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 a surprise new album from Pedro The Lion, another sample of the forthcoming Big Thief album, and a ton of album announcements from PUP, Hatchie, Girlpool, and many more. Check out the rest of the best new indie music below.
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Pedro The Lion – Havasu
With only a few hours of advanced notice, Pedro The Lion unveiled last week the deeply autobiographical new record Havasu, borne out of several trips David Bazan took to Lake Havasu, Arizona, where he lived for a year. He mined the territory for memories, crafting narratives and songs that are built around instruments he played entirely on his own.
Anxious – Little Green House
One of the latest additions to the legendary roster of Run For Cover Records, Connecticut’s Anxious have been making a name for themselves over the last few years by finding the sonic and thematic middle ground between hardcore, emo, and ’90s alternative. After a string of impressive EPs, the quintet has finally unveiled their debut full-length album which makes good on the promise of a rocking good time with infectious melodies and heavy instrumentals.
Silverbacks – Archive Material
Ireland’s own Silverbacks are back with their sophomore album, Archive Material. The new record is an excellent progression from the band’s debut album, Fad, which marked the band’s entry onto the scene when it was nominated for the Choice Prize, Ireland’s top music prize, in 2019. The songs on Archive Material really stand out for showcasing the band’s instantly-palpable cool factor, which is just the cherry on top of their knack for melody and song structure.
Elujay – Circmvnt
When I spoke to Oakland artist Elujay earlier this year, he emphasized the way that love factors into his artist process. On his debut album Circmvnt, Elujay harnesses his Trinidadian roots as a source of inspiration while incorporating elements of rock, funk, R&B, indie, hip-hop… and almost everything else. The album’s title is “about finding alternative routes to an ever transitioning/deteriorating world; striving to find peace and solace and new techniques to approaching life,” Elujay explained in a statement.
Big Thief – “Simulation Swarm”
The excitement is mounting as Big Thief’s new double-album, Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You, nears its early February release. We’ve already heard a hefty amount of tracks from the record and “Simulation Swarm” is the latest preview, which Derrick Rossignol describes for Uproxx as “an upbeat tune that’s grounded in a relaxing place by Adrianne Lenker’s idiosyncratic and gentle vocals.”
PUP – “Robot Writes A Love Song”
Pup are back and they’re ready to rock. The Canadian punks announced their new album, The Unraveling Of Puptheband, with a new single called “Robot Writes A Love Song,” which takes on a more melodic, anthemic approach than we’re used to from the band. That said, “much like their previous releases, the new song tackles feelings of existential dread and hopelessness but this time through the lens of a grieving robot,” writes Carolyn Droke for Uproxx.
Camp Cope – “Running With the Hurricane”
It’s been a while since we last from Australian trio Camp Cope. Since the release of 2018’s How To Socialise And Make Friends, Georgia Maq has been releasing a string of solo material, but now she has returned to her bandmates for a new record. Running With The Hurricane is prefaced by its title track, a relatively subdued affair that illustrates the band’s emotional and affecting songwriting chops.
Uwade – “Do You See The Light Around Me”
21-year-old Uwade made a name for herself after featuring on Fleet Foxes’ 2020 album Shore. Now, the Nigerian-American artist has started rolling out a string of new singles that start to bring her artistic vision into focus. “Do You See The Light Around Me” was produced by Brad Cook (Snail Mail, Waxahatchee, Bon Iver, Hiss Golden Messenger), and is built upon thrilling electronic beats and vocal layering.
Band Of Horses – “Lights”
After delaying the release of their seventh studio album, Things Are Great, from January to March, indie rock veterans Band Of Horses have shared another new single. “Lights” is a call back the band’s sonic roots, and “beautifully melts together jangly guitar chords and wailing vocals to craft an anthemic tune that details a night one exceptionally wrong,” writes Carolyn Droke for Uproxx.
Alex Cameron – “Best Life”
A few years removed from 2019’s Miami Memory, Alex Cameron is back with a new record. Due out in March, our first taste of Oxy Music comes in the form of “Best Life,” a thoroughly enjoyable neo-lounge number featuring what Adrian Spinelli calls for Uproxx “Cameron’s signature leisure suit cabaret sound, which really just welcomes you to be yourself.”
Khruangbin + Leon Bridges – “Chocolate Hills”
Two years ago, Khruangbin teamed up with Leon Bridges for an unexpected, but exciting collaborative EP called Texas Sun. Now, the two parties have reunited on another EP called Texas Moon. “Chocolate Hills” is a much slower, ultra-smooth serenade, “featuring sparse instrumentation by Khruangbin that opens up space for Bridges’ room-filling vocals to cut through,” writes Carolyn Droke for Uproxx.
Hatchie – “Quicksand”
A few months after telling the world that she had signed to Secretly Canadian, Hatchie has announced her forthcoming album, Giving The World Away and shared the lead single “Quicksand.” Where previous Hatchie tracks were shimmering shoegaze numbers, “Quicksand” is a full-blown indie-pop track. “The ’80s dance floor synth beat stands out and Hatchie flexes her soaring vocals as she pleas for joy to shine through uncertainty,” writes Adrian Spinelli for Uproxx.
Girlpool – “Lie Love Lullaby”
About a month ago, Girlpool returned from an extended silence with the release of a new song called “Faultline.” As it turns out, that track was an indicator of something far larger from the duo, who announced their new album Forgiveness, which is due April 29. The announcement arrived with “Lie Love Lullaby,” a brand new track that illustrates the band’s newfound industrial moodiness over a pulsing beat.
Nilüfer Yanya – “Midnight Sun”
In just over a month, Nilüfer Yanya is set to release her sophomore album, Painless. “Midnight Sun” is the second single from the effort, a calculated and slow-burning track that utilizes airy guitars and a tempered beat to keep the focus on Yanya’s ethereal and affecting vocals.
Proper. – “Milk And Honey”
After making a name for themselves in the DIY/punk community, Brooklyn trio Proper. have announced their signing to Father/Daughter + Big Scary Monsters, along with their Bartees Strange-produced new album, The Great American Novel. The record is due March 25 and is previewed by “Milk And Honey,” a meditative and building song about making a decision not to have children and coming to the realization that you might not be able to uphold the image your parents have for you.
Mom Jeans – “Graduating Life”
On the fourth sampling of their new album Sweet Tooth, Mom Jeans put the electric guitars down for a moment to get more contemplative for an acoustic ballad. “Graduating Life” is a beautiful moment of vulnerability wherein the band begs to hit pause on life so they can spend eternity with the ones they love.
