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 Anxious, Miya Folick, Anna B Savage, and more.
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Dazy – I GET LOST (when i try to get found)
James Goodson packs arena-worthy hooks into bite-sized packages. The indie rocker (and music publicist) has a staggering knack for writing indelible choruses that draw from Dookie and Parklife with the compact, lived-in ambiance of a DIY-lifer. I GET LOST (when i try to get found), Goodson’s second 2024 EP under the Dazy moniker, is another romp through power-pop, pop-punk, and Virginian Britpop that further cements Goodson’s panache for channeling the towering scope of chart-topping ’90s alt-rock into the underground.
Advance Base – Horrible Occurrences
On the first original Advance Base album in six years, Owen Ashworth returns with a novelistic collection of character studies. Horrible Occurrences, conceptually, takes place in a fictitious town named Richmond; across its 11 songs, Ashworth dives into the psyches of the town’s denizens. All of them have their own grievances and triumphs, such as the teenage shoplifter who gets away with their theft (“How You Got Your Picture Off The Wall”) or the child who’s afraid to be left alone at home while there’s a serial killer on the loose (“The Tooth Fairy”). Ultimately, Horrible Occurrences is rife with tragedy, but Ashworth lends humanity to every awful situation its characters find themselves in, whether it’s through his incisive lyrics or lo-fi electronic backdrops. Either way, it’s the sign of a gifted storyteller.
Anxious – “Head & Spine”
The Connecticut emo quintet Anxious are back with another preview of Bambi, their sophomore album out in February. “Head & Spine,” as vocalist Grady Allen explains, mines the earnest pop-punk of Blink-182’s self-titled/untitled LP and the epic alt-rock of Smashing Pumpkins. Despite its seemingly fragmented influences, “Head & Spine” is as consistent and excellent as any Anxious song. They synthesize these disparate reference points into a cohesive, hooky whole.
Venturing – “Famous Girl”
Jane Remover is one of the most exciting artists of the decade so far. Her debut album, 2021’s Frailty, was an instant classic that melded breakcore, emo, and hyperpop. It was a breakthrough record that rightfully put her in the limelight. Now, Jane has another project called Venturing, a fictitious indie rock band that was active from 1990 to 2002; they disbanded a year before Jane was born, funnily enough. She’s releasing Ghostholding, the first full-length under the Venturing name, this February. The single that comes with its announcement, “Famous Girl,” taps into Jane’s post-rock proclivities. Jagged guitars, spacious synth pads, and driving drums propel the track from one section to the next, flaunting both Jane’s artistic versatility and her laser-sharp focus.
Lauren Mayberry – Vicious Creature
CHVRCHES frontwoman Lauren Mayberry has arrived with her debut solo album. It trades in her main band’s typical indie-pop for nu-disco on “Change Shapes,” synth-punk on “Sorry, Etc,” and pared-down balladry on “Oh, Mother.” Vicious Creature largely concerns itself with societally approved notions of womanhood, and the Scottish artist breaks down those structural barriers through a deeply introspective, autobiographical lens.
Fennesz – Mosaic
Christian Fennesz is one of the great masters of eliciting novel sounds from traditional instruments. The Austrian musician uses the guitar in unconventional ways; he conjures spacious atmospheres and sustained drones to the point where his guitar no longer resembles its original self. Mosaic, the latest Fennesz album, is a wandering trek that never feels aimless. For these new compositions, he abided by a typical 9-5 workday and reconstructed his performances to create collages of sound. It’s what gives the album its fitting title. Like a mosaic itself, Fennesz’s intricate instrumentals contain the smallest of details, but when you take a step back, you realize it’s all interconnected, working in tandem.
Anna B Savage – “Lighthouse”
Irish singer-songwriter Anna B Savage is slated to release one of 2025’s early standout records with You & i are Earth, which comes out next month. The latest preview she’s given us is “Lighthouse,” which Savage says in press materials is a “love song about how [she] presumed [she] would end up alone,” but she found someone who made her feel safe and loved. With its gentle acoustic guitar, ambling bassline, and Savage’s hypnotic voice, it perfectly conveys that feeling of being treasured.
Bonnie “Prince” Billy – “London May”
London May used to play drums in the punk band Samhain, which also featured Glenn Danzig of the Misfits; more recently, May was the lead in the 2022 horror movie Night Of The Bastard. Will Oldham, who records under the alias Bonnie “Prince” Billy, is a massive Samhain fan, and he originally wrote his titular song about May for the film. Instead, he’s including it on his next record, The Purple Bird. It’s a stirring alt-country tune with Brit Taylor’s sumptuous backing harmonies and melodic piano riffs. For a track named after a punk musician, “London May” is decidedly tender.
Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory – “Southern Life (What It Must Be Like)”
Typically, indie rocker Sharon Van Etten’s songwriting process is fairly insular. She releases records under her own name, and she writes her music by herself. For her next album, however, she’s working with her band the Attachment Theory and taking a more collaborative, egalitarian approach. Their self-titled album, scheduled for release on Feb. 7, features players such as drummer Jorge Balbi, bassist Devra Hoff, and guitarist-pianist Teeny Lieberson. On their latest single, “Southern Life (What It Must Be Like),” Etten’s voice effuses the spirit of tight-knit camaraderie, the instrumentals having come from an extemporaneous jam session. This may be billed as a debut LP, but from the communal tone of “Southern Life” alone, this is the sound of a band that’s as locked in as ever.
Miya Folick – “Erotica”
Miya Folick’s previous records reckoned with the insecurities about her body and romantic life. For her forthcoming third album, Erotica Veronica, the Los Angeles singer-songwriter strikes back with unabashed confidence. Its opening quasi-title track, garnished with glossy, gossamer synth arpeggios that slowly yield to strident percussion and acoustic guitars, mirrors her newfound sexual assurance. She explores the dimensions of being queer in a heterosexual relationship, and the heteronormative hegemony that prevents important self-realizations in the first place. “I just wanna flirt with a girl in broad daylight on the street,” she declares in the chorus, her voice quiet but certain. Adorned with sweet melodies and sultry sentiments, “Erotica” radiates with the comforting knowledge of having figured it all out.
