Under-Appreciated Indie Albums That Were Released This Week

Melt! Booking/Caroline Bailey/Mom+Pop/Merge Records

It has been reported that 99 percent of all music streaming activity comes from just 10 percent of all available songs, meaning that the most popular tracks are pretty much all most people listen to. Even if those reported numbers aren’t completely accurate, that still feels true. That’s great for those artists, but what about everybody else? What about the folks who don’t have as much promotional firepower in their arsenal but are still releasing terrific material that ought to be heard? Well, this is my small attempt to help level that disparity: A list of this week’s finest indie albums that you may not have heard, or even heard of.

There were some solid releases this week, like the layered indie of Bayonne and a solo record from an Australian indie favorite, so check it all out below.

Bayonne — Drastic Measures

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Watching Bayonne create his songs from scratch with a loop pedal live is something else, and his music translates fantastically in an album format as well. Hi 2016 Mom+Pop debut Primitives is an absolute standout record, and thankfully, Drastic Measures picks up where it left off. Songs like “Uncertainly Deranged” and “Same” are a rush of kinetic and progressive indie vigor, even in slower moments.

Martin Frawley — Undone At 31

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Indie fans might be familiar with Frawley’s work thanks to his role with Aussie indie group Twerps, but now he’s stepping out on his own. His solo work maintains a lot of his band’s charms, like with the low key energy of “Something About Me” and the off-kilter, piano-led “End Of The Bar.”

Drenge — Strange Creatures

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The UK three-piece just dropped their third album (their first in four years), and understandably, it’s a big deal in the indie scene over there. They dabble in a variety of styles, like post-punk “Never See The Signs,” straight up alternative rock on “Autonomy,” and something not too far off from LCD Soundsystem’s dance-punk (although more intensely rocking) on “Bonfire Of The City Boys.”

Sleaford Mods — Eton Alive

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If you keep up with the UK music scene, you know that Sleaford Mods are involved in some feuds at the moment. More importantly, though, they also have a new album, and the punk/electronic group keep things interesting on songs like the hip-hop-influenced “Kebab Spider” and the industrial-leaning “Flipside.”

Murray A. Lightburn — Hear Me Out

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Lightburn leads the longstanding Canadian indie band The Dears, and now he is back with his second solo album. Both he and The Dears have heard a ton of Morrissey comparisons before, and they ring true on songs like “To The Top.”

Funeral Advantage — Nectarine

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Big echo-heavy production surrounds Tyler Kershaw’s subdued vocals on songs like “Peach Nectarine,” and the Massachusetts native delivers shades of contemporary dream pop and throwback new wave on his latest Funeral Advantage release.

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