All The Best New Indie Music From This Week

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 very best of the indie releases from the past seven days. This week gave us the excellent new album from Alex Cameron, the highly-anticipated and magical Long Beard LP, and another track from Angel Olsen’s first new album in three years.

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(Sandy) Alex G — House Of Sugar

While (Sandy) Alex G cut his teeth with DIY home recordings, his recent efforts have seen the prolific singer-songwriter moving in a more psychedelic and experimental direction. On his ninth (!!) full-length, House Of Sugar features some of the Frank Ocean collaborator’s most out-there work to date, with enough pitch-shifted vocals throughout to please a choir.

Alex Cameron — Miami Memory

On Alex Cameron’s latest LP, the Australian songwriter once again mines for stories from both his life and the life of his persona. Throughout Miami Memory, Cameron blurs the lines between fact and fiction, proving that “you didn’t have to know who Alex Cameron actually is to appreciate the wildly smart and entertaining art he was creating. It’s a lyrical miracle,” according to Philip Cosores for Uproxx.

Jenny Hval — The Practice of Love

Summer is slowly fading into fall, which means it’s almost time to break out the sweaters again (my personal favorite time of year). Luckily, Jenny Hval’s latest is here to soundtrack those moments walking through the falling leaves to your nearest corn maze or cider mill. The Practice Of Love is a short but stunning release, with electronic beats and reverberant synth lines that drive each track home into a true vibe.

Long Beard — Means To Me

“Long Beard’s music moves with the magic of dreams,” writes Caitlin White for Uproxx. Within the first few seconds of Means To Me, the opening track “Countless” proves this statement to be overwhelmingly correct. It’s been four years since Leslie Bear released her debut LP Sleepwalker under the name Long Beard, and Means To Me very quickly proves that it was well worth the wait.

Twin Peaks — Lookout Low

In the near-decade since their inception, Twin Peaks’ relentless tour schedule and consistent release of new music has cemented them as one of the essential Chicago indie bands of the 2010s. The group’s latest is a showcase of their growth as a collective, with intermingled noodling guitars reminiscent of the Allman Brothers (see: “Casey’s Groove”) and fun classic-rock inspired vocal melodies.

Angel Olsen — “Lark”

Three years since the release of My Woman, Angel Olsen planned to share two versions of new album All Mirrors: a solo version and a more fleshed out, heavier version. She instead decided to distill the project into one release: fleshed out. “Lark” is the second sampling of the new record, and it’s a “cathartic cool-down,” according to Derrick Rossignol for Uproxx. Count me excited for the full LP.

Turnover — “Much After Feeling”

Turnover’s breakthrough 2015 album Peripheral Vision saw the band moving in the direction of laid-back shoegaze, and their new record Altogether doesn’t necessarily reinvent the wheel, but sees a welcome evolution in the sound. “Much After Feeling” eludes a late-night technicolor dance vibe, an exciting step for the Virginia trio.

Foxes In Fiction — “Antibody”

It’s been half a decade since the last full-length Foxes In Fiction release, and “Antibody” is a beautiful new addition to the band’s catalogue. The first preview of the band’s new album Trillium Killer, “Antibody” offers up reverb-soaked vocals that float atop a light drum pattern and finger-picked guitar. Trillium Killer is out October 25 and I’ll be anxiously awaiting its release.

Cold War Kids — “Waiting For Your Love”

Cold War Kids are releasing a trilogy of albums. Lead single “Waiting For Your Love” is already a good indicator that this trilogy might fair a bit better Green Day’s, a funky tune reveling in the beauty of finding the person you’re meant to be with, at long last. New Age Norms 1 is out November 1, with a second and third installment to follow shortly thereafter.

Great Grandpa — “Digger”

“Mono No Aware,” the lead single from Great Grandpa’s forthcoming sophomore album Four Of Arrows, set the bar very high for the release as a whole. Somehow, the band’s newest single “Digger” raises that bar even higher. Frontperson Alex Menne’s vocals really take this track to a new level, moving through melodic scales effortlessly before the full band explodes into action in the last minute.

Twen — “Make Hard”

In addition to the singles they have been rolling out lately, Twen only has a live EP to its name at the moment. All that’s about to change when the Nashville duo unleashes their debut full-length Awestruck later this week. The rhythm of “Make Hard” is set by its guitar strumming, with the percussion reserved more to the background of the track. Keep an eye on Twen — Awestruck is sure to be a watershed moment for the duo.

Automatic — “Signal”

This L.A. post-punk trio has only been a band since 2017, but they’ve clearly learned a lot about how to write a good song in that short time. It’s clear that Automatic was formed out of the DIY scene, but this is not a detriment on the lead single and title track from their forthcoming new album Signal, which showcases the band’s very sleek, unique sound. There’s a lot of good happening here, making Automatic a band to watch as their debut rolls out later this month.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

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