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 Waxahatchee, Cola, Hana Vu, and more.
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Waxahatchee – “365”
Tigers Blood, the sixth studio album from Waxahatchee, is officially less than a week away from release. But Katie Crutchfield has shared one last single before it comes out. “365,” in Crutchfield’s own words, “is a song about codependency as it pertains to addiction and relationships with addicts.” The Kansas City-based musician’s latest tune is a slow burn, gradually picking up steam as it inches toward its single chorus. “So when you kill, I kill / When you ache, I ache,” she sings at its apex. It may be one of the quietest songs on the record, but that unsparing aura just makes it all the more hard-hitting.
Horse Jumper Of Love – “Gates Of Heaven”
Last year, the New York trio Horse Jumper Of Love released Heartbreak Rules, a mini-album that eschewed the fuzzed-out clamor that typically permeates their music. They’re back in boisterous action on “Gates Of Heaven,” which includes production from the Asheville-based Alex Farrar, known for his work with de rigeur indie darlings such as Wednesday and Indigo De Souza. This song has been sitting on the back burner since 2015, and it’s finally, thankfully, seeing the light of day.
Adrianne Lenker – I Won’t Let Go Of Your Hand
https://adriannelenker.bandcamp.com/album/i-won-t-let-go-of-your-hand
Big Thief frontwoman Adrianne Lenker is only a few days shy of her new solo album, Bright Future. Exclusively on Bandcamp, though, Lenker has shared a gorgeous new EP, I Won’t Let Go Of Your Hand. 100% of proceeds go to the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund. These six songs were all recorded, in Lenker’s own words, “the moment they were written.” This new EP, despite it being a collection of sparse demos, captures the filigreed beauty that defines so much of her songwriting.
Gouge Away – Deep Sage
On the Doolittle closer, “Gouge Away,” the Pixies succinctly melded their rowdier tendencies and melodic proclivities into one song. As Black Francis oscillated between quiet singing and shouted yelps, he showed that loud music doesn’t need to sacrifice tunefulness. Poetically, the Fort Lauderdale hardcore five-piece Gouge Away captures that spirit in a modern light. Their third album, Deep Sage, is the best argument they’ve made for that notion yet. From the bursts of noise that punctuate the Sonic Youthian “Idealized” to the shoegaze-adjacent, six-minute closer “Dallas,” Gouge Away demonstrate the versatility not only of themselves, but of hardcore as a genre.
Mount Kimbie – “Empty And Silent”
2024 has seen the return of Mount Kimbie, the English electronic duo that hasn’t released a new record in almost seven years. Dominic Maker and Kai Campos are amending that with The Sunset Violent, which is out next month on the revered Warp Records. On “Empty And Silent,” their new single, they unite once again with fellow Londoner King Krule, and Archy Marshall’s coarse vocals lend themselves nicely to the blissed-out milieu Mount Kimbie have occupied throughout their career.
Cola – “Bitter Melon”
Cola, the Canadian post-punk band that rose from the ashes of Ought, released their debut album, Deep In View, back in 2022. Following up on the momentum that record generated, they’ve shared the one-off single, “Bitter Melon,” a labyrinthine, spellbinding tune that unfolds over the course of six-plus minutes. Hopefully, this new song foreshadows what we can expect next from the Montreal trio.
Hana Vu – “Hammer”
“Hammer” is one of the first songs that Hana Vu wrote for Romanticism, her upcoming fourth studio album. Right off the bat, it showcases new terrain for the Los Angeles-based songwriter. Mandolin strums pervade the mix loud and clear, not as mere garnish but as a primary ingredient. And when the chorus hits, with Vu’s impassioned delivery and enveloping guitars, Vu’s heavy sentiments become your own: “It’s hard to say what the trouble is / I’ll run away ‘til it’s all behind.”
Gustaf – “Close”
Package 2, the second album from NYC post-punkers Gustaf, is imminent, releasing in just a couple of weeks. They’ve gotten seals of approval from Beck, Yard Act, and Wet Leg, the latter two of whom they’ve toured with. It seems only fair to say that they’re poised for a significant breakthrough. “Close,” featuring sharp guitar stabs and a driving bassline, is the perfect thesis statement for Gustaf’s compelling, arty tendencies.
Yeule – “Anthems For A Seventeen Year-Old Girl”
I Saw The TV Glow, the highly anticipated A24 film from horror savant Jane Schoenbrun, will certainly resonate with indie heads. Alex G is handling the score, Snail Mail’s Lindsey Jordan is in the cast, and Phoebe Bridgers appears in the movie as her real-life self. Alongside Bridgers and indie-pop songwriter Caroline Polachek, Singaporean glitch-pop provocateur Yeule is also on the OST. Their cover of Broken Social Scene’s classic, memed-to-death “Anthems For A Seventeen Year-Old Girl” subverts the twee milieu of the original by bit-crushing it into an eerie, digital omen. It’s perfect for a horror movie about getting sucked into a television.
Mitski – “Coyote, My Little Brother”
For the Spotify Singles series, indie-pop juggernaut Mitski has shared a cover of Peter Lafarge’s “Coyote, My Little Brother,” which was popularized in the ‘60s by folk singer Pete Seeger. The cover includes Jenny Magaña on double bass and Patrick Hyland, who produced Mitski’s most recent album, the excellent The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We, on acoustic guitar. It’s a spare, beautiful rendition of the environmentalist original.
