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 Slowdive, Ian Sweet, Sufjan Stevens, Turnstile, and more.
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Fiddlehead — “Fifteen To Infinity”
Death Is Nothing To Us, the third studio album by Fiddlehead, is only days away. Singles “Sullenboy” and “Sleepyhead” have teased an explosive, mosh-ready record, but this new track “Fifteen To Infinity” is more downtrodden and dynamic. With noisy guitars and a catchy melody, the song is Smiths-like in its fatalistic proclamation of love: “Well if I’m gonna die then I wanna die / With you right by my side,” Patrick Flynn sings.
Blonde Redhead — “Before”
Blonde Redhead is sharing their new album Sit Down for Dinner next month, and “Before” encapsulates their mesmeric brand of dream pop. Warm instrumentals create a sense of comfort that blend well with the lyrics laden with déjà vu: “Were you here before / I can say I have / Will I take someone like you?”
Petey — “Did I Mention I’m Sorry”
“Did I Mention I’m Sorry” by Petey is a volcanic explosion of indie rock that unexpectedly goes from lo-fi to anthemic while a stream-of-consciousness is expressed in earnest: “I missed your party must have / Forgot to tell you I was / Looking for parking I’ve been / All In my head about it,” he sings.
Turnstile — New Heart Designs
One cannot overstate the impact on Turnstile’s 2021 masterwork Glow On, a hardcore album with collaboration from Blood Orange and three Grammy nominations. New Heart Designs takes their experimentation to the next level by reimagining three tracks from that record — “Mystery,” “Underwater Boi,” and “Alien Love Call” — with Mall Grab.
Ian Sweet — “Your Spit”
The stakes are high as soon as Ian Sweet’s new song “Your Spit” kicks off: a car is hitting 105 mph and there’s a confession of love. “I know I stop mid-sentence / And pretend I forget / What I’m gonna say / It’s ’cause I’m afraid,” Jilian Medford admits in a vulnerable drawl. In typical Ian Sweet fashion, the track is a danceable and playful dose of indie rock, taken from her just-announced album Sucker arriving in November.
Slowdive — “The Slab”
Everything Is Alive, Slowdive’s first album since their 2017 self-titled classic, is out next month, and the singles have been transcendent. The newest, “The Slab,” is no exception, reverberating with vibrating synthesizers that build a soaring, hypnotic wall of sound. The vocals blend into the floating atmosphere and it makes for a sprawling shoegaze experience.
Sufjan Stevens — “So You Are Tired”
No big deal: Indie rock royalty Sufjan Stevens is back with the announcement of a new album called Javelin out in October. The lead single “So You Are Tired” captures the endearing nature of his beloved album Carrie & Lowell, twinkling as he lulls heart-wrenching lines: “So you are breathing disaster / I did what I was told / But I was a man born invisible.”
Land Of Talk — “Your Beautiful Self”
“It’s the weirdest, mightiest little record I’ve made since I used to write music on my four-track when I was 14,” Lizzie Powell said about Performances, the new Land Of Talk album arriving in October. “Your Beautiful Self” showcases the idiosyncrasy that they leaned into, the ballad unpredictable and haunting, previewing a bewitching sound.
Ratboys — “Morning Zoo”
Every single for The Window, the new album by Ratboys, has been unforgettably evocative. The latest single “Morning Zoo” exhibits their subtle intensity; “I look myself in the eye / I wake up every morning / I kill my thoughts with a knife / Then blow a kiss to the silence,” Julia Steiner sings against cosmic instrumentals.
Thanks For Coming — “Loop”
Thanks For Coming make casually agonizing songs, which can be predicted by the title of their forthcoming album: What is My Capacity to Love? “Loop” captures the dizzying whirlwind of romance and intimacy, building into a visceral nursery rhyme: “Stuck in a loop with you / It’s all I want to do / I’m stuck on you like glue.”
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. .
