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 another taste of Julien Baker’s forthcoming LP, a beautiful Perfume Genius remix, and a slow-burning new track from Foo Fighters. Check out the rest of the best new indie music below.
Shame – Drunk Tank Pink
After breaking out in 2018 with their debut LP Songs Of Shame, British post-punkers Shame are back with a hard-hitting sophomore release, diving head-on into some of the most pressing topics of today. “While they haven’t deviated all that much from the first album, Shame’s sense of momentum and menace remains alluring,” wrote Steven Hyden in a recent issue of the Indie Mixtape newsletter.
Sleaford Mods – Spare Ribs
On their latest album, British duo Sleaford Mods get aggressive and confrontational. Spare Ribs is an album “for people who enjoy the sounds of decay while watching the world around them decay,” wrote Steven Hyden in a recent issue of the Indie Mixtape newsletter.
Buck Meek – Two Saviors
Even while Big Thief isn’t active, we can still look to the band’s members for a wealth of new music. Adrienne Lenker blessed us with two solo albums in 2020, and now Buck Meek is opening up 2021 with an offering of his own. Meek worked on Two Saviors with Lenker, so it definitely feels like part of the ever-growing BTEU (Big Thief Extended Universe).
Danielle Durack – No Place
We were recently asked what artist we thought should join Boygenius with Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus. After listening to No Place, we think that Danielle Durack could be a perfect fit. The album “takes inspiration from a versatile range of influences and sonic pallets, embodying everything from classic songwriters like Joni Mitchell and The Beatles to modern indie icons like Hop Along,” I wrote in a recent Indie Mixtape 20 Q&A with Durack.
Foo Fighters – “Waiting On A War”
Released as a way of celebrating Dave Grohl’s 52nd birthday, “Waiting On A War” is the most anthemic cut we’ve heard so far from the Foos forthcoming tenth studio album Medicine At Midnight. It’s “an acoustic rocker that ramps up in tempo and intensity during its last minute to explode into a sprawling catharsis,” writes Derrick Rossignol for Uproxx.
Julien Baker – “Hardline”
With her third solo album dropping in just over a month, Julien Baker has shared another taste from the effort to fully illustrate her new full-band aesthetic. “Hardline” “shows Baker taking leaps with her arrangements, working dramatic organ hits and other new-to-her sounds into the hugely climactic, sometimes post-rock-like track,” writes Derrick Rossignol for Uproxx.
Perfume Genius – “Your Body Changes Everything” (Boy Harsher Remix)
Perfume Genius is revisiting one of 2020’s finest albums with the new Immediately Remixes collection, featuring reimagined tracks from Set My Heart On Fire Immediately by the likes of Jaakko Eino Kaleivi, A.G. Cook, Jim-E Stack, Planningtorock, Jenny Hval, and more. The first glimpse at the new versions comes from Boy Harsher’s take on “Your Body Changes Everything,” a darker take on the original song which Boy Harsher says “[attempts] to honor the initial feelings of lust and desire.”
Claud – “Cuff Your Jeans”
Claud’s debut album — and the first release on Phoebe Bridgers’ new label Saddest Factory — arrives in just a few weeks. No two singles from Super Monster have sounded the same, and “Cuff Your Jeans” continues the pattern. “All elements of this song are a much needed form of rebellion against my redundant lifestyle, and my pitched down vocals in the verses — which appear in a few more places throughout Super Monster — are a way to further a more courageous and outspoken persona,” Claud revealed in a statement.
Citizen – “I Want To Kill You”
For their fourth LP, Life In Your Glass World Citizen retreated to vocalist Mat Kerekes’ garage, where he just put the finishing touches on a home studio. The band tried to get out of their comfort zone during the writing process by starting each song with a drum beat, rather than a guitar part. The resulting focus on pulsing rhythm sections is showcased perfectly in “I Want To Kill You,” which also signals a shift in Citizen’s trajectory from a post-punk band to something fresh.
Ian Sweet – “Drink The Lake”
After a string of standalone singles, Ian Sweet has announced her third album Show Me How You Disappear. Along with the announcement came “Drink The Lake,” a track that finds Sweet “realizing a new form of emotional freedom,” writes Carolyn Droke for Uproxx.
Wild Pink – “Oversharers Anonymous”
Wild Pink’s forthcoming album A Billion Little Lights is one of our early favorites of 2021, and the latest single “Oversharers Anonymous” is a pretty good indicator of exactly why. It’s a breezy, reflective track that was inspired by the work of Ken Burns and Peter Cozzens.
Sydney Sprague – “Object Permanence”
Ahead of her new album Maybe I Will See You At The End Of The World, Sydney Sprague has shared “Object Permanence,” an upbeat power pop song about settling into the separation that comes with entering a long-distance relationship and trying to find some way to get comfortable.
American Poetry Club – “Thank You x3”
After releasing three(!!) full-length albums in 2017, the members of American Poetry Club haven’t played together since May of 2019. During the worldwide lockdown, the group reconvened digitally to begin work on a new album, all while never being in the same room. “Thank You x3” is the first preview of the resulting Do You Believe In Your Heart?!?, a lo-fi about friendship and community that features group vocals reminiscent of long-lost Michigan emo band Brave Bird.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. .
