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 Blur, Bully, The Japanese House, Origami Angel, and more.
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Liza Anne — “Cheerleader”
Liza Anne was known for infectiously morbid anthems with her melancholy hits “I Love You, But I Need Another Year” and “1,000 Years.” Since then, she’s leaned into positivity with her 2020 album Bad Vacation watching her decide to want better for herself when it comes to relationships and mental health. “Cheerleader” is her more jubilant material yet, and it’s invigorating to witness, especially with its relentless groove.
Horse Jumper Of Love — Heartbreak Rules
The opening to Horse Jumper Of Love’s new min-album Heartbreak Rules feels like a movie: “A tune drifts out the window / Released into the world / I’ll bring it to your house / Somehow I already lost you.” Dimitri Giannopoulos’s tired vocals often paint weird, visceral images, yet this one is singularly devastating. Loss is a major theme on this work, coming up in the following song, the title track: “Through the transfer / There’s always something lost forever,” he sings. It’s a beautiful addition to the band’s already sprawling discography.
Origami Angel — “My PG County Summer”
Origami Angel don’t hesitate to go for blood. Their bombastic new track “My PG County Summer” is proof of that right off the bat: “Welcome all the tourists, infiltrate the capital / Protesting abortion, tickets to the nationals / Come every July, American as apple pie / Ever since I was a kid, it kinda blew my mind.” Politics in pop punk is hard to come by, and Origami Angel certainly have the wit and riffs for it to work.
The Japanese House — “Sunshine Baby”
“Sunshine Baby” is the perfect title for The Japanese House’s glimmering, weightless new track. The band captures the fleeting nature of everything, and the way it’s both beautiful and painful: “Hold on to this feeling ’cause you won’t feel it for long / You won’t feel it for long,” Amber Mary Bain sings. Luckily, when it ends you can click repeat.
Blur — “The Narcissist”
Blur is back. The project fronted by Damon Albarn, who’s often busy with Gorillaz, just announced their new album The Ballad Of Darren, their first in eight years. “The Narcissist” is the first taste, a mid-tempo song with vivid lyricism: “I took the acid / Under the white horses / My heart it quickened / I could not tear myself away / Became addiction / If you see darkness look away.” It’s an intriguing return.
Bully — “Change Your Mind”
Bully’s new album Lucky For You is out next month and the singles keep getting better. “Change Your Mind” finds her in brighter territory after a string of grungy songs; it’s more pop-leaning with a memorable chorus: “If I, I can’t change your mind / Or be the one in time / At least I know I tried / It hurt but I’m alive / And I’d do it all again,” she shouts passionately.
Spanish Love Songs — “Haunted”
“’Haunted’ is a reintroduction of sorts for us,” Spanish Love Songs said of their new song. It comes from their new album No Joy, the follow-up to 2020’s Brave Faces Everyone. It immediately bursts with their signature pop-punk pathos: “You pulled off the road so you could cry / It’s too quiet in the suburbs,” and it only gets more emotional from there.
Who Is She? — “Thursday”
Who Is She? made headlines the other month for getting disinvited from the Seattle Kraken games after playing a Jeff Bezos-dissing track in an Amazon arena. With members of Tacocat, Chastity Belt, and Lisa Prank, the group makes breezy music, and “Thursday” is a laid-back track with great lyrics: “Why do I get so obsessed with / People I don’t even like?”
Mandy, Indiana — I’ve Seen A Way
Mandy, Indiana’s I’ve Seen A Way is a sensory experience. The opening track “Love Theme (4K VHS)” places the listener in a rainy, warped atmosphere, followed by the pulsating “Drag [Crashed],” which is at once unsettling and infectious. No matter what’s going on, the songs can be felt reverberating through your body.
Koyo — “You’re On The List (Minus One)”
Lots of anthemic emo and pop punk has erupted from Long Island, and Koyo are the newest torchbearers. “You’re On The List (Minus One)” exemplifies their sticky melodies and explosive instrumentation; the lyrics capture the angsty sound: “When your catastrophic dial tone / Meets the fear of being all alone / It’s stillness I choose / Restlessly reading the room.”
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. .
