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 Fabiana Palladino, The Drums, Babehoven, and more.
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Fabiana Palladino – Fabiana Palladino
Virtuosic session bassist Pino Palladino is known for his versatility, adapting his playing style to that of the main artist’s, whether that’s D’Angelo, Blake Mills, or John Mayer. His daughter, Fabiana, does something similar, except she has carved out her own style at the nexus of indie-pop and ’80s soul, adjusting her elastic voice to suit her own vision rather than someone else’s. Her eponymous debut album, co-produced with the ever-elusive synth-pop mastermind Jai Paul, is a tour de force from a talented new voice in pop music.
Pedro The Lion – “Modesto”
David Bazan is tackling the apocryphal “states” project Sufjan Stevens long ago abandoned. With Bazan, though, his approach is more granular and autobiographical. With 2019’s Phoenix and 2022’s Havasu under his belt, Bazan is now headed to Santa Cruz for the next Pedro The Lion album. Its lead single, “Modesto,” rolls by at a leisurely pace before waves of arpeggiated synthesizers overtake it. It’s yet another stunner from the indie rock dignitary.
Sarah Grace White – “Sinkhole”
Los Angeles’ Sarah Grace White has spent her whole life singing, but only now has she started putting out her own music. Following her debut EP last year, White has teamed up once again with producer Jorge Balbi, who drums for indie legend Sharon Van Etten, for “Sinkhole.” It’s a gentle, brooding tune rooted in the melancholia of artists like The Weather Station and Angel Olsen. Even though she grew up writing songs in solitude, it’s a gift that she now shares with the rest of the world.
The Drums – “The Impossible”
Last year, Jonny Pierce, who makes jaunty surf-rock as The Drums, released Jonny, a diaristic record centered on his intense religious upbringing and how it has affected him in adulthood. The deluxe edition of that record was just released, and it includes five new songs. “The Impossible,” one of those five, contains everything you know and love about The Drums: single-string guitar hooks, energetic drums, and Pierce’s breezy vocals, all of which belie the darkness at the core.
Brijean – “Workin’ On It”
In 2019, Brijean emerged with their debut album, Walkie Talkie, and have maintained a prolific streak ever since. The Oakland psych-pop duo, made up of Brijean Murphy and Doug Stuart, are about to release their fourth album in five years. Macro doesn’t come out until July, but Brijean have shared “Workin’ On It” to tide fans over. It’s a delectably groovy, funky pop song with loads of auxiliary percussion, wah-wah, and slick bass playing.
Eric Slick – “New Age Rage”
Kicking off with a batch of swift, dexterous drums, the title track of Eric Slick’s forthcoming album, New Age Rage, doesn’t waste time. It’s a frilly dalliance into dance-rock maximalism, overloading your senses with the Taco Bell gong, the AOL Instant Messenger door slam, Daft Punky vocoders, and synth squiggles that wouldn’t sound out of place in Waluigi Pinball from Mario Kart DS. Slick gets his point across perfectly: This is the new age, and it’s time to rage.
Les Savy Fav – “Limo Scene”
Les Savy Fav are about to return with their first new album in over a decade, OUI, LSF. The New York post-punkers have supplied us with another new single from it, “Limo Scene.” Interspersed with metallic guitar stabs and a sprightly bass line, Les Savy Fav’s latest is a dance-punk jam for the ages.
Cloud Nothings – “Silence”
Before the imminent release of Cloud Nothings’ new album, Final Summer, they’ve shared one more taste of what’s to come. “Silence,” the group’s Dylan Baldi says, is about feeling powerless in the face of systematic, political strife. Namely, Baldi wrote the song after reading Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s majority opinion that overturned Roe v. Wade. “It’s wild that you can be a Supreme Court Justice and also be an idiot,” Baldi said about the track. That indignation comes through in the chorus: “With silence playing like a song that everyone knows / Right before the lie gets bigger and the lie moves into your home.”
Babehoven – “Ella’s From Somewhere Else”
Water’s Here In You, the latest album from indie-folk-meets-slowcore duo Babehoven, is just a few weeks away from release. The closing track, the six-minute “Ella’s From Somewhere Else,” is an homage to Squirrel Flower’s Ella O’Conner. In a press statement, vocalist Maya Bon says that she “began thinking of all the places Ella takes me in her songs.” Ella is also the name of Bon’s childhood dog, so the song slowly transformed into a dual tribute to both of the Ellas. And a beautiful tribute it is. It’s without a doubt one of Babehoven’s best songs.
Young Jesus – “Moonlight”
John Rossiter, the figurehead behind Young Jesus, has been rolling out his upcoming album, The Fool, with pairs of songs. One of those new singles is “Moonlight,” a track that Rossiter says is about two characters, David and Eloise, whom he created roughly 15 years ago and soon forgot about. For “Moonlight,” they make a grand return. “Eloise walks to take a picture of the lake at night,” he sings in the first verse, outlining a narrative about David’s voyeuristic inclinations on Eloise’s Instagram.
