Alt Folk

Alt-Folk sprouted in the late 20th century, primarily in the US and UK, when acoustic guitar strumming hipsters decided traditional folk needed a good dose of indie angst and maybe a touch of irony. It's characterised by its eclectic sound palette, mixing earnest storytelling with unexpected instrumentation; think traditional ballads that got a bit too friendly with a synthesiser and a ukulele. The genre has since proven that you can still be deeply profound whilst wearing questionable knitwear and sipping artisanal coffee in a quaint café.