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 Julia Jacklin, Sparklehorse, Kennyhoopla, Vagabon, and more.
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Knocked Loose — “Deep In The Willow” & “Everything Is Quiet Now”
Knocked Loose continue to cultivate one of the craziest followings ever with their unhinged metal anthems with big, barking breakdowns. “Deep In The Willow” and “Everything Is Quiet Now” give their energetic fans more music to fling their bodies around to in pits. Both are brutally, inconceivably fast; they put everything they had into these rippers.
Sparklehorse — “Evening Star Supercharger”
In 2010, Mark Linkous tragically took his own life and left fans of his band Sparklehorse with an eviscerating, exquisite discography of emotional albums. It was just announced that a posthumous one is coming, called “Bird Machine.” The single “Evening Star Supercharger” captures their specifically beautifully agony: “Peace without pill, gun or needle or prayer appear / Never found sometimes near but too fleet to be clear,” he sings.
Clearbody — Bend In A Blur
Clearbody’s Bend In A Blur is fittingly titled like most shoegaze works often are; the music is hazy and moves with a mesmerizing elasticity, dreamy guitars blending with airy vocals and creating a whirlpool of hypnotic sound. To make it more immersive, the tracks bleed into each other seamlessly.
Vagabon — “Can I Talk My Sh*t”
Vagabon just announced her new album Sorry I Haven’t Called arriving this fall. “Can I Talk My Sh*t” is her glimmering new single that tracks her self-exploration: “Can I talk my sh*t? / I don’t think I’m escaping / I’m going to a place I know / Never saw myself getting so caught up,” she sings against an enchanting atmosphere.
Julia Jacklin — “Shivers”
Julia Jacklin’s Pre Pleasure was one of the most stunning records of last year. Now, the Australian singer/songwriter is back with a cover of Rowland S. Howard’s “Shivers” as a tribute to the late Tony Cohen. “It was one of the first songs I ever learnt to play,” she said, and that sense of familiarity and comfort shines through in this meditative rendition.
Girl Scout — “Boy In Blue”
Swedish group Girl Scout just announced their new EP Granny Music coming in September. “‘Boy in Blue’ embodies the feeling of being stuck in a relationship,” vocalist Emma Jansson said about their new song, and it’s an earworm with a memorable hook: “I’m just the ghost of you / I do whatever you want me to.”
Slaughter Beach, Dog — “Strange Weather”
Slaughter Beach, Dog’s new song “Strange Weather” is an upbeat, twangy ballad that encapsulates their visceral vulnerability: “Oh my word / How am I still unsure / I don’t wanna think about you anymore,” Jake Ewald lulls against lively acoustic guitar.
Strange Ranger — “Way Out”
“I wrote this one while going through my memories of being a teenager in Montana and then it got all biblical for some reason,” Strange Ranger’s Isaac Eiger said about the band’s new single “Way Out.” Sticking to their off-kilter, building sound, the song drifts purposefully, leading into a powerful mess of instrumentation at the end that does feel spiritual.
Thick — “Doomer”
Brooklyn punks Thick always have infectious melodies that meld perfectly with vivacious guitars and an exuberant rhythm. Their new anthem “Doomer” exemplifies this best: “I could kiss you hard right now / Close your eyes and open up your mouth / I could hold you close and tight / Make you feel alive,” they sing, before adding cleverly, “But I don’t want to.”
Kennyhoopla, Travis Barker — “Sabotage //”
Kennyhoopla didn’t hold back on his 2021 debut Survivors Guilt. With Travis Barker on the drums, he made explosive, unrelenting pop-punk anthems with a vibrant personality and sharp edge. His new track “Sabotage //” proves he’s still got it and he’s not gonna stop any time soon.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. .
