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 Mitski’s hotly anticipated new record, the announcement of a new Fontaines DC album, and a new Jack White track. Check out the rest of the best new indie music below.
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Grace Cummings – Storm Queen
After conquering the Australian theater stage as an actor, Grace Cummings is ready to make her mark as a songwriter on her self-produced sophomore album, Storm Queen. The album showcases Cummings’ raw songwriting and captivating vocal performances by minimizing the number of studio takes and empowering imperfection to elevate the relatability of the tracks.
Cat Power – Covers
22 years after releasing The Covers Record, Cat Power is back with another collection of renditions of her favorite songs. Covers features Power’s versions of tracks from across the musical spectrum, ranging from modern classics like Frank Ocean’s “Bad Religion” and Lana Del Rey’s “White Mustang” to… classic classics like Billie Holiday’s “I’ll Be Seeing You.”
Mitski – “Love Me More”
The latest preview of Mitski’s hotly anticipated new album Laurel Hell is also one of the more poppy tracks from the indie star. “Love Me More” is what Derrick Rossignol calls for Uproxx a “dramatic and energetic” number that reveals the full range of emotions that we can experience during the span of a Mitski song. What starts off as a relatively reserved and introspective affair soon becomes a full-blown synth-pop dance chorus.
Jack White – “Love Is Selfish”
Jack White is set to release two new albums in 2022. We’ve already heard the rollicking “Taking Me Back,” which hearkens back to his days in the Dead Weather. Now, White has shared “Love Is Selfish,” a softer acoustic song that sounds more like what he was getting up to on his early Blunderbuss solo work. If nothing else, it would appear that Fear Of The Dawn is once again going to illustrate White’s full dynamic range of songwriting, which is very exciting in and of itself.
Fontaines DC – “Jackie Down The Line”
It’s been just under two years and approximately zero live shows since the release of Fontaines DC’s sophomore album A Hero’s Death. The lack of touring, however, gave the Irish post-punks space to work on new material and now the band is prepping their new album Skinty Fia, which is due in April. “Jackie Down The Line” is a brooding track that sets the stage well for an album that is a statement on staying true to your roots while also expanding your horizons, which is something I spoke about at length with the band’s guitarist Carlos O’Connell back in 2020.
Tears For Fears – “Break The Man”
It’s always fun when a legendary band returns and the music is legitimately great. Tears For Fears are getting ready to drop their first album in 17 years, and “Break The Man” is a beautiful return to form for the British synth-pop duo and showcases what we came to love about them in the first place forty years ago. Thematically, the track is about “a strong woman, and breaking the patriarchy,” Curt Smith said in a statement.
Aldous Harding – “Lawn”
New Zealand’s Aldous Harding, who Adrian Spinelli calls for Uproxx “one of the few artists in our attention deficit world who can render an entire concert crowd silent in awe of her impeccable performances,” is set to release a new album called Warm Chris on March 25. The album’s lead single, “Lawn,” is a shimmering and polished track that puts on full display what makes Harding such a mesmerizing artist, while charting a beautiful path forward.
Kevin Devine – “Albatross”
Although Kevin Devine hasn’t released a full-length solo album since 2016’s Instigator, he has been more or less prolific across a variety of different projects over the years. Now, he’s set to release his tenth studio album, Nothing’s Real, So Nothing’s Wrong, on March 25. The project is previewed by “Albatross,” a song about letting go and reframing your worldview to fit the unnavigable reality within which we are all living.
Talker – “Don’t Want You To Love Me”
We’ve had our eye on LA-based songwriter Talker (real name Celeste Tauchar) since she started rolling out a series of increasingly impressive singles. Now, she’s ready to unveil a new EP called In Awe Of Insignificance, and the new single “Don’t Want You To Love Me” is a vintage-sounding alternative pop smash with a massive chorus that will get stuck in your head after first listen.
String Machine – “Touring In January”
Pittsburgh’s String Machine has a massive number of people playing instruments, which means that the songs have an incredible amount of depth. Their latest single “Touring In January” is no exception, with horns and piano and enough vocal harmonies to rattle around your brain. The group’s forthcoming album, Hallelujah Hell Yeah not only has a great title, but will certainly mark a turning point for the band when it drops in February.
Silverbacks – “A Job Worth Something”
With their new record Archive Material due out later this month, Irish post-punkers Silverbacks have shared the final single in the form of “A Job Worth Something.” The new offering is what Adrian Spinelli calls for Uproxx “a self-reflective look at the roles that matter most in our society, and it’s presented with rad guitars and driving rhythms.”
Anais Mitchell – “On Your Way (Felix Song)”
After partnering with Justin Vernon and Aaron Dessner on last year’s Big Red Machine album, Anais Mitchell is prepping her first new solo album in over a decade. “On Your Way (Felix Song)” is an ode to a lost friend, and showcases the very best of Mitchell’s Americana songwriting and storytelling chops through sparse instrumentation and pointed lyrics.
Short Fictions – “Don’t Start A Band”
Three years after releasing their debut album Fates Worse Than Death, Pittsburgh emo outfit Short Fictions have announced their signing to Lauren Records and shared a new song telling listeners to do the opposite of what they did in pursuing music. “Don’t Start A Band” is a driving alternative rock track that focuses on socialist issues in songwriter Sam Treber’s community, while also showcasing the faults of a capitalistic music industry over increasingly intricate guitar riffs and even horn flourishes.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. .
