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 new music from Mannequin Pussy, Mdou Moctar, Hovvdy, and more.
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Faye Webster – Underdressed At The Symphony
In recent interviews, Atlanta songwriter Faye Webster hasn’t made light of how uncomfortable she is as the center of attention. The past couple of years have witnessed a spike in her popularity, as several of her tunes have gone viral on TikTok. For her first album since 2021’s immaculate I Know I’m Funny Haha, Webster revels in solitude whenever she’s granted it. Underdressed At The Symphony is named after her recent pastime of catching the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra on a whim. She stood out in her casual clothes, but she also relished the anonymity of the crowd. Underdressed At The Symphony encapsulates the duality of visibility and invisibility. Webster may be more interested in her own branded yo-yo at this point, but her music remains just as delightful as ever.
Hovvdy – “Meant”
Next month, the Texas songwriting duo Hovvdy, composed of Charlie Martin and Will Taylor, will release their staggering, self-titled double album. The latest preview, “Meant,” is a “reflection on how the most impactful love one can offer is consistency,” as Taylor explains in a press release. Consistency also happens to be one of Hovvdy’s core artistic strengths. They have yet to release a bad piece of music, and “Meant” is easily one of their best songs yet. Its heartfelt meditations on love and loyalty are simple yet no less touching.
Mdou Moctar – “Funeral For Justice”
In 2021, Mdou Moctar released Afrique Victime, a dizzying record filled with guitar solos as incandescent as fireworks in a night sky. Moctar, along with his three fellow bandmates, bassist and producer Mikey Coltun, drummer Souleymane Ibrahim, and rhythm guitarist Ahmoudou Madassane, has returned. On May 3, the Nigerien band will release Funeral For Justice, and its lead single and title track is just as fiery as you’d expect. Moctar is unequivocally one of our greatest modern rock stars, and “Funeral For Justice,” with its kinetic, blazing guitars and start-stop tempo, is enough evidence on its own.
Mo Troper – “The Billy Joel Fan Club”
Mo Troper simply cannot be stopped. The Portland, Oregon power-pop artist has been on a roll. From 2022’s joyfully noisy MTV to last year’s Jon Brion covers album, Troper Sings Brion, Troper is among the most prolific indie rockers as of late. On the cusp of his next full-length, Svengali, he has shared its lead single, “The Billy Joel Fan Club.” As Troper puts it in a press release, the new tune is about “falling in love with someone who shares your specific interests and nurtures your enthusiasm.” Although “The Billy Joel Fan Club” is just over a minute long, Troper’s enthusiasm is as undeniable as it is infectious.
Perennial – Lemon On Plastic
Four songs in four minutes is an intriguing premise for an EP. That’s exactly what art-punks Perennial have given us with Lemon On Plastic, an EP they released last Tuesday with no prior announcement. Even within such a short timeframe, Perennial showcase their varied musical approach; opener “Art History” is a blast of post-punk adrenaline, and “Impressionism,” which directly follows it, is an ambient instrumental piece, only for matters to shift again on “Minimalism,” a song built on guitar stabs and electronic drums. It’s impressive that a band can showcase their varying sonic tendencies in only four minutes. On their new EP, Perennial demonstrates that brevity is one of their strong suits.
Bnny – “Crazy, Baby”
Love is among the most trite yet profound subjects of art. Everyone experiences it in one form or another, and some of its effects can be universal or entirely individual. “Crazy, Baby,” the new single from Chicago indie-rock quintet Bnny, navigates these conflicting feelings with a newlywed’s optimism and a recent divorcee’s dejection. “A million love songs of our past / Write one quick ’cause nothing lasts,” sings frontwoman Jessica Viscius in the first verse. In just a single couplet, she recognizes the fleeting nature of love and the necessity of finding it while you’re able. Many love songs can unwittingly descend into bathos, but Viscius is too perceptive of her subject’s intricacies to get tangled up in them.
Cloud Nothings – “Running Through The Campus”
Whenever there’s a new Cloud Nothings record, you can rest assured that it will be great. Whether it’s the 2012 masterpiece Attack On Memory or 2021’s concise, blazing The Shadow I Remember, the Cleveland indie rockers bring it every single time. Such is the case with Final Summer, their new album due April 19. Its new single, “Running Through The Campus,” is a song about running through the campus. Frontman Dylan Baldi sings about his nocturnal jogs around a college campus and the introspection that results from it: “I pass the hall / A mile long / And in the room / A ghost I knew,” he delivers in his signature rasp.
Ariella – “Blindsided”
“I’ve got nothing to lose,” Ariella sings during the first few moments of her debut single, “Blindsided.” The Los Angeles-raised indie-folk artist may have only one single under her belt, but her vision is already fully realized. Featuring tremolo-inflected guitar, gentle banjo strums, and her soothing vocals, “Blindsided” is a wondrous display of Ariella’s songwriting prowess. Containing elements like Florist’s tenderness, Lomelda’s melodicism, and Babehoven’s sincerity, Ariella leaves you blindsided with her knack for quiet beauty.
Blushing – “Tamagotchi”
Yo La Tengo, The Innocence Mission, and Low are all great bands made of wife-and-husband couples. The Austin dream-pop band Blushing, though, is made up of two married couples: vocalist-guitarist Michelle Soto and drummer Jacob Soto and bassist Christina Carmona and guitarist Noe Carmona. Together, they make swirling shoegaze music that pays homage to the subgenre’s greats. In fact, they’ve recruited Ride’s Mark Gardener and Ringo Deathstarr’s Elliott Frazier to engineer, mix, and master their forthcoming album, Sugarcoat, which is out in early May. Its lead single, “Tamagotchi,” is an enveloping exercise in rich guitar tones, as a lot of excellent shoegaze music often is.
Mannequin Pussy – I Got Heaven
Mannequin Pussy caught the world by storm with their 2019 LP, Patience. Sugary hooks, crunchy riffs, and frontwoman Marisa Dabice’s incisive lyrics have always been a staple of the Philly punks. I Got Heaven, featuring production from in-demand indie guy John Congleton, is their best work yet. Their fourth album is a mix of the different modes this band has become known for: sneering screeds, torching ballads, and wistful indie rock.
