The anthem of our generation.
We miss the '90s.
Not because it was better. But because it was real. There was something about those years between love letters and mixtapes. People put in an effort. It meant something. First crushes and last chances. IRL.
You hung out at the park drinking sparkling wine for 0.89€ from the bottle, hoping your crush might show. You went to your mate’s house party and ended up kissing someone on the staircase with Nirvana blasting in the background. You had conversations at gigs in youth clubs that smelled like crisps, smoke, and teenage dreams.
There was no pressure. No pre-loading your personality into a profile.
You just showed up. And maybe something happened. And if it didn’t? Still a good night. Time well spent.
Then came the scroll.
Fast-forward a couple of decades (ouch).
Now dating means apps. Swiping. Infinite choice that somehow feels like absolutely none.
You match. You chat. You lose interest.
You delete the app.
Then someone mentions their friend met their now-husband on Bumble, and suddenly there you are again, typing out “what’s your ideal Sunday?” like it hasn’t already bored the soul out of you.
“I tried dating again but online dating apps suck. They fucking suck." Ben Kidson’s Back on the Apps. Not a song. A thesis.
It sounds like your mate after a bottle of wine and three ghostings.
It’s got the energy of The Streets, but post-breakdown.
It’s the musical version of deleting Hinge on a Monday and redownloading it on a Sunday “just to see.”
It is, officially, the anthem of our generation.
The dating generation.
The chronically hopeful, mildly delusional, emotionally fatigued generation.
"I might go on a few dates, but it’s always in vain. I realise this is so unhealthy and delete them again." Yes. Been there. Probably last week.
New Era, Same Game
Here’s the thing: We are not anti-app. Everyone knows people who met their partner there. Some are married. Some even divorced. Circle of life.
But our generation is also tired. Tired of screens. Tired of small talk. Tired of dating feeling like admin.
And don’t get us started on the scammers. There was a time when “not looking like your pics” was the worst of it. These days, it’s gone next level. Weird job titles. Broken English. Some guy who works “offshore in oil logistics” asking for your WhatsApp before you’ve even said hi properly. Feels less like flirting, more like the start of a Netflix scam docuseries.
Time Well Spent
All of this isn’t about being cynical.
It’s about value.
It’s about your energy, your headspace, your time and whether you’re spending it well.
SAY HI was born out of that.
It’s not about meeting the love of your life.
It’s about meeting people in the real world. In moments that don’t drain you. In ways that don’t make you feel like a product in a shop window.
At a bar. On a walk. At your usual coffee place.
Wherever you already are. No filters. No bios. Just a face, a vibe, a smell, a moment.
Because yeah, dating in the ‘90s might’ve been messy and slow and full of awkward silences.
But it wasn’t soul-sucking. It was time well spent.
And that’s the shift.
We’re not just swiped out.
We’re ready for something real even if it’s just a good chat in the queue.
So look up.
And if someone catches your eye, don’t overthink it.
Just SAY HI.
