The “Shinkflation” 🤏 of Popular Music 🎸
This blog author is not sure of the exact reason why it is happening, but in recent years there are an uncanny number of new indie/alternative songs being released as singles that are less than or barely 3:00 minutes in length.
Whether the musicians have abandoned the third verse or a key change, recording studio time is becoming too pricey, streaming sites prefer/demand shorter songs, or short and sweet is simply the musical flavor of the day, it is definitely a trend. For someone like myself, who loves a great track that doesn’t cut off too quickly or that contains instrumental introductions and/or conclusions, this trend can be frustrating.
Back in the day when AM radio ruled the musical airwaves, song factories regularly put out pop tunes that fit a tight timeframe of less than 3:00 minutes. As album-oriented rock grew in popularity in the 1970s through FM radio, longer tunes became more popular. Bohemian Rhapsody, Stairway to Heaven, Baba O’Reilly, Radar Love, Hotel California, and Sweet Child O’Mine are just a few examples from this trend which continued for several decades.
Apparently, I’m not the only one who has noticed this trend. Below are two charts showing the average length of popular songs over the past eight decades and they are definitely getting shorter…more than a minute so since the peak in the 1990s. Indie/alternative songs certainly seem to be following a similar trajectory.
Source: washingtonpost.com Source: economist.comPersonally, it would be nice if songs would have an average length somewhere in-between these two extremes. Also, I would feel a lot better about shelling out the money for a CD or album when it’s around 40 minutes long, instead of barely 30. Otherwise, it feels like yet another case of “shinkflation.”
Peace!
Here’s my playlist of short(er) indie/alternative songs identified so far in 2026:
“Already Low” by Anna Shoemaker = 2:51 – added 10/21/26
“Better Man” by Slow Pulp = 3:03
“Bonny” by Swapmeet = 2:34
“bottle episode” by Slow Fiction = 2:58
“Bronco” by Gollylagging = 2:30
“Comet” by Gollylagging = 2:42
“Dogtooth” by Sweetie = 3:01
“Entertainer” by Slow Pulp = 2:54
“Headlights” by In Color = 2:51
“Hypothetical” by The Beaches = 3:05
“Jackknife” by Gollylagging = 2:50
“Kiss Kiss Kiss” by Wishy = 2:55
“ninety-nine” by Slow Fiction = 2:43
“Pay Rise” by Sweetie = 2:45
“Perfect 10” by The Beaches = 2:55
“Too Fried” by Blondshell = 2:55 – added 10/21/26
“2CU” by Swapmeet = 2:20
#albums #alternativeMusic #art #fun #history #indieMusic #music #records #shinkflation #songs #streaming #tracks #tunes