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 Dehd, Mandy, Indiana, Porches, and more.
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Mandy, Indiana – “Idea Is Best”
The debut album from Mandy, Indiana, I’ve Seen A Way, was easily one of the best records that came out last year. Ahead of their appearance at Coachella this past weekend (and this upcoming weekend), they’ve dropped the one-off single, “Idea Is Best.” Like the Manchester quartet’s proper full-length, their latest single is an industrial, clubby banger.
Gift – “Wish Me Away”
After forming right before the pandemic took hold of the entire globe, the New York five-piece Gift hunkered down to craft what would become their debut album, Momentary Presence. The group’s 2022 album mixed post-punk, kosmische, psych-rock, and dream-pop, and they’re further honing that sound with “Wish Me Away,” their new single and first for Captured Tracks. As TJ Freda’s vocals glide over hazy guitars and driving drums, you can only hope that Gift is more than a momentary presence themselves.
Caribou – “Honey”
There hasn’t been a new Caribou album since 2020’s Suddenly. Although its architect Dan Snaith released the wonderfully fun Cherry under his Daphni moniker in 2022, Caribou has been out of commission for a while. The Canadian electronic musician, however, has resuscitated the Caribou name for the bass-heavy, dancefloor-bound “Honey.” It’s a reminder of what Snaith does best: concocting absolute bangers.
Bonny Light Horseman – “I Know You Know”
Since their self-titled 2020 debut, Bonny Light Horseman have quickly established themselves within the folk canon. Their first record displayed their interpretations of folk staples, and 2022’s Rolling Golden Holy saw the trio write a suite of original material that stood alongside the traditional classics they covered on its predecessor. Now, Anaïs Mitchell, Eric D. Johnson, and Josh Kaufman are on the cusp of their biggest statement yet: a double album. Keep Me On Your Mind/See You Free, their first for Jagjaguwar, captures a consistently great band at their zenith. On “I Know You Know,” Mitchell’s, Johnson’s, and Kaufman’s disparate voices coalesce into one. Like the best Bonny Light Horseman songs, their latest exudes the comfort of long-lasting companionship.
Porches – “Rag”
“Rag” starts off the way many Porches songs do: Aaron Maine’s distinct vocals, a thumping drum beat, melodic electric guitars. But then the chorus comes, and it becomes something else entirely. Maine channels rambunctious ‘90s alt-rock, waves of distortion and boisterous cymbal crashes overtaking the mix in the vein of the Pixies’ tried-and-true, quiet-loud formula. The end result is a fun new direction for the prolific indie-pop musician.
Dehd – “Alien”
Dehd are often at their best when Emily Kempf’s and Jason Balla’s voices interlock. On the chorus of “Alien,” their latest single, Kempf and Balla each sing their respective lines, the rhythms of each rising above or below the other. Even with Balla’s mellow guitars, Kempf’s gentle basslines, and Eric McGrady’s hushed drumming, the dual vocals in the refrain lend it a sense of urgency. It’s a pleasing contrast and a harmonious union all at once.
I. Jordan – “Round N Round”
I. Jordan has been in the UK dance scene for a full decade now, and while they’ve released EPs and singles at a consistent rate, they’re only just now about to share their quasi-eponymous, full-length debut. I Am Jordan is a distillation of Jordan’s signature styles and motifs: skeleton-rattling low-ends, pulsating house drums, and kinetic footwork BPMs. Their latest track, “Round N Round,” showcases the multidimensionality of Jordan’s artistry, how they’re capable of lighting up the dancefloor just as much as inducing thoughtful introspection.
Still House Plants – If I Don’t Make It, I Love U
On a Still House Plants song, everything is subject to change. The UK trio, with its shrewd blend of post-rock, slowcore, and noise rock, creates works that are never fully set in stone. Anything is liable to occur at any given moment, whether it’s the waves of guitars overtaking Jess Hickie-Kallenbach’s crooning vocals on “M M M” or David Kennedy’s light, subtle shifts in drum patterns over the course of “No Sleep Deep Risk.” And it’s that precise unpredictability that makes their new album, If I Don’t Make It, I Love U, so enthralling. It’s an exercise in musical malleability, demonstrating how even the slightest of changes can have seismic effects.
Sour Widows – “Cherish”
“Will you love me through this,” Maia Sinaiko and Susanna Thomson sing in “Cherish,” the lead single of Sour Widows’ forthcoming debut album. Rounded out by drummer Max Edelman, the Bay Area indie rock trio follows up on their 2021 EP with Revival Of A Friend, out in late June. The nearly six-minute “Cherish” underlines the importance of supporting your loved ones even at their lowest moments. As Sinaiko’s and Thomson’s vocals intertwine, that sense of unconditional love becomes tangible.
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross / Boys Noize – Challengers (Mixed)
Alexander Ridha, the electronic producer who goes by Boys Noize, was tapped by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross themselves to remix their score for Luca Guadagnino’s new film, Challengers. Featuring nine remixed tracks from the original score, Boys Noize filters Reznor’s and Ross’ celestial strain of electronic composition through his own techno-centric milieu on the aptly titled Challengers (Mixed).
