#428: Hüsker Dü, ‘New Day Rising’
SST, 1985
Hüsker Dü’s fame is in part due to the dedication of college radio DJs. I yearn for the 80s and 90s college radio. I yearn for the era of bold sincerity, letter writing, and listening to songs in your college dorm that you know only a small pocket of people are also listening to.
I yearn to be connected to tiny communities who never speak, never show off our creations but are invisibly connected by the airwaves.
My fantasy is showing up to a concert and knowing that we met simply because we both listened to the same college radio station at the same time and had to see the singers of that song live.
That’s Hüsker Dü’s community. Hüsker Dü did not acquire popular fame until later on in their careers, but they survived their early days because college radio stations built them dedicated fanbases. Hüsker Dü toured regularly, gathered fans, and created little pockets of community in collegiate America.
Hüsker Dü is a tricky blend of new and old hardcore music played by a trio from Minessota. A lot of people considered them sellouts, or just too confusing. But the fans who were dedicated proselytized their brilliance calling them the “fastest hardcore band ever.”
This album isn’t for me. It didn’t change my mind or make me feel connected to anyone. But this album is for some other people. It’s an important album for a ton of hardcore kids who felt like they didn’t belong, who felt misunderstood and emotionally broken. It is an album that gave kids an instant community when the band came to town.
It is an album that succeeded on college radio and told popular America that the alt kids matter. Even if it isn’t what the music execs deem ‘good,’ these kids will support national tours of bands that make no sense to their dads.
I yearn for that kind of invisible connection that is not made of transaction. Just listening is enough to say that something matters. Just listening to the same album on your campus's tiny radio station was enough to feel like you all belonged with each other.
Top songs: Eh, honestly, you tell me. I had a hard time. I wish I was a cool hardcore girl but I need direction on this. Please message me songs you liked from this album and I will listen.
I’m with you, not the most accessible album for me. I do like the Husker Du song Makes No Sense at All and Bob Mould’s solo stuff is worth a listen (The Silence Between Us being a highlight).