverse and appealing, and this should be one of them.