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Drain

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Drain (also known as Drainer - a term referring to people who listen to Drain Gang[1][2]) is an aesthetic/subculture that is heavily inspired by the Drain Gang music collective.

The group collective consists of Bladee, Thaiboy Digital, Ecco2K, Whitearmor and Yung Sherman — you can find drain aesthetic images tagged with the member's names. Not only music, they were also the trailblazers in visual sense, fashion and lifestyle. Bladee and Ecco2K, are also visual artists, making most of the group's album covers. In addition, they collaborate with Yung Lean and Sad Boys Entertainment, producing songs together and creating merch designs. The group's music videos are often low-budget, edited and filmed unconventionally and use low resolutions, flashing colors and lights, abrupt cuts as well as custom clip art overlayed with the video.

Drainers gained popularity through the internet, coming off of a wave of post ironic fashion and music enjoyment. The subculture is said to have started on the 4chan boards /fa/ and /mu/ as well as Reddit, back then the subculture was ironic/a meme and probably just a part of Sad Boy culture.

Trends[]

There are some trends that are emphasized by the Drainer subculture:

@monclerkvinna
  • 2000s styled edits inspired by Emo, Scene, Mallgoth, and Y2K.
  • Chains and skeleton gloves along with rhinestone clothing and baseball caps
  • Oakleys
  • Interest in cloud rap/tread artists and groups such as Drain Gang, Sad Boys, Goth Money, Working on Dying, and Reptilian Club Boyz
  • Asymmetrical earrings
  • Long bangs that cover the eyes (for boys and/or masculine people), and Ramona Flowers-inspired bangs (for girls and/or feminine people)
  • Androgynous fashion
  • Drain Gang merch and/or thrifted clothing
  • Using Reddit for r/sadboys
  • Bling belts
  • Layered fashion
  • True Religion jeans
  • Camouflage
  • Ed Hardy
  • Prada
  • Jessie Pinkman-inspired clothes

Music[]

Musically, Drain Gang has been influential in the genres of trap and sad rap, being early collaborators of the collectives Working On Dying and Goth Money Records. Here's a list of affiliated artists:

Artists[]

  • Ecco2K
  • Yung Lean
  • Bladee
  • Thaiboy Digital
  • Mechatok
  • Whitearmor
  • VilloVilduVeta
  • Gud
  • Yung Sherman
  • Ripsquad
  • Black Kray
  • Working on Dying
  • Cartier God

Fashion[]

The basis for Drain fashion is inspired by the 90s, especially black fashion and hip-hop. Baggy jeans are a huge focus, as well as hoodies/jackets. It has elements of Y2K, 90s Hip-Hop, streetwear, brown and earthy tones in fashion. Around 2023, Drain Gang would begin experimenting with more androgynous/feminine clothing and aesthetics. Many fit pics of Bladee would be edited to be more distorted or heavenly before posting.

Visuals[]

Album covers are typified by the heavily distorted collage drawings. Commonly, these experimental, maximalist artworks consist of chroma, cyber overlays, chrome effects, black metal fonts, sparkles, lens flare, and clip art. Their music videos are often low-budget, edited and filmed unconventionally and often using low resolutions, flashing lights/colors, abrupt cuts, as well as custom clip art overlayed with the video, thereby giving off a more amateur-ish and unfamiliar vibe from other artists.

Draincore[]

Content Warning: The following visuals contain bright colors and lights. This may not be suitable for people with epilepsy and photosensitive sensitivities. Viewer discretion is advised. This doesn't actually have anything to do with Drain Gang's aesthetics.

Note: Not all of these visual creators listen to or enjoy the Drain Gang music.

The original Drain aesthetic is much more similar to 90s hip-hop and real grunge fashion while the visual art made by the fans is heavily feminine, sparkly, and kawaii.

This fan-made drain aesthetic, called Draincore, is best known for its Y2K Futurism-inspired themes. Draincore can be applied to or taking influences from many other aesthetics, including anime, Sanrio, glitch, weirdcore, and many more. It is anything with obscure lights, noisy and trashy visuals[3].

Subgenres[]

Cyber Fairy[]

Cyber Fairy is a specific aesthetic depicting fairies, pixies, and flowers and is a counterpart to Drain. You can also find related images with the keywords "Cyber Y2K" or "Drain Fairy". This sub-aesthetic is similar to Pixiecore, Fairycore, Cottagecore and Cyberdelic.

Cybergoth / Cybergrunge[]

Cybergoth or Cyber Grunge is a blend of anime and Sanrio-styled edits with drain elements.
(Not to be confused with the Cybergoth subculture and its dark fashion. Possibly happens due to mislabelling.)


Resources[]

External links to learn more about the aesthetic:

YouTube[]

Introduction to the Drain Gang, their influence, and the aesthetic.

Playlists[]

Pinterest Boards[]

References[]

  1. ↑ Drainer meaning | Urban Dictionary
  2. ↑ Inside the Cathartic Bliss of Drain Gang, Gen Z’s Emo Torchbearers | Rolling Stone
  3. ↑ How would you guys describe the drain aesthetic | Reddit, r/sadboys
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