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 the impressive new album from Citizen, a stellar single from Mannequin Pussy, and a new 1975-produced track from Beabadoobee. Check out the rest of the best new indie music below.
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Serpentwithfeet – Deacon
After gaining traction with 2018’s Soil, LA musician Serpentwithfeet is back with his sophomore effort, an album that manages to feel massive, while also displaying a palpable sense of Serpentwithfeet’s control and evoking a sense of calm. “I originally approached this project wanting to make something that felt very sensuous,” he explained in a recent statement. “This was my way of tapping into the energy many deacons possess.”
Citizen – Life In Your Glass World
On their latest album, midwestern heavyweights Citizen leave the emo infused pop-punk of their formative years firmly in the past. This is not to say that an album like Life In Your Glass World is any less intense than past Citizen efforts, but the aggression is, for the most part, set aside in favor of building the new songs around dance beats and infectious vocal hooks from Mat Kerekes.
The Antlers – Green To Gold
After seven years of silence, The Antlers are back with a gorgeous new album. Green To Gold takes on a more personal stance than the duo’s previous efforts — where Peter Silberman is usually writing about the human experience through a mythological lens, his new songs are more or less a reflection of the last few years of his life. The album is full of sparse, roomy arrangements that mark a triumphant return from the duo.
Early Riser – Vocations
Brooklyn’s Early Riser is a band that thrives on the energy of their live performance, and for their new album Vocations, the zeroed in on their collective strengths to capture that energy on record. Vocations is chock full of fun lo-fi punk tracks that have a unique freewheeling energy about them that is reminiscent of formative compilation albums.
Real Estate – Half A Human
After spending much of last week reminiscing on ten years of Real Estate’s Days, we shifted our focus to the present for the band’s new EP Half A Human. The six-track effort was produced remotely during the pandemic, but it doesn’t affect the band’s penchant for dreamy indie rock to create an essential vibe.
Mannequin Pussy – “Control”
Two years after 2019’s excellent LP Patience, Philadelphia punks Mannequin Pussy are back and better than ever for a new EP called Perfect. Lead single “Control” is what Derrick Rossignol calls for Uproxx “an exciting new track that starts with quiet guitar strumming and equally subdued vocals before exploding into an aggressive rocker.
Beabadoobee – “Last Night On Earth”
Beabadoobee’s debut album Fake It Flowers sounded like the soundtrack to a teen movie. Not even a year later, she’s back with even more excellent music, with a new EP produced by The 1975 due sometime this summer. Sure enough, “Last Night On Earth” sounds like what Derrick Rossignol calls for Uproxx “a mix of Beabadoobee’s ’90s-inspired work and the lighter tracks from The 1975’s recent output.”
Origami Angel – “Neutrogena Spektor”
Origami Angel made waves in the emo community with their debut album Somewhere City, with the most fervent fans calling themselves members of the “Gami Gang.” Well, now the DC-based band is back with an ambitious new double album paying tribute to those evangelists, called Gami Gang. “Neutrogena Spektor” is one of two singles that came with the album’s announcement, a “charged” emo number, writes Carolyn Droke for Uproxx.
Matt Sweeney & Bonnie “Prince” Billy – “My Blue Suit”
More than 15 years after their first joint effort, Matt Sweeney and Bonnie “Prince” Billy are back with Superwolves. “My Blue Suit” is the latest sampling from the LP, a sparse number featuring nothing more than an acoustic guitar and raw vocal.
Bachelor – “Stay In The Car”
A month after sharing their first collaborative track, Palehound’s Ellen Kempner and Jay Som’s Melina Duterte have announced a new full-length album under the name Bachelor. “Stay In The Car” is a song that Duterte says was “inspired by The Pixies and The Breeders,” building around a driving bass line and detailing a dramatic narrative.
Rosie Tucker – “Habanero”
Los Angeles musician Rosie Tucker has been hard at work since the release of their 2019 effort Never Not Never Not Never Not, releasing a string of impressive standalone singles. All those tracks, as well as the brand new shimmering indie gem “Habanero,” will be included on their forthcoming new album Sucker Supreme.
Downhaul – “Eyesight”
Richmond, Virginia’s Downhaul make the expansive, cinematic type of emo that sent people in droves toward bands like The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die. Good news is, Downhaul’s latest single was produced by a member of that band, and you can hear the influence on the new track “Eyesight,” which takes on an air of drama and intensity as it continues building across its nearly five-minute runtime.
Shamir – “DsharpG” (Sharon Van Etten cover)
Sharon Van Etten’s upcoming reissue of Ten also comes with a full-album set of covers, and the latest installment is from Shamir. Shamir’s take on “DsharpG” gives the track a whole new life, bringing his signature authenticity while staying true to the original formation. Shamir’s music is truly original and a force to be reckoned with in his reimagining of a time where I grew up fondly, angsty & dreaming,” Van Etten wrote on Instagram.
Azure Ray – “Remedy”
Azure Ray went silent after 2010’s Drawing Down The Moon, but now the wait is over for new music. The new ten-track album Remedy was produced remotely during the pandemic, and the title track is a beautiful, flowing reentry for Maria Taylor and Orenda Fink.
Xixix – “Rich Kids”
Every time it seems like the days of bombastic, anthemic indie rock has officially faded into the rearview, there comes a band like Xixix that reminds us of how fun it can be. “Rich Kids” is a track that sounds like it was made for a festival crowd, creating a world of reckless abandon that makes it a perfect summer track.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. .
