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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 new album from Jehnny Beth, another sampling of a forthcoming project from R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe, and a new track from Fontaines DC. Check out the rest of the best new indie music below.

Jehnny Beth — To Love Is To Live

The debut solo album from Savages’ Jehnny Beth was inspired by David Bowie’s Blackstar, with Beth telling the New York Times that she worked on the project “as if I was going to die.” Brooding and intense, To Live Is To Love is an earnest reconciliation with life and the constant advancement toward death, a formidable solo entry for Beth and some of the best new indie music this week.

Coriky — Coriky

Understated but powerful, Coriky is Ian Mackaye’s new band, featuring fellow Fugazi member Joe Lally on bass and The Warmers’ Amy Farina on drums. With all three members singing, the band’s self-titled debut sounds like an amalgam of the best of DC punk with modern alternative rock vibes.

Michael Stipe + Big Red Machine — “No Time For Love Like Now”

Two months after its live debut on The Late Show, Aaron Dessner and Justin Vernon’s Big Red Machine have shared the studio version of their collaboration with R.E.M. leader Michael Stipe. It’s what what Derrick Rossignol calls for Uproxx a “contemplative track,” and comes alongside a video of Stipe and Dessner playing the song in their respective homes.

Fontaines DC — “I Don’t Belong”

The opening track of Fontaines DC’s forthcoming sophomore album A Hero’s Death is a droning ode to independence. According to Carolyn Droke for Uproxx, it “hones the band’s sound while staying true to their post-punk roots with droning guitars and cerebral lyrics.”

Lionel Boy — “Lately”

With his debut EP Who Is Dovey just around the corner, Lionel Boy has been steadily rolling out new music to continue building momentum. “Lately” is a groovy track, featuring saxophone lines and Lionel Boy’s reverb-soaked vocals over-saturated percussion.

Shamir — “On My Own”

Shamir just released an album earlier this year, but he isn’t done just yet, with another as-yet-untitled LP in the works for later this summer. “On My Own” is the first taste of that forthcoming project, what Carolyn Droke calls for Uproxx a “fuzzy, grunge-inspired guitar riff that’s juxtaposed by Shamir’s lilting vocals.”

Bully — “Where To Start”

After Bully vocalist Alicia Bognanno underwent some massive life changes during while writing, the band’s new album Sugaregg was born out of the flames. You can hear the intensity in the album’s “noisy and earnest” lead single, according to Carolyn Droke for Uproxx.

Woodkid — “Pale Yellow”

Seven years after releasing his debut album, Woodkid is finally prepping its follow up. “Pale Yellow” is the latest sampling from the new effort, evoking James Blake’s crooning over orchestral instrumentation before intricate industrial beats enter the picture. It’s a promising taste of what’s to come from the long-awaited new album.

De’Wayne — “National Anthem”

Mixing energetic alternative rock and hip-hop, De’Wayne reflects his American experience in the new track “National Anthem.” “I had planned on releasing this at a future date,” he said in a statement, “but I’m taking the most recent (and recurring) event as a sign that the world needs this right f*cking now.” It’s De’Wayne’s first standalone single with Hopeless Records, leaving us excited for what’s to come from the LA-based artist.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The trailer for Eric Andre’s upcoming Netflix special Legalize Everything begins with the comedian asking an audience, “Do you remember the show Cops? Is it just me or is reggae the most inappropriate music they could have picked? You can’t slap reggae over police brutality footage and call it a day.” Paramount Network canceled Cops after 32 seasons last week, but while the joke may seem timely, it’s actually anything but.

“I’ve been complaining about police brutality and racism my whole life. So it’s not new to me. Now people have a front row seat to it,” Andre recently told The Last Laugh podcast. The Eric Andre Show host also discussed the joke that some “middle-aged white people” at Netflix wanted him to remove from the special due to the current climate.

