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 Hermanos Gutiérrez, Swim Good Now, Hey, Ily!, and more.
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Graham Hunt – Try Not To Laugh
In Madison, Wisconsin, Graham Hunt is something of an everyman. Hunt’s background in hardcore punk (Midwives), garage rock (Midnight Reruns), and alt-country (Trapper Schoepp And The Shades) has buttressed his growingly varied portfolio. As a solo artist, though, he has always remained steadfastly loyal to power-pop, occasionally venturing into folk, psych-rock, or punk whenever the moment’s right. On his fourth solo record, Try Not To Laugh, Hunt melds sweet vocal melodies, gritty production, and unconventional arrangements, as exemplified on songs like the (tastefully) wah-heavy “Emergency Contact” and the flickering “Zoomed Out.”
Wishy – Paradise
Kevin Krautner and Nina Pitchkites are on the precipice of a true breakout moment. The duo draws from touchstones like shoegaze, ‘90s alt-rock, and twee-pop, and Paradise, their debut EP as Wishy (née Mana) fuses that triptych into a hooky whole. “Donut” is a rush of soaring guitar tones that evokes the adrenaline of, well, driving around in donuts, and the opening title track demonstrates the Indy natives’ poppier sensibilities. This five-song collection lives up to its name: It’s pure paradise.
Hermanos Gutiérrez – “Blood Milk Moon”
Estevan and Alejandro Gutiérrez, otherwise known as Hermanos Gutiérrez, are known for their entrancing, meditative guitar arrangements. For their latest single, “Blood Milk Moon,” the Swiss-Ecuadorian brothers recruit The Black Keys’ Dan Auberbach for production duties, and the Gutiérrez brothers’ guitars weave in and out of each other like snakes needling their way through labyrinthine passages.
Swim Good Now – “The Blinding Light”
Jonathan Lawless, the Toronto artist who records under the moniker Swim Good Now, has a lot of cool friends. It would only make sense that he’d round up a bunch of them for the new Swim Good Now single, “The Blinding Light.” It includes backing vocals from songwriter and pianist Gia Margaret, Stars’ Torquil Campbell, fiddle-player Linsey Beckett, cellist Matt Brubeck, and guitarist Daniel Halyburton, to name just some of the musicians (trust me; there are even more). “The Blinding Light” plays like a hangout among close friends in the best way possible.
Liquid Mike – “K2”
Marquette, Michigan power-pop-punkers Liquid Mike are on a roll right now. Earlier this year, they released S/T, an 11-song, 18-minute blast of catchy melodies and sparkly riffs. They’re already back with a new album due this February, Paul Bunyan’s Slingshot. “K2,” its new single, follows S/T’s indefatigable lead. It opens with a squall of feedback before it spontaneously combusts mere seconds later; fiery guitar chords and driving drums take charge as frontman Mike Maple reminisces on the summertime of 2009.
Finnoguns Wake – “Lovers All”
As of now, Finnoguns Wake have only two songs to their name, but that will soon change when they release their debut EP, Stay Young, in January. Much like previous single “Blue Skies,” “Lovers All” evinces the band’s hardcore roots. Tim “Shogun” Wall comes from groups like Royal Headache, Nintendo Police, and Shogun And The Sheets. Now, Wall has joined forces with Finn Berzin to lace his brand of inflammatory punk with Britpop melodicism, post-punk crunch, and a James Joyce reference. Together, Wall and Berzin sound impervious.
Madeline Kenney – The Same, Again: ANRM (Tiny Telephone Sessions)
Back in July, the Oakland singer-songwriter and Wye Oak collaborator Madeline Kenney shared her wonderful fourth album, A New Reality Mind. Kenney has returned with a new interpretation of that record, fittingly named The Same, Again: ANRM (Tiny Telephone Sessions). For this reimagining, she recorded the album in its entirety on a grand piano at Tiny Telephone Oakland. It’s a graceful recontextualization that unearths the compelling foundation of Kenney’s songwriting.
Hey, Ily! – “The Second Coming Of Jekyll & Hyde (12 Days Of Chillmas)”
Hey, Ily!’s sui generis take on Nintendocore, goth, and emo has been exciting to follow since their 2021 debut EP, Internet Breath. As the band has stated on Twitter (because that’s what it will forever be known as), their second LP is in the works. For now, they’ve treated us to “The Second Coming of Jekyll & Hyde (12 Days Of Chillmas),” just in time for the holiday season. It’s the perfect soundtrack for a cozy yet intense Super Smash Bros. Ultimate match while avoiding the icy outdoors.