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 new cover from the Grohl family, a full ska album from Jeff Rosenstock, and anticipated new music from Chvrches. Check out the rest of the best new indie music below.
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Jeff Rosenstock – Ska Dream
Jeff Rosenstock surprise-released his latest album No Dream a little under a year ago, and now he’s gone ahead and done it again. Except this time, he re-made No Dream entirely as a ska album. Sounds like a joke, but it isn’t, and Ska Dream is actually an extremely fun listening experience and a nice momentary reprieve from near-constant mayhem. “As with most things ska in my life, what started out as a fun goof with friends eventually morphed into ‘Hey, what if we tried to make it good though?’,” Rosenstock wrote in a statement.
Dinosaur Jr. – Sweep It Into Space
Dinosaur Jr. have been around for nearly 40 years at this point, but their latest Sweep It Into Space shows no signs of slowing down for the veteran alt rockers. The new album was produced by breezy maestro Kurt Vile, and features some of Dinosaur Jr.’s most accessible work to date.
Remember Sports – Like A Stone
Three years after renaming themselves Remember Sports and releasing their first album under the moniker, the Philadelphia outfit is back for another round with Like A Stone. The group says that the making of the record was a truly collaborative experience, with each member’s musical influence making its way onto the final product. This collective experience definitely comes through across Like A Stone, which guitarist Jack Washburn described in a statement as “communal and loud and cathartic, but also kinda confidential and private.”
Dave Grohl & Violet Grohl – “Nausea”
Dave Grohl often speaks about his daughter Violet’s musical abilities, and even had her perform featured vocals on the latest Foo Fighters album. Now, the father and daughter have teamed up for a cover of X’s “Nausea,” which he called in an Instagram post “a moment that superseded anything musical. A life moment that I will cherish forever. A family moment.” I’m not tearing up, you are.
Chvrches – “He Said She Said”
Chvrches spent the last few weeks reactivating their social accounts in anticipation of something new, and now the moment has finally come for the band to launch their new era. Though there is no official album announcement just yet, the band shared “He Said She Said,” which Derrick Rossignol calls for Uproxx “a giant electro-pop tune with gigantic drum sounds and expansive synths.”
Hot Mulligan – “Pop Shuvit (Hall Of Meat, DUH)”
On their new EP, pop-punk heroes Hot Mulligan don’t sound very much like pop-punk heroes anymore. “Pop Shuvit” employs more pop sensibility than we’re used to from the Michigan band, and serves as a preview of their new EP I Won’t Reach Out To You,, which is all about deteriorating interpersonal relationships.
Pronoun – “I Wanna Die But I Can’t (Cuz I Gotta Keep Living)”
Pronoun released one of our favorite sleeper albums in 2019 with I’ll Show You Stronger. Now, Alyse Vellturo is prepping a short-form follow-up with a new EP entitled OMG I Made It. “I Wanna Die But I Can’t” is the first taste of the EP, and employs a similar lo-fi indie-pop vibe built upon harmonies and buzzing guitars that Vellturo perfected on I’ll Show You Stronger.
Ellis – “Hospital”
Just about a year after sharing her dreamy debut LP Born Again, Ellis is back with a new EP. “Hospital” is what Carolyn Droke calls for Uproxx a “cascading and tenderhearted track” that was inspired by the songwriter’s accident-prone tendencies.
Bachelor – “Sick Of Spiraling”
Two of the strongest songwriters in indie rock come together in Bachelor, which features both Jay Som’s Melina Duterte and Palehound’s Ellen Kempner. “Sick Of Spiraling” is the latest teaser from the duo’s forthcoming debut album Doomin’ Sun, which Derrick Rossignol describes for Uproxx as a “mid-tempo tune [with] some pleasing alt-country influences worked in.”
Jhariah – “Flight Of The Crows”
Jhariah is what you get when you mix the vocal grandeur of a band like Muse with the unpredictability of Radiohead? “Flight Of The Crows” starts out with a spastic drum beat before busting into an almost Broadway-worthy reprise. It’s something completely unique.
Frances Grove – “Get Well Soon”
Utilizing just a lone finger-picked guitar and layered vocal harmonies, Frances Grove delivers a full drama over the course of only four minutes. “Get Well Soon” is reminiscent of the most introspective numbers of Phoebe Bridgers’ Punisher, employing similar lyrical stylings and emotional weight.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.