It’s from the bit the special opens with, where Andre is seen handing out to drugs to strangers while dressed as a police officer. “I’m like, no, guys!” he said. “This is the best time to do these jokes. This is what we need! We need to point out the absurdity of the police department and what a fucking hypocrisy and a disgrace it is. We need to point out police brutality. I am blessed that my stand-up special is coming out in this time.”

Legalize Everything is available to stream on Netflix on June 23.

As the NBA and NBPA work towards a full agreement on a return to play plan for the 22-team, 8-game race to the playoffs in Orlando, there is a growing number of players voicing their concerns and questions about the Disney bubble.

Kyrie Irving, Avery Bradley, and others from the NBA, WNBA, and beyond have formed a coalition to present those concerns. Some of them have concerns about basketball distracting from the Black Lives Matter movement and player activism, while others are worried about the safety of the bubble and whether the restart is worth it. There are, of course, significant financial ramifications for the league and players should they scrap restart plans, and it’s something all parties understand. However, voicing concerns of those in the union is the job of a VP like Kyrie, and if nothing else he wants to provide a platform for those to be raised and to ensure they are discussed and, if possible, settled with the league before play resumes.

John Wall, like Kyrie, will not be playing in the bubble no matter what as he continues to work his way back from an Achilles injury, but the Wizards’ All-Star point guard gave public backing to Irving and other players raising concerns noting on ‘The Tuff Juice Podcast” with Caron Butler that if he were healthy he wouldn’t want to play, saying he’s not convinced the bubble is safe (transcription via NBC Sports Washington).

“For me, if I was playing, I wouldn’t want to go to it, to be honest. I just don’t feel like it’s safe. I just don’t feel like it is. I understand why they want to do it and what they’re trying to get to, but I wouldn’t want to,” Wall said.

Wall also highlighted that he believes Kyrie has “a point” about not wanting to detract from the Black Lives Matter movement, and that he is more than understanding of players that take that stance.

“Kyrie has his things where he be in his own world… ‘The Earth is flat,’” he said. “But to be honest, I think he has a point. A lot of people feel that way. I think that’s why they tried to get on that call to see how many people really want to go play and how many people don’t want to play. Because with all this ‘Black Lives Matter’ going on and protesting and trying to get justice and all that; a lot of people feel like it’s not safe to go there. That’s what he stands on.”

There will of course be those that point out that both Irving and Wall have the benefit of being able to say they don’t want to go when they wouldn’t anyway due to health, but that two of the league’s All-Star caliber players are noting these questions they have is important. It’s important in making players of smaller stature in the league feel like they can have concerns as well, while also pushing these questions into the mind of the public to encourage discussion between the union and league to try and alleviate at least some of these worries with action.

Fiona Apple has been infamously resistant to licensing her music for use in TV and film. But the singer has found a way to allow producers to use her songs while also supporting a good cause. The singer has committed to donating song royalties from two Fetch The Bolt Cutters tracks to benefit charity.

In an announcement on social media, Apple said that for two years royalties earned from her song “Shameika” will go the Harlem Children’s Zone while those from “Heavy Balloon” will benefit the non-profit Seeding Sovereignty. The singer said that if the tracks aren’t picked up by the film industry, she will still donate $50,000 to each organization independently. “I will be able to give a lot more, if I can earn some of that Hollywood cash, so here’s hoping, here’s trying, and that’s that, I guess!” she wrote.

This isn’t the first time Apple has donated song royalties to charity. Just last year, the singer announced she would be sending royalties from her 1996 track “Criminal” to the While They Wait fund, an organization that provides refugees with assistance, legal services, and immigration fees. Apple said “Criminal” is her most requested song for TV and movies and that she hopes her donations would provide “representation and guidance.”

See Apple’s charitable commitment announcement above.

Fetch The Bolt Cutters is out now via Epic. Get it here.

