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 sampling of the delayed-but-finally-out-this-week new album from The Killers, the brilliant new album from Young Jesus, and the official arrival of Bartees Strange with the announcement of his debut album.
Young Jesus — Welcome To Conceptual Beach
On their incredible and sprawling new album, Young Jesus are not tied down by the influence of any genre classification. Across its seven tracks (a few of which clock in over ten minutes in length), Welcome To Conceptual Beach “covers enough sonic ground to encompass Sigur Ròs, Sun Ra, the Dave Matthews Band, and numerous points between and beyond those acts,” writes Steven Hyden in a recent review for Uproxx.
The Killers — “Dying Breed”
With their new album Imploding The Mirage finally only days away, The Killers have shared “Dying Breed,” the record’s final single. With krautrock-inspired percussion throughout and a Springsteen-esque chorus, the upbeat track is what Derrick Rossignol calls for Uproxx “one of the most exciting tracks from this album cycle so far.”
Sufjan Stevens — “Video Game”
Although the first two singles from Sufjan Stevens’ forthcoming LP The Ascension both ran over ten minutes, the latest single “Video Game” embraces a more traditional runtime. A more straightforward synth-based indie pop track, “Video Game” is a track that Stevens said in a statement is meant to emphasize the idea that “your worth (invaluable) should never be based on other people’s approval (ephemeral).”
Slow Pulp — “Falling Apart”
Slow Pulp wrote an album’s worth of material while on tour last year with Alex G, but then a number of factors caused the band to scrap the project and start from scratch. The ongoing COVID-19 lockdown gave the band space and time to reconvene and start writing again, and “Falling Apart” is the first taste of the results. The slow track features roomy production with gorgeous flourishes of violin to anchor the melodies, and grapples with the ongoing back and forth that is needed to tell yourself everything is going to be alright.
Helena Deland — “Someone New”
Along with the announcement of her debut full-length Someone New, Helena Deland shared the song of the same name. With not much more than light percussion, a guitar, and vocals, the sparse track “is about the validation and relief from one’s internal world that a romantic encounter can offer, but also about becoming aware that there seems to be an expiry date on that type of opportunity for women,” according to a statement.
Idles — “Model Village”
“Model Village” is the third of four singles ahead of Idles’ new album Ultra Mono, opening with very tight and snappy production for the first verse before exploding into frenetic post-punk on the chorus. “I hated growing up in a city that was really a town that was really a fishbowl,” Idles vocalist Joe Talbot in a statement. “I left as soon as I could, only to realize the fishbowl didn’t exist…just the fish, and they’re everywhere.”
Bartees Strange — “Boomer”
Only a few months after releasing the EP Say Goodbye To The Pretty Boy, Bartees Strange is back with the announcement of his debut album and a new single. “Boomer” is what Carolyn Droke calls for Uproxx a “rowdy and unapologetic track,” one that embraces aspects of indie rock, R&B, and hip-hop, which makes for a very exciting listen.
Anjimile — “Baby No More”
I’ve been excited about the new Anjimile album Giver Taker since hearing its lead single “Maker” earlier this year. “Baby No More” lives up to the hype, with groovy instrumentation and a head-bobbing chorus. According to a statement, the track “is more or less what happens when you’re not a good boyfriend. Although it’s got a very groovy and relatively light-hearted musical vibe, some of the lyrics are quite dark.”
Nana Adjoa — “I Want To Change”
On the third single from her anticipated new album Big Dreaming Ants, the Dutch-Ghanian singer-songwriter digs in for a subtle, but direct and vibrant exploration of the desire to push forward. “I’m giving space to an inner voice that quietly yearns for change and amplifying it in a way, calling for change that speaks to both the global and individual scale,” Adjoa said in a press statement. “I wrote the song over a year ago, now placing it in the context of the current state of the world, that inner voice feels more like a call to action for myself.”
Knot — “Horse Trotting, The Feet Not Touching The Ground”
It feels like just yesterday that the members of revered indie band Krill announced they’d be reforming as a new project called Knot. “Horse Trotting” is the second single from the band’s forthcoming self-titled kinda-sorta debut album, an unpredictable and adventurous new single that certainly builds on the hype and promise that Krill cultivated.
Run River North — “Cemetery”
Although they haven’t officially announced a new project, LA-based outfit Run River North are rolling out music regularly, and “Cemetery” is a nice addition to the catalogue. With illustrative narrative lyrics delivered through beautiful harmonies from Alex Hwang and Sally Kang, “Cemetery” is a track that is beautifully haunting, reflecting on life and contemplating death, all while examining everything that comes between.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.