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 a new album from Manchester Orchestra, the long-awaited follow up collaboration between Matt Sweeney and Bonnie “Prince” Billy, and new tracks from Mannequin Pussy, Willow, and more. Check out the rest of the best new indie music below.
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Manchester Orchestra – The Million Masks Of God
Manchester Orchestra has gone through many evolutions over the last fifteen years. What started as an emotive and volatile post-hardcore outfit has become what Steven Hyden called for Uproxx “expansive and philosophical indie rock.” The Million Masks Of God features the outfit’s grandest vision to date, delivering an ornate collection of a songs inspired by the death of guitarist Robert McDowell’s father.
Matt Sweeney & Bonnie “Prince” Billy – Superwolves
The last time Matt Sweeney and Bonnie “Prince” Billy collaborated, the world was very different. Yet 2005’s Superwolf had the staying power to remain relevant as the planet continued to spin. With Superwolves, the duo “maintained the same singular mood of the first record, even as they’ve opened up their partnership, on three tracks, to the thrilling Tuareg guitar hero Mdou Moctar and his crack band,” writes Steven Hyden for Uproxx.
Origami Angel – Gami Gang
After finding some breakthrough success with their debut 2019 LP Somewhere City, Washington, DC-based emo duo Origami Angel widened their lens and set their sites on a new project that would surely take them to the next level. Gami Gang is a punk masterpiece, fraught with intricate guitar insanity and impressive vocal hooks that forecast massive potential for the band’s growth.
Charlie Martin – Imaginary People
Charlie Martin is one-half of the excellent lo-fi indie project Hovvdy, and his debut solo album fills the gap we’ve felt since the band’s last studio release in 2019. “I want people to hear the songs and feel comforted or lifted up,” Martin said in a statement. “That’s always my goal.” The thirteen tracks that make up Imaginary People certainly achieve the goal.
WILLOW – “transparent soul” (ft. Travis Barker)
Willow is just 20 years old, but she already has four albums to her name. Her latest track “transparent soul” marks a stylistic shift in the direction of artists like Paramore and Avril Lavigne, and gets a little help from Travis Barker, who knows a thing or two about pop punk. “With expressive vocal delivery, Willow leans on raucous guitars to serve up a scathing critique of someone’s character,” writes Carolyn Droke for Uproxx.
Half Waif – “Swimmer”
Just over a year after releasing the excellent album The Caretaker, Nandi Rose is back with another brand new album called Mythopoetics. After a string of standalone singles over the last few months (all of which are featured on the album), “Swimmer” marks the LP’s first proper single. It’s a massive and dramatic electro-pop track that was written after Rose visited her aunt, who has Alzheimer’s and can only truly be reached through the power of music.
Squid – “Pamphlets”
Buzzy experimental UK outfit Squid are gearing up to release their new album Bright Green Field, and “Pamphlets” is the final single before the full album drops. At over eight minutes, the track protests the proliferation of propaganda being placed in people’s mailboxes, and “establishes a quick and consistent pace early before embarking on a frenetic post-punk journey,” writes Derrick Rossignol for Uproxx.
Mannequin Pussy – “Perfect”
Though Mannequin Pussy previewed their new EP Perfect with the excellent alt-rock track “Control,” they had to make sure that fans didn’t think they lost their edge with “Perfect.” The EP’s title track is a bombastic hardcore punk rocker that clocks in at just over one minute long — the perfect length for a punk song, IMO.
Faye Webster – “Cheers”
Faye Webster’s forthcoming album I Know I’m Funny Haha might have the greatest title of all time, and it doesn’t hurt that the music itself is also pretty great. “Cheers” is the first taste of the new album, which is “grittier than much of the tracks heard on Webster’s breakout 2019 album Atlanta Millionaire’s Club,” writes Carolyn Droke for Uproxx. “It’s held up by grumbling guitar chords which offer an intentional contrast to Webster’s airy vocals.”
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.