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 by Arcade Fire, Sharon Van Etten, Tim Heidecker, Beach Bunny, and more.
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Arcade Fire — We
With their latest album We, Arcade Fire delivered a return to form by creating danceable music with a message. The succinct 10-track effort comments on the idea of impending doom while shifting between freeing, full-band ballads like “Apocalypse I, II” which call back to their early catalog, and shimmering, synth-forward tunes like the Peter Gabriel-featuring number “Unconditional II (Race And Religion).”
Sharon Van Etten — We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong
Sharon Van Etten didn’t release any singles ahead of her album We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong, but the monumental effort was worth the wait. Departing from her rocking 2019 album Remind Me Tomorrow, Van Etten’s latest effort is far less guitar-driven and revolves around themes of coexistence and care.
Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever — Endless Rooms
Following their 2018 album Hope Downs, Australian band Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever delivers the slow-burning project Endless Rooms, balancing euphoria and despair throughout 12 laid-back tracks. Featuring the band’s signature jaunty guitars and washed-out tones, Endless Rooms is the band’s first self-produced effort and, in their own words, is their version of an “anti-concept album.”
Warpaint — Radiate Like This
Nearly 12 years since Warpaint first debuted, the band return from their busy lives and side projects (which include producing an album for Courtney Barnett and playing with Kurt Vile) to share their fourth LP, Radiate Like This. Brimming with confidence, the dynamic release displays the band’s tangible chemistry, flowing effortlessly between swirling melodies and danceable tunes.
Sunflower Bean — Headful Of Sugar
NYC trio Sunflower Bean remain upbeat while navigating the torment and ecstasy of modernity on their third LP Headful Of Sugar. Filled with both cathartic ballads and cutting commentaries on society, the album is a response to realizing nothing in this life is promised. “Why not make what you want to make on your own terms?” vocalist Julia Cumming said about the album. “Why not make a record that makes you want to dance? Why not make a record that makes you want to scream?”
Beach Bunny — “Karaoke”
After winning over hearts with their earnest power-pop, Chicago-based group Beach Bunny previewed their upcoming sophomore album Emotional Creature with the catchy, sun-soaked single “Karaoke.” Actor Bob Odenkirk makes a cameo in the song’s video after meeting Beach Bunny in 2019 and calling them his “fav new Chicago band.”
Tim Heidecker — “Punch In The Gut”
Following his 2020 album Fear Of Death, comedian-turned-musician Tim Heidecker drops the twangy tune “Punch In The Gut” to herald his forthcoming album High School. Produced by Mac DeMarco, the song is a rollicking chronicle of youth. “This one started while thinking about how Warren Zevon might approach a high school parking lot, high noon style showdown,” Heidecker said about the track. “But as I worked it, I recalled an incident where a friend of mine was visiting my school and was falsely accused of stealing. He was Black and it felt like profiling to me. There’s a lot of him in the song ‘Buddy’ too.”
Charlie Hickey — “Gold Line”
Ahead of his debut album Nervous At Night, out via Phoebe Bridgers’ Saddest Factory record label, Charlie Hickey showcased his relatable songwriting with the shimmering ballad “Gold Line.” The single is a fitting start to Mental Health Awareness Month as it gives insight into how Hickey copes with OCD and anxiety. “This is a song about being overtaken by a feeling that you know is bigger than you,” Hickey said about the track. “It’s scary, but also really exciting and joyous.”
Hovvdy — “Hide”
Prolific duo Hovvdy are just on the heels of last year’s album True Love and already looking toward their next project. Releasing the compelling track “Hide” this week, Hovvdy share details for their upcoming EP Billboard For My Feelings, which is out later this month. Featuring relaxed chords and mellow vocals, “Hide” points to what is expected to be another laid-back and contemplative effort.
Florist — “Spring In Hours”
Four-piece band Florist are gearing up for their anticipated debut album Spring In Hours with a handful of singles, the latest being the project’s title track. It’s a gentle and tender love song that celebrates “cycles, seasons, growth, bugs, flowers, friendship, all the atoms in the universe, the chaos that created us, and the void which everything returns to,” according to vocalist Emily Sprague.
Porridge Radio — “End Of Last Year”
After quickly proving themselves ones to watch with their first two albums and a few recent propulsive singles, Porridge Radio take things in a softer direction with “End Of Last Year.” The glowing song is injected with real emotion born out of a painful period for the band. “‘End Of Last Year’ is a love song for my bandmates and for myself,” vocalist Dana Margolin said. “It’s about not trusting my intuition, not trusting my body to heal itself, not trusting the people closest to me, but it is also an ode to all those people, and to difficult platonic love.”
