Indie music has grown to include so much. It’s not just music that is released on independent labels, but speaks to an aesthetic that deviates from the norm and follows its own weirdo heart. It can come in the form of rock music, pop, or folk. In a sense, it says as much about the people that are drawn to it as it does about the people that make it.
Every week, Uproxx is rounding up the best new indie music from the past seven days. This week we got the highly-anticipated sophomore solo album from Phoebe Bridgers, a bouncing new track from Khruangbin, and new albums from Neil Young and Bob Dylan. Check out the rest of the best new indie music below.
Phoebe Bridgers — Punisher
Phoebe Bridgers has become something of a ubiquitous name in the indie scene since the release of her debut album Stranger In The Alps. On her sophomore solo album, Bridgers is more confident than ever, and the album’s thirteen tracks are packed to the gills with infectious choruses and devastatingly personal lyrics. On Punisher, Bridgers delivers her masterwork, proving once again that she is one of the best songwriters out there right now.
Neil Young — Homegrown
The latest in a string of “lost” albums, Neil Young has shared Homegrown, a time capsule from the mid-1970s. It captures the rocker in what Steven Hyden calls for Uproxx Young’s “ditch” period, where he was making records full of “lurching tempos that teeter on the brink of chemical-addled collapse, pedal-steel and harmonica licks that sigh like cries of despair after the bar closes, a vibe of utter spiritual and emotional exhaustion that somehow conveys deep melancholic beauty (rather just plain old apathy or cynicism), and an effortless mix of rowdy country and surly hard rock that pretty much every middle-American band has tried to rip off for more than 40 years.”
Bob Dylan — Rough And Rowdy Ways
Another legend returned with new music this week, as Nobel Prize winner Bob Dylan released a collection of new songs examining the JFK assassination, The Rolling Stones, and more. There’s a sense of effortlessness that pervades the LP, and “Rough And Rowdy Ways is the work of a man who has achieved everything an artist could possibly set out to do, and now feels empowered to be even more idiosyncratic and perverse,” writes Steven Hyden for Uproxx.
Owen — The Avalanche
The solo project of American Football’s Mike Kinsella, Owen’s output takes on a more sparse, lush orchestral approach than American Football’s emo twinkle. The Avalanche is a deeply personal and direct reflection on Kinsella’s relationships and the process of getting older.
Amnesia Scanner — Tearless
By combining elements of house/club music with notable hardcore and metal artists, this Finnish duo accomplish something truly unique and impressive with Tearless. It’s loud, brash, and unexpected, but manages to work in a way that few artists are able to pull off.
Khruangbin — “Pelota”
Ahead of their third record, Mordechai, Khruangbin have been rolling out a series of eccentric singles, and “Pelota” is another impressive entry in the rollout. It showcases a medley of international influences through the “rhythm-forward production and bassist Laura Lee Ochoa trying her hand at vocals, something that wasn’t seen on much of the band’s former projects,” according to Carolyn Droke for Uproxx.
The Beths — “Out Of Sight”
With their sophomore album Jump Rope Gazers just a few weeks out, The Beths have shared another rocking new track to build anticipation. The track is an exercise in vulnerability for the Kiwi group. “We are trying to listen more deeply and be more open ended, it was confronting to do and sometimes even frustrating,” said vocalist Elizabeth Stokes in a statement.
Idles — “Grounds”
With the announcement of a new Idles album came a brand new single. “Grounds” is “a song that embodied self-belief, and gave us self-belief — a counter-punch to all the doubt we build up from all the noise we so easily let in,” according to frontperson Joe Talbot. Sonically, the track chugs and builds in tension, embracing a darker side of the band than the album’s lead single “Mr. Motivator.”
Nana Adjoa — “Throw Stones”
As a multi-instrumentalist, producer, and singer, Nana Adjoa has her work cut out for her on her forthcoming debut album. “Throw Stones” proves that she is up to the task, however. It’s a song about “calming myself down in difficult times,” Adjoa wrote in a statement. “To feel, regroup, and reflect. If you need that right now, to feel it to embrace it and slowly heal, you can listen to this song and count to 10.” It’s a lesson we could all use right about now.
Neck Deep — “Fall”
Pop-punk stalwarts Neck Deep are back next month with their new album, All Distortions Are Intentional. Now, they’ve shared another taste of the album, a love song to skateboarding and the community culture that builds around the sport. Any of us who have enjoyed Jackass can understand.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. .
