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 a brand new album from My Morning Jacket, another epic track from Sufjan Stevens, and the sophomore LP from The Beths. Check out the rest of the best new indie music below.
While you’re here, make sure to follow the official Indie Mixtape playlist wherever you listen to music.
My Morning Jacket — The Waterfall II
It’s been five years since Jim James started talking about The Waterfall II. The album was written and recorded in late 2013, but feels especially poignant today. “Much of the record is composed of bleary-eyed, pedal steel-laced ballads that dwell ruefully on loss and aspire gorgeously to a state of healing, creating an all-too-relatable vibe of heartsick restlessness driven by a desperate desire to believe that tomorrow will somehow be better,” writes Steven Hyden for Uproxx.
The Beths — Jump Rope Gazers
It’s official: The Beths have avoided the sophomore slump. With Jump Rope Gazers, the group have managed to even further fine-tune their already impressive knack for writing pop rock hooks, delivering some of their catchiest music to date. The ten-track effort reinforces The Beths as a band whose focus on songwriting will always pay off.
Julianna Barwick — Healing Is A Miracle
Julianna Barwick’s music feels more like a cinematic soundtrack to life than a traditional album. This is especially the case on Healing Is A Miracle, which fully envelops you into Barwick’s world through an array of otherworldly and ethereal, orchestral arrangements, supplemented by guest appearances from the likes of Mary Lattimore and Sigur Ros’ Jonsi.
100 Gecs — 1000 Gecs And The Tree Of Clues
The new album from 100 Gecs is essentially a deluxe, expanded version of their debut album. The 19-track effort features remixes and live tracks, making for the ultimate Gecs experience, featuring Charli XCX, Rico Nasty, Fall Out Boy, and more. Dive in an experience the madness.
Sufjan Stevens — “My Rajneesh”
“My Rajneesh” is an epic 10-minute track that appears as the B-side to Sufjan Stevens’ epic 17-minute track “America.” By the looks of it, it appears that Stevens’ upcoming solo album The Ascension is going to be his most expansive (and longest) to date. The track is cinematic in scope, featuring “multiple sections, which, like ‘America’ before it, is similar in style to the music Stevens made during the The Age Of Adz era,” writes Derrick Rossignol for Uproxx.
Nana Adjoa — “No Room”
Along with the announcement of her debut album Big Dreaming Ants, Nana Adjoa has shared the eclectic “No Room,” a funky track that checks off many genre boxes at once. A thumping bass guitar builds a foundation upon which finger-picked guitars float, allowing for Adjoa’s layered vocals to move about the sonic space. It’s a solid entry point for Adjoa, making the upcoming Big Dreaming Ants an anticipated release.
Anjimile — “Maker”
On their upcoming album, Anjimile takes a fresh approach to the tropes of folk music, and “Maker” is a great example of what you can expect from Giver Taker. What starts out as a very sparse number builds into a full-band affair wherein Anjimile is rooted in the depths of self-reflection, asking “Have you ever seen anything quite like this?”
Into It. Over It — “Living Up To Let You Down”
Four years since Standards, his last full-length release, Evan Weiss is back with new Into It. Over It music. It doesn’t take long for “Living Up To Let You Down” to remind us what made Into It. Over It’s unique and hook-driven approach to emo so invigorating in the early 2010’s. The intricacies of the percussion here, combined with the floating synth lines, make the track a welcome return for Weiss’s namesake project.
Lomelda — “Wonder”
It’s always a good day when there’s new Lomelda music. “Wonder” is the first taste Hannah Read’s new album called… Hannah, and takes on a more expansive feel than the previous work from Lomelda. “Wonder is about working hard,” Read said in a statement. “It is my most fun song to play. And I got to play drums on it, so it’s my favorite Lom song forever. May it motivate you to move and smash like it does me.”
Slow Pulp — “Idaho”
Many of the songs on Slow Pulp’s forthcoming debut LP Moveys were written on tour with Alex G, and you can tell on “Idaho.” The new single takes on a dreamy feel in its heavier intro and chorus, while the verses are more direct with a compressed acoustic guitar and unfiltered vocals. It’s a track about finding a paradigm shift that allows you to finally accept love, and unfolds in a dramatic and emotional way.
Baseball Game — “See You Tomorrow”
Previewing their self-titled debut EP, Baseball Game’s “See You Tomorrow” features an impressive vocoder arrangement that makes the track stand out, drawing similarities to experimental folk rockers Bon Iver and Sufjan Stevens. The track is about “how much people’s presence adds to who we are and when those people are no longer around how much we change without them,” the band wrote in a statement. “This song takes place a couple months after losing someone and wondering what it would be like to see them again.”
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.