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 Indigo De Souza, Beach Fossils, Sbtrkt, Toro Y Moi, and more.
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Blondshell — Blondshell
Singles like the devastating “Olympus” or the catchy “Veronica Mars” showcased an intimate, compelling debut album from Blondshell, the project of Sabrina Teitelbaum. More than half the tracks were released before the unveiling of the LP, but the material sounds satisfying together. It’s a complex portrait of self-destruction and yearning for more, especially portrayed on the new “Sober Together”: “Call me, I wanna be there for you / But not in a way that lets you take me down with you.”
Wednesday — Rat Saw God
Wednesday’s seismic Rat Saw God demands to be replayed over and over again. The explosive opener “Hot Rotten Grass Smell” is a blazing entrance, kicking off the album with noisy guitars and Karly Hartzman’s addictive drawl. It bleeds into the 8-minute catharsis “Bull Believer,” which feels like a finale, but the story’s stillest beginning. “Chosen To Deserve” is a love song with hyper-specific anecdotes about self-destruction; “Quarry” is a tame indie-rock ballad about lice, teenage pregnancy, and drug busts. Rat Saw God will suck you in and you won’t want to leave its dark embrace.
Scowl — Psychic Dance Routine
Though Scowl are most known for playing an insane hardcore show at a Sonic or maybe for being repped by Post Malone on a T-shirt, their music speaks for itself. Psychic Dance Routine commands the listener to feel the songs fully, to be absorbed into their vicious energy. The title track slows things down for a more seething feeling, which bleeds into the ferocious, growl-filled “Wire,” proving their eclectic skill.
Balance And Composure — Too Quick To Forgive
2019 was a tragic year for fans of the beloved Pennsylvania emo band Balance And Composure. They announced their breakup and played vigorous farewell shows that only showcased the passion their music inspired in people. Luckily, they’re back now with a small EP called Too Quick To Forgive featuring songs “Savior Mode” and “Last To Know,” the former of which is certainly one of the best songs of their career. The four-and-a-half minute track captures their catharsis and intensity; “Last To Know,” an ethereal slow-burner, encapsulates their talent for brooding anthems.
Indigo De Souza — “You Can Be Mean To Me”
Somehow, Indigo De Souza’s singles have just been getting better and better. “Younger & Dumber” was a powerful, vulnerable song about maturation; “Smog” was a dancey anthem reckoning with anxiety. “You Can Be Mean To Me” grapples with a toxic relationship: “I’d like to think you got a good heart / And your dad was just an asshole growing up.” The emotional intensity is immediately palpable and impactful.
Feeble Little Horse — “Steamroller”
Feeble Little Horse’s “Steamroller” is an enthralling dose of idiosyncratic shoegaze. Lydia Slocum’s soothing vocals work well against disorienting guitars: “Steamroller, you / F*ck like you’re eating / Your smile’s like / Lines in the concrete.” Their brand of beautifully weird indie rock might never get old.
Origami Angel — “Thank You, New Jersey”
It’s 2023 and pop punk is alive and well. “Thank You, New Jersey” is a relentless anthem that sounds like an acid trip at Warped Tour. It moves nauseatingly fast in the best way and the riffs are ridiculously infectious, almost aggressively so, and the lyrics are unforgettable: “I’m on an island alone with my conscious / There’s no place that I’d rather be.”
Sbtrkt, Toro Y Moi — “Days Go By”
Sbtrkt’s new album The Rat Road arrives in May, and “Days Go By,” which features Toro Y Moi, is a new taste. There’s a groove throughout the four and a half minutes, during which Toro Y Moi catchily narrates the dullness of the days: “I called just to see if you could still go out / Nothing was open so we just stayed in.”
Spaced — “Boomerang” & “Cycle Killer”
Spaced make cutthroat, eclectic hardcore. “Boomerang” & “Cycle Killer” are the newest offerings, and they showcase the band’s devotion to pure mayhem. At around two minutes, both give their all, shredding with insane guitar solos and attention-grabbing shouts and high-energy breakdowns.
Beach Fossils — “Dare Me”
Preparing for Bunny, their first new studio album in six years, Beach Fossils shared the second single “Dare Me” to follow “Don’t Fade Away.” The laid-back song is reminiscent of Turnover’s Peripheral Vision, pulling the listener in with its dreamy atmosphere and nostalgic texture.