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 taste of the forthcoming albums from Japanese Breakfast and Rostam, the next installment of Sufjan Stevens’ five-volume mega album, and more. Check out the rest of the best new indie music below.
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Spirit Of The Beehive – Entertainment, Death
On their debut LP for Saddle Creek, Philadelphia trio Spirit Of The Beehive sound unlike anything they’ve done before. Clicking play on Entertainment, Death is like entering a whole new world with unfamiliar sights and sounds. It’s loud and fully enveloping, making for one of the most unique listening experiences of the year so far.
Briston Maroney – Sunflower
After his 2018 track “Freaking Out On The Interstate” gained massive traction on TikTok late last year, Nashville-based songwriter Briston Maroney has returned with Sunflower. The ten-track effort serves as a bit of a coming of age story for Maroney, a process he calls “terrifying and serene alike.” The album was produced by John Congleton (St. Vincent, Angel Olsen), and finds Maroney co-writing with the likes of Jenny Owen Youngs and Manchester Orchestra’s Andy Hull and Robert McDowell.
Matthew E White/Lonnie Holley – Broken Mirror: A Selfie Reflection
The collaborative effort between Spacebomb Records founder Matthew E. White and Alabama sculptor Lonnie Holley is not just another record. Inspired by Miles Davis’ electric period, Broken Mirror requires a recalibration of the musical mind to make sense of the vibrant improvisational spirit and arrhythmic arrangements.
Skullcrusher – Storm In Summer EP
Skullcrusher (aka Helen Ballentine) caught our attention with her self-titled debut EP last year. Ballentine certainly doesn’t lose any momentum on her new EP, Storm In Summer, which features gorgeous indie folk arrangements that perfectly supplement her ethereal vocal.
Rostam – “Changephobia”
Just a month ago, Rostam announced Changephobia, his first new solo release after helming the production of lauded albums from the likes of Clairo and Haim. Now, the former Vampire Weekend member has shared the album’s title track, a deeply personal but light-sounding number that revels in internal monologues and anxiety about the future.
Japanese Breakfast – “Posing In Bondage”
Michelle Zauner is gearing up for a massive spring, with the upcoming release of her memoir Crying In H Mart, and a new Japanese Breakfast album called Jubille. This is a column about new indie music, which means I can’t talk about the book (it’s devastating and impeccably written), so will focus on the music. “Posing In Bondage” is the second preview of Jubille, and is what Zauner called in a statement “a ballad about loneliness and longing, a song about two people who want so badly to connect but are never quite able to do so.”
Free Throw – “Cloud Sick”
Nothing like a fun emo song. The first taste of Free Throw’s new album Piecing It Out Together is ripe with twinkling guitars and one of the most infectious choruses the Nashville band has ever put to tape. It’s a far cry, yet a natural and exciting evolution, from “Two Beers In” from their debut album.
Sufjan Stevens – “Lamentation II”
You can’t say that Sufjan Stevens is anything less than prolific. After releasing two projects in 2020, Stevens is back with Convocations, a five-volume mega album depicting the five stages of mourning. (Stevens’ father died just days after the release of his 2020 album The Ascension.) Stevens shared the Meditation volume last week, and this week brings Lamentation. The volume is prefaced by “Lamentation II,” which features, according Derrick Rossignol for Uproxx, “airy synths contrasted by harsher, lower tones.”
Holy Wars – “TV Dinner”
Remember Sleigh Bells? It seems that duo might have passed the dark pop-rock torch to Holy Wars, who employ a similar brand of searing guitars infectious melodies to force your attention. The latest single from the Los Angeles-based group’s forthcoming debut album, “TV Dinner,” is dedicated to “the empty promise of an American Dream, and death of the paid artist where art and music is valued by a ‘like’ on a fleeting app,” according to a statement from singer Kat Leon.
Sour Widows – “Bathroom Stall”
Just a few months removed from their debut self-titled EP, Bay Area trio Sour Widows are back with another short-form project. Crossing Over is previewed by “Bathroom Stall,” a sprawling track that clocks in at nearly six minutes but manages to remain evocatively reserved in its delivery.
Museum Of Love – “Cluttered World”
For the first time in seven years, LCD Soundsystem’s Pat Mahoney and Dennis McNany are gearing up to release a new album under the name of Museum Of Love. Life Of Mammals was recorded in short spurts between Mahoney’s touring commitment with LCD Soundsystem, and was mixed in its entirety by James Murphy. Fans of LCD will love Museum Of Love, as lead single “Cluttered World” finds the tight percussion taking the driver’s seat while the track evolves around deep bass synths and flourishes of spastic guitars.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.