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 Oso Oso, Amen Dunes, Half Waif, and more.
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Dehd – Poetry
The Chicago indie-rock trio is back with the Charles Bukowski-inspired Poetry. Like Dehd’s other records, it’s a potent yet breezy surf-rock synthesis of the talents of guitarist-vocalist Jason Balla, bassist-vocalist Emily Kempf, and drummer Eric McGrady. The ingredients are simple, but, just as they were on 2020’s Flower Of Devotion and 2022’s Blue Skies, the songs are always fun.
Half Waif – “Big Dipper”
Nothing is truly permanent, and that’s something Nandi Rose is acutely aware of. As Half Waif, Rose makes opalescent, spellbinding indie-pop, and her forthcoming EP, Ephemeral Being, underlines the fleeting nature of its own beauty. Cloaked in bewitching synths and Rose’s own velvety vocals, its lead single, “Big Dipper,” leaves as quickly as it arrives. But that’s the cardinal tenet of the song itself: appreciating the moment at it is.
Origami Angel – “Fruit Wine”
Washington D.C. emo duo Origami Angel have arrived with the anthem of the summer. “Fruit Wine,” produced by in-demand punk engineer Will Yip, is a canny combination of guitarist-vocalist Ryland Heagy’s pop-forward melodies, drummer Pat Doherty’s powerful, punchy percussion, and, to top it all off, the duo’s predilection for sick breakdowns. Heagy is entirely correct when he says they’re capable of turning water into fruit wine. This song is the proof.
Parannoul – “Gold River”
Parannoul emerged as an artist to watch when he released the 2021 DIY gem To See The Next Part Of The Dream. The South Korean artist’s ability to make the richest, swoon-worthy guitar tones of the year with nothing but MIDI was one of the most herculean feats in modern shoegaze. Since then, he’s rightfully been getting his accolades. “Gold River,” a new one-off single, hammers home why Parannoul is one of the best artists to break through in the 2020s. Noisy yet melodic, epic but never overwrought, “Gold River” is another declaration of Parannoul’s singularity.
Fantasy Of A Broken Heart – “Ur Heart Stops”
Listening to Fantasy Of A Broken Heart sounds like stepping into the neon-soaked hues of a delirious dreamworld. Al Nardo and Bailey Wollowitz mine the sounds of Elephant 6 psych-pop, ’70s prog, and chillwave to conjure their own varietal of pop music that’s delightfully askew. Feats of Engineering, out Sept. 27, puts that off-kilter fun on display. “Ur Heart Stops,” with its 7/8 switch-ups and dream-pop atmospherics, sound like a pure fantasy that’s been fully realized.
Giant Waste Of Man – “Gaeta”
Los Angeles crew Giant Waste Of Man are back with their first taste of new music since 2022’s Biographer. “Gaeta,” opening with hushed murmurs that eventually give way to booming, cavernous drums and squalling guitars, is an invigorating new track that merges avant-pop, drone, and psych-rock into a heady swirl.
Amen Dunes – Death Jokes
Damon McMahon, the man behind Amen Dunes, returns with his seventh album under the moniker, Death Jokes. Although McMahon falls beneath the larger indie umbrella, his work has always been difficult to pin down, and that pattern continues with Death Jokes, the follow-up to his 2018 breakthrough, Freedom. In lesser hands, a record that draws from this many disparate styles would read as unfocused and unsure of itself. In typical Amen Dunes fashion, however, McMahon has crafted an enthralling collection of character studies, each song its own fully rendered world.
Hinds – “Boom Boom Back”
“Viva Hinds!” has become something of a mantra for Spanish indie rockers Carlotta Cosials and Ana Perrote. Going from a quartet to a duo can be difficult for a band, especially when the two former musicians were the group’s core rhythm section. As Hinds, however, Cosials and Perrote sound wonderfully in sync, and that hasn’t changed on their upcoming fourth album, Viva Hinds. On their new single “Boom Boom Back,” featuring Beck, Hinds sound as animated as ever. Their bond as a duo, which Hinds’ latest track demonstrates, has unearthed the foundation that was always there: a strong, creative companionship.
Oso Oso – “All Of My Love”
On their recent co-headlining tour with Spanish Love Songs, the Long Beach, New York emo outfit Oso Oso were playing a new song. “All Of My Love,” the song in question, is purportedly from the still-unannounced fifth Oso Oso album and (potentially) called Life Till Bones. Jade Lilitri, the project’s architect, retains the heartfelt lyrics and ebullient instrumentation of his music while injecting it with a dancier bent. It’s a fun new direction that’s still undeniably Oso Oso.
Bonny Light Horseman – “Old Dutch”
Next month, folk trio Bonny Light Horseman will release their double album, Keep Me On Your Mind/See You Free, their first for Jagjaguwar. “Old Dutch,” the latest single from Anaïs Mitchell, Josh Kaufman, and Eric D. Johnson, is as filigreed and gently alluring as all Bonny Light Horseman songs are.