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 by Band Of Horses, a new era for Red Hot Chili Peppers, and a snappy new Haim track.
While we’re at it, sign up for our newsletter to get the best new indie music delivered directly to your inbox, every Monday.
Band Of Horses — Things Are Great
Band Of Horses was undoubtedly one of the most talked about bands of the mid-aughts and they’ve now made a triumphant comeback with Things Are Great, their first album in six years. The 10-track release saw the band returning to their roots, with vocalist Ben Bridwell not afraid to play his “sloppy, weird style of guitar.” Bridwell told Uproxx in a recent interview that Things Are Great was his chance to spearhead the production and finally make the record he wanted to.
Nilüfer Yanya — Painless
UK musician Nilüfer Yanya took the world by storm when she released her debut album Miss Universe in 2019. Now armed with a new perspective, Yanya brings her refined sound to her sophomore LP Painless. Through groovy licks and vibrant synths, the record revolves around emotion. Yanya copes with loneliness and isolation while she dives headfirst into emotional vulnerability.
The Weather Station — How Is It That I Should Look At The Stars
After making waves with the 2021 album Ignorance, The Weather Station drops the companion LP, How Is It That I Should Look At The Stars. The piano-laden album as a whole examines similar themes to the previous one, seeing vocalist Tamara Lindeman sharing musings on disconnection, conflict, love, and climate anxiety. Lindeman herself calls the project “a quiet, strange album of ballads.”
MICHELLE — AFTER DINNER WE TALK DREAMS
NYC’s buzzworthy collective MICHELLE prove they live up to the hype with their LP AFTER DINNER WE TALK DREAMS, which beautifully infuses soulful melodies with R&B-inspired beats and tender lyrics. The six-piece group’s connection in tangible on each song, capturing each four singers’ soaring harmonies and ability to pen tender yet invigorating songs.
Red Hot Chili Peppers — “Poster Child”
Last month, Red Hot Chili Peppers teased a return by announcing the upcoming Rick Rubin-produced album Unlimited Love, which is due out in April. After noting that their only goal on the project was to get lost in music, the group dropped “Poster Child,” their funkiest single to date. It proves Red Hot Chili Peppers can still have fun making music after nearly three decades, spotlighting Anthony Kiedis’ recognizable vocals spitting enigmatic and tongue-twisting lyrics.
Haim — “Lost Track”
After Haim sister Alana starred in Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest film Licorice Pizza, the musical trio shared the tune “Lost Track,” an impromptu song which spawned during a photoshoot with the director. The snappy single came out naturally, laying Danielle’s urgent vocals over sparse-yet-shimmering instrumentals. “We were inspired by the idea of someone doing something so drastic to get out of a situation they felt uncomfortable in,” the band explained in a statement.
Bartees Strange — “Heavy Heart”
Newly signed to the label 4AD, indie favorite Bartees Strange celebrated his music’s new home with the track “Heavy Heart.” The song is Strange at his most vulnerable, delivering lyrics about coping with guilt; guilt about his family; guilt about touring; and guilt about his musical success. All these emotions leave him with a heavy heart, which he explores over gripping electric guitars.
Wet Leg — “Angelica”
With just a handful of singles, Wet Leg continue to prove that their witty and quirky music make them one of the most compelling bands in indie music right how. Their new track “Angelica” fits perfectly into their catalog, combining shimmering guitars and rollicking refrain with tongue-and-cheek lyrics and drumming up anticipation for their self-titled debut album.
Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever — “Tidal River”
Aussie rockers Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever are bringing their explosive and exuberant sound to a new era of music with their upcoming album Endless Rooms. Their new track “Tidal River” gives fans a taste of what’s to come featuring propulsive guitars and lyrics speaking to a sense of confusion and urgency. “‘Tidal River’ is a little snapshot of living in a place at a time when it feels like there is no-one at the wheel,” vocalist Tom Russo said about the song.
Sharon Van Etten — “Used To It”
With her second ambitious single of the year, Sharon Van Etten shares the ethereal number “Used To It.” The song expands on the singer’s typical acoustic-leaning guitars, composing a sprawling mix of keys and harmonies to create a comforting soundscape. The song was originally written for Baby God, an HBO documentary centering on a fertility specialist who impregnates women with his own sperm.
Alex Cameron — “K-Hole”
Alex Cameron is notorious for adopting a new persona with each album rollout, and with his upcoming LP Oxy Music, the singer is critiquing self care culture. His single “K-Hole” is a dreamy, earnest neo-lounge track that takes aim at our world’s reliance on the internet, and how that’s certainly not helping our collective mental health.
Kevin Morby — “This Is A Photograph”
Following up on his pastoral 2020 LP Sundowner, Kevin Morby heralds his upcoming seventh studio album with the nostalgia-inducing title track, “This Is A Photograph.” The song was inspired by him flipping through a box of old family photos and is a poetic ballad that pieces together imagined narratives from the faded pictures.
The Linda Lindas — “Talking To Myself”
Teen rockers The Linda Lindas experienced their breakout moment when their kiss-off tune “Racist, Sexist Boy” went viral. Now armed with a debut album about the joys and pitfalls of growing up, the group fired off the new track “Talking To Myself.” Like much of their other music, the song is both playful and edgy, showing off the girl group’s natural talents.
SALES — “Moving By Backwards”
It’s been a few years since Orlando duo SALES released a full-length project, but after having an unexpected viral moment on TikTok with their oftentimes misquoted song “Pope Is A Rockstar,” the band are back with the endlessly dreamy tune “Moving By Backwards.” With a warm-toned guitar creating the song’s backbone, the band penned a comforting and lush tune.
Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.