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 new albums by Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pup, Machine Gun Kelly, and more.
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Red Hot Chili Peppers — Unlimited Love
Red Hot Chili Peppers returned with the ambitious album Unlimited Love this week, a 17-track epoch that marked their first studio LP in six years. The album is fun but also contains surprising depth, combining breezy hooks with groovy chords (thanks to the return of guitarist John Frusciante) and proving RHCP haven’t lost their edge.
Machine Gun Kelly — Mainstream Sellout
Machine Gun Kelly is no stranger to critics, something he’s self-aware about on his newly No. 1 album Mainstream Sellout. The pop-punk inspired LP features ripping power chords and catchy choruses. While MGK has moved away from making rap music, the album includes a number of high-profile guest verses by rappers like Lil Wayne, Gunna, and Young Thug.
Christian Lee Hutson — Quitters
Frequent Phoebe Bridgers collaborator Christian Lee Hutson dropped his reflective sophomore album Quitters. The project is filled with wistful, ballad-like tracks which sometimes include a thoughtfully arranged orchestral section. Over all, the album shows Hutson’s timeless and resonating sound.
PUP — The Unraveling Of PupTheBand
Beloved Toronto emo rockers PUP dropped their energetic LP The Unraveling Of PupTheBand this week, a polished album that expertly combines both self-effacing humor and generalized dread into a collection of smart and catchy songs. Tracks like “Totally Fine” cope with the band’s newfound fame over spirited riffs with others like “Cutting Off The Corners” have more cathartic melodies.
Pillow Queens — Leave The Light On
Dublin-based four-piece Pillow Queens‘ sophomore album Leave The Light On arrived on Friday. To draw inspiration for the album, the band looked inward. The result is a vast and complex 10-track project exploring contradicting truths within themselves: To be soft-yet-hard, delicate-yet-muscular, alone-yet-together.
Angel Olsen — “All The Good Times”
Fresh off a soulful collaboration with Sharon Van Etten, Angel Olsen has some exciting news about her solo music. This week’s lulling track “All The Good Times” officially announces her seventh studio album Big Time. The tender ballad is infused with some country twang and details the experience of coming out as queer to her parents in her 30s.
Kevin Morby — “Rock Bottom”
Prolific artist Kevin Morby continues the roll out of his album This Is A Photograph with the upbeat, folksy single “Rock Bottom.” The track was written as a tribute to the late Jay Reatard and is inspired by some of the Memphis greats who made boundary-pushing music in their time, but didn’t get recognition until after their death.
The BLSSM — “Not Today”
LA-based musician The BLSSM is a rebel without a cause in their latest track, “Not Today.” The ’90s grunge-inspired anthem is about focusing on all the good life has to offer. About the single, The BLSSM said: “It was written about the small nuances of joy I thieve, collect, and steal to keep in my pocket to get me through an ever rat-race agenda of wanting more, wanting everything and wishing.”
Beach Bunny — “Fire Escape”
On the heels of their buzzy 2020 album Honeymoon, Chicago-based four-piece Beach Bunny returned with a new single and album announcement. Their electrifying track “Fire Escape” opens with a burst of energy before singer Lili Trifilio details the all-too-familiar feeling of being paralyzed by nerves. The track heralds their LP Emotional Creature, which is set for a July release.
Kelly Lee Owens — “Sonic 8”
Two years following the release of her intricate album Inner Song, producer Kelly Lee Owens is ready for a new era of music. Releasing a pair of singles this week, “Sonic 8” and “Olga,” Owens is readying the release of LP.8, an album inspired by her subconscious. Contrasting the ethereal “Olga,” “Sonic 8” features a jarring mix of high-pitch synths and brassy beats.
NoSo — “David”
LA-based musician NoSo returned with the dreamy coming-of-age tune “David.” The song points to their upcoming debut album Stay Proud Of Me and is an energetic and wildly catchy single inspired by a bittersweet dream.
Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.