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 the the anticipated new album from Clairo, two surprise EPs from Gang Of Youths and Yves Tumor, and an epic new single from Foxing. Check out the rest of the best new indie music below.
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Clairo – Sling
On her sophomore album, Clairo dials back the lo-fi bedroom pop sound she perfected on her debut, instead favoring a sparse singer-songwriter approach. Sling is a fully-formed project that feels like it emerged from the Laurel Canyon scene, a mature and ambitious step forward for the young artist.
Willow – Lately I Feel Everything
Willow’s debut album proves that pop-punk isn’t going away anytime soon. Featuring contributions from Travis Barker and Avril Lavigne, Lately I Feel Everything feels simultaneously nostalgic for the mall punk of the early 2000s and forward-thinking in its delivery.
Gang Of Youths – Total Serene EP
Australian rockers Gang Of Youths are roaring back this year after nearly four years of silence. The band returned earlier this month with a new single “The Angel Of 8th Ave,” then unleashed the full Total Serene EP without any warning. The EP contains four songs, including the previously-released single and a cover of Elbow’s 2001 track “Asleep In The Back.”
Yves Tumor – The Asymptotical World EP
Less than a year after dropping Heaven To A Tortured Mind — one of 2020’s best albums — Yves Tumor is back with even more music. The six-track The Asymptotical World “boasts skittering beats, mind-melting electric guitars, and layered production Tumor has perfected on their previous efforts,” writes Carolyn Droke for Uproxx.
Hovvdy – “True Love”
In the two years since the last full-length Hovvdy album, both of the band’s members got married, and one has since become a father. On their new album True Love, the duo returns to make sense of the changes, and creating the title track was a particularly cathartic experience for songwriter Charlie Martin, who wrote in a statement, “it feels so good to express love and appreciation when you really fucking mean it.”
Foxing – “Draw Down The Moon”
The rollout of Foxing’s fourth studio album Draw Down The Moon has been an impressive journey full of puzzles, riddles, and incredible music. The album’s title track is the latest entry in a string of awesome singles, showcasing the band’s knack for massive hooks and pop-rock song structures.
Pet Symmetry – “Pet Sympathy”
Chicago emo supergroup Pet Symmetry is finally back with brand new music after a painful absence. Comprised of Evan Weiss (Into it. Over it.), Marcus Nuccio (Ratboys), and Erik Czaja (Dowsing), “Pet Sympathy” is the first taste of the trio’s new album Future Suits, a breezy and groovy number that serves as a clever disguise for lyrics that illustrate the various horrors of 2020.
Shortly – “Science”
For the debut Shortly album, songwriter Alexandria Maniak stepped into the producer chair alongside Hop Along’s Joe Reinhart to flesh out song sketches revolving around themes of dysphoria, codependence, and grappling with a sense of belonging. “Science” is the first taste of what to expect with Dancer, the long-awaited full-length effort from one of Michigan’s best songwriters.
Soccer Mommy – “Rom Com 2004”
Although there is no word on when Soccer Mommy will follow up the acclaimed 2020 LP Color Theory, Sophie Allison has been rolling out a handful of standalone singles over the last few months. “Rom Com 2004” is the latest entry in the series, a track that “sounds like one of the breezy, poppy tunes from one of her last two albums, but there are times when it sounds like the device used to play the track is malfunctioning, resulting in some dissonance that keeps you on your toes and wondering what’s going to happen next,” as Derrick Rossignol writes for Uproxx.
Turnstile – “Alien Love Call” (ft. Blood Orange)
A few weeks after dropping the explosive and versatile Turnstile Love Connection EP, the Baltimore hardcore band has officially announced their forthcoming full-length project. Glow On is due out in August, and alongside the announcement, the band shared another new song in the form of “Alien Love Call,” which shows the full spectrum of the band’s melodic ability and features guest vocals from Blood Orange.
Vial – “Something More”
I included a track from Vial in this column a few weeks back, and the latest release from the Minneapolis quartet is an even more impressive entry. “Something More” is an infectious love song that employs fuzzy guitars and bouncing percussion to evoke a sense of longing.
Torres – “Thirstier”
The title track from Torres’ forthcoming LP is what Derrick Rossignol calls for Uproxx “a blistering, full-bodied single” that serves as an exciting preview for an album that comes from a more joyous place and anything Mackenzie Scott has released to date.
Alexa Rose – “Human”
“Human” is the second sampling of Alexa Rose’s sophomore album Headwaters, a sparse and meditative number that gives Rose’s gorgeous vocal full range to explore and anchor the track. In a statement, Rose explained that the song is “about the ways we try to show up when we’re just not equip, and how we contort ourselves to provide abundance for others when we don’t even feel it within ourselves.”
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.