Rage Against The Machine leader Zack De La Rocha has cemented his place within the Run The Jewels universe, as he landed features on the duo’s second album, their third, and their recently released fourth album, RTJ4. Now, a producer named DJ Skarface has imagined what it would be like if De La Rocha had a larger presence in RTJ’s discography with a new mashup project, Rage The Jewels.

The 13-minute effort, which features De La Rocha vocals from Rage Against The Machine songs on El-P’s Run The Jewels instrumentals, caught the attention of El-P himself: Sharing the project on Twitter, he wrote, “oh sh*t.”

The project features elements from across Rage Against The Machine and Run The Jewels’ discographies, as well as snippets of things like David Letterman introducing the band and El-P discussing how he came to work with De La Rocha. In addition to the single-track version of the project as presented on SoundCloud, DJ Skarface has also made a version with separated tracks available for free on Bandcamp via name-your-price download. Proceeds from the Bandcamp downloads will go to the National Lawyers Guild.

This follows a similar project DJ Skarface made a few years ago, in which the producer mashed up vocals from the first Run The Jewels album with DJ Shadow instrumentals. That project arrived months after the duo featured on DJ Shadow’s “Nobody Speak.”

Listen to Rage The Jewels above.

As one of the pioneers of taking hip-hop from the New York underground to the American mainstream, LL Cool J is one of the handful of figures from the era still prominent enough to carry the torch for “Golden Era” of rap music. To help him do that, he has expanded his Rock The Bells brand to include a new website celebrating classic hip-hop through the voices of the artists who helped define their generation.

Linking up with other pioneers of the genre such as Big Daddy Kane, Fab 5 Freddy, Roxanne Shante, Run DMC, and Salt N Pepa, RockTheBells.com will produce content that speaks to hip-hop’s impact and influence as a driver of cultural change. Its editorial coverage will encompass artists, music, and historical moments from throughout hip-hop’s lifespan, as well as social commentary related to hip-hop’s legacy of activism. The site will also feature a store selling everything from apparel to books to sound equipment, highlighted by special collaborations with the celebrated artists of the culture’s breakout years.

In a press release, LL called Rock The Bells “the leading voice that rocks with Gen X and those with a Strictly OG mindset. Rock the Bells uplifts the people and moments at the forefront of Hip-Hop, through our best-in-class storytelling, shopping platform, and experiences. We’re putting ownership in the hands of the Black community and the pioneers that started the culture.”

Visit RockTheBells.com for more info.

The Daily Show host Trevor Noah delivered a powerful monologue in response to the police killing of Rayshard Brooks, who was fatally shot last week in Atlanta after being apprehended for sleeping in his car while drunk. After learning what happened to Brooks, Grey’s Anatomy showrunner Krista Vernoff felt motivated to open up about the many (non-confrontational) encounters that she had with police as a young adult (and teen), none of which resulted in any lasting consequences. Mostly, she was let off the hook with verbal warnings.

Vernoff feels that her experiences point directly toward white privilege, and she’s speaking out in an effort to spur change because, as Noah stated on Monday night of Brooks, “He’s broken some law, a law not worth dying for. I think we can all agree on that.” What follows is a lengthy Twitter thread from Vernoff, who details how she shoplifted thousands of dollars of mall merchandise as a teenager and walked away with no record. She was also pulled over for drunk driving as a young adult and semi-refused to take a breathalyzer, which a cop laughed off and let her go.

She also detailed how she committed two physical attacks, one of which happened in front an officer, who acted… kind of impressed. And he laughed as well.

Ultimately, Vernoff is “asking the white people reading this to think about the crimes you’ve committed… Think of all the mistakes you’ve made that you were allowed to survive.” She hopes that people will realize that Brooks should never have been shot by police, and his fate is evidence of “a broken system that must change.”

Selma and When They See Us director Ava DuVernay reacted to Vernoff’s outpouring. “This is a white woman talking honestly about her experiences,” she tweeted. “[A]nd it’s one of the best threads on the criminalization of Black people that I’ve read lately.”

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