‘Genres are instances of repetition and difference;
this is what pleasure for the audience is derived from’ – Steve Neale
In my opinion, Vance Joy’s ‘Riptide’ does not satisfy Neale’s Theory of how genre is constructed and repeated within other media products of the same ‘genre’ in television as it has no structured narrative, and no lead singer with his/hers instrument performing the song; like in any other Indie-Folk song. However, the target audience is men and women between the age 13-25 who prefer catchy and up-beat music, common in the Indie-Folk genre.
The Riptide music video explicitly depicts the lyrics word for word, which subverts the deeper and more personal meaning behind the Folk side of the genre. In a typical Indie-Folk music video, song is, perhaps, a catharsis for the singer, whereas, in the Riptide music video, the lyrics are simple, and become loose ends. Perhaps, Vance Joy is suggesting the songs contemporarily evoke pathos, and Indie-Folk songwriter exploit those conventions to make money. He explicitly states, “all my friends are”, as if the rest of the Indie-Folk community is, perhaps, selling out. His avant-garde style is also seen in the lack of a cohesive narrative, in the representation and mise-en-scene. For instance, why is the girl in a graveyard? And why does she go to the Riptide? And why is Vance Joy obsessed with a "Left Hand Man"? Vance Joy purposefully leaves it ambiguous to, again, convey how Indie-Folk songs, and perhaps the music industry in general, is contemporary.
