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 music from Neutral Milk Hotel, M83, Tennis, Paramore, and more.
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Paramore — “C’est Comme Ça”
On, “C’est Comme Ça,” Hayley Williams’ has a radiant, Dry Cleaning-esque wit that aligns with the previous singles: “I’m off caffeine on doctor’s orders / Said it was gonna help to level out my hormones / Lucky for me I run on spite and sweet revenge / It’s my dependence on the friction that really hinders my progression,” she deadpans to infectious guitars.
Neutral Milk Hotel — “Little Birds”
2023 has already done the impossible: It’s given us a new Neutral Milk Hotel song, the first since the 1998 release of the iconic In The Aeroplane Over The Sea. This track is a part of a new career-spanning box set, and it possesses the haunting charm of the band, with Jeff Mangum’s scratchy vocals and eerie lyrics.
US Girls — “Futures Bet”
US Girls are coming back with a new album called Bless This Mess, and “Futures Bet” is a compelling, pulsating preview with hypnotic vocals and a sticky melody: “When nothing is wrong / Everything is fine / This is just life, this is just life,” she sings in the chorus.
M83 — “Oceans Niagara”
“Oceans Niagara” by M83 is a sparkling, immersive return that immediately hooks the listener into its world. It’s atmospheric and colossal, only getting bigger as the song moves forward. It comes from their forthcoming record aptly titled Fantasy, and it’s sure to be an enticing listen-through.
Fenne Lily — “Lights Light Up”
Fenne Lily’s new song “Lights Light Up” is a twangy earworm that’s warm and soothing like a hot bath. Her vocals are clean and delicate against calm chords; it’s a stunning ballad, and it’s a great preview of her forthcoming LP Big Picture, which is definitely going to be an emotional experience.
Tennis — “Let’s Make A Mistake Tonight”
Tennis is prepping to unveil their new album Pollen next month to follow up 2020’s stunning Swimmer. “Let’s Make A Mistake Tonight” is a great dose of their memorable, glittering sound that’s heavily influenced by the ’70s. “I can feel it in my body / Hand on the wheel / Hand on my thigh / Closing our eyes / Let’s make a mistake tonight,” Alaina Moore sings entrancingly.
Pierce The Veil — “Even When I’m Not With You”
Pierce The Veil’s forthcoming record The Jaws Of Life is looking like an alt-rock adventure so far. “Even When I’m Not With You” is the newest single, and it’s a fuzzed-out, sprawling song that moves at a surprisingly slow pace yet it hits as hard as the other tracks.
@ — “Where’d You Put Me”
Yes, their band name is @. And their music is as weird as you’d expect. “Where’d You Put Me” is a hallucinogenic, quirky track that seems to reach for transcendence. It’s only a little over a minute but every second is a miniature adventure.
Xiu Xiu — “Maybae Baeby”
“Maybae Baeby” by Xiu Xiu is an all-encompassing, trippy ride that feels like a movie. “In ‘Maybae Baeby,’ the singer’s viewpoint is of a young person hiding in a fantastical conversation with a tarantula in order to escape a physically abusive parent,” bandleader Jamie Stewart explained. The song has that rough, dissociative texture, putting the listener into the headspace of the character.
Vagabon — “Carpenter”
Vagabon has finally returned with her first music in three years. She’s coming back strong; “Carpenter” is a jittery anthem bursting with energy and life. Reflecting on growth, she sings refreshingly: “I wasn’t ready to hear you out / I wasn’t ready to move on out / I wasn’t ready for what you were saying / But I’m all ready now.”
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.