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 Black Country, New Road; Jamie xx; Julien Baker & Torres; and more.
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Deafheaven – “Magnolia”
Heavy shoegaze has become one of the decade’s leading sonic trends, and Deafheaven was a key participant in 2021 with their album Infinite Granite. On songs like “Great Mass Of Color” and “In Blur,” frontman George Clarke delivered clean vocals for the first time, and Justin Meldal-Johnsen lent his M83-sized production style to give those songs some celestial heft. For their new record — Lonely People With Power, out March 28 — Deafheaven have recruited Meldal-Johnsen again for those soaring, anthemic qualities, but they’re back to their black metal days with lead single “Magnolia.” Clarke issues throat-shredding screams as his bandmates plow ahead with searing blast-beats and relentless shredding. It’s a homecoming that’s at once brutal and beautiful.
Momma – “I Want You (Fever)”
One of the most indelible trends of 2020s indie rock thus far has been the revival of ’90s sonic signifiers. Although Brooklynites Momma have been making music since the 2010s, their music reached an apotheosis on 2022’s Household Name, which drew from the likes of Pavement, Nirvana, and Smashing Pumpkins for a collection of concise, hook-minded bangers. Rather than steering away from that foundation entirely, songwriters Etta Friedman and Allegra Weingarten keep building on top of it while adding their own idiosyncratic twists. Their latest song, “I Want You (Fever),” abounds with skyscraper riffs, towering choruses, and trenchant melodies.
Julien Baker & Torres – “Sylvia”
The idea of a Julien Baker and Torres collaborative album dates back as early as 2016. After the two musicians played a show in Chicago together, they briefly entertained the idea. Now, that album has fully come to fruition. Send A Prayer My Way, out April 18, sees Baker and Torres dive headfirst into full-on country. Both artists are from the South and have been enamored of the genre’s most influential voices, and they’re making their own mark on a scene that has long been exclusionary toward queer women. “Sylvia,” which accompanies the announcement, is further proof that this is no mere pastiche. Its draw lies in its simplicity, one of country’s most salient tenets. “So alone when I’m not with you, but I ache to see the world,” the duo sings. On paper, it’s a straightforward song about Torres’ dog. In execution, it’s a tune that resonates with universal truths.
Lucrecia Dalt – “Cosa Rara”
Colombian musician Lucrecia Dalt boasts an impressive portfolio of film scores. Whereas her compositions for the screen hew to the worlds constructed by others, Dalt sculpts her own fantastical settings throughout her experimental oeuvre. Her 2022 breakthrough LP, ¡Ay!, showcased her predilection for futuristic bolero. On “Cosa Rara,” the title track of her forthcoming EP, she taps into her scoring skills to highlight the most eerie qualities of her music: aqueous synths, minor-key bass, churning percussion. That’s all before former Japan frontman David Sylvain delivers a hypnotic verse in his earthy baritone. Suggestive and ominous, it’s a tidy summation of Dalt’s wide-ranging talents.
Tunde Adebimpe – “Drop”
It has been over a decade since TV On The Radio put out an album. As one of the most influential bands in the NYC early-aughts indie-rock heyday, people have long been clamoring for new music. Although the group has returned to touring, it seems like frontman Tunde Adebimpe has kept himself occupied with other endeavors. Namely, his debut solo record, Thee Black Boltz, out April 18. Similar to how other iconic indie rockers, such as Kims Gordon and Deal, released great solo debuts long after their respective bands’ most active periods, Adebimpe stakes his own claim. “Drop,” which accompanies the announcement, marks a new path for the polymath. Opening with heavily processed beatboxing and ringing guitar, “Drop” sees Adebimpe wrestling with his life’s trajectory. “The ticking of a clock / On my life / And my life’s just a dot / On a timeline,” he intones. Despite these questions of self-doubt and impermanence, he sounds genuinely sure of himself. He’s here to stay.
Sleigh Bells – “Wanna Start A Band?”
Sleigh Bells started making their latest song over a decade ago. In 2008, Alexis Krauss was eating at a Brooklyn restaurant when her server, Derek Miller, asked her if she wanted to start a band. Thus, Sleigh Bells was born. Fast forward to 2014, when Miller began toying with a guitar riff that would eventually form the basis of “Wanna Start A Band?” It’s got all the classic Sleigh Bells signifiers: chugging guitars, blown-out, noisy production, and sugary sweet vocal hooks. All of it amounts to one of the indie-pop duo’s best songs since Treats.
Jamie xx – “F.U.” Feat. Erykah Badu
After finally releasing his second solo album, In Waves, English producer Jamie xx has shared its deluxe version, which boasts two new tracks plus three singles he’s previously shared. One of those new tunes (kinda) features R&B lodestar Erykah Badu. “F.U.,” the tune in question, samples Badu’s extemporaneous set at a Primavera Sound after-party that Jamie xx recorded on his phone. Her equipment kept failing on her, so she resorted to ad-libs to make it through the allotted time slot. Its origins may be off-the-cuff, but Jamie transforms a one-off Badu performance into something carefully considered and immaculately crafted. Its squelchy bass and thumping drums contain all the central characteristics of a Jamie xx banger.
Black Country, New Road – “Besties”
Shortly before releasing their beloved second album, Ants From Up There, then-frontman Isaac Wood announced his departure from Black Country, New Road. The post-punk band stated that it would continue, but newly bereft of their main vocalist, it was a confusing time. They went out on tour, performing completely new material, which would then become 2023’s Live At Bush Hall. But Forever Howlong (out April 4) marks their first proper studio LP since Wood’s egress, and it’s composed of all-new material not included on Live At Bush Hall. Lead single “Besties” marks yet another first for BC,NR: Georgia Ellery, also of the experimental pop duo Jockstrap, on lead vocals. With its anthemic aura, “Besties” sounds like a triumphant rebirth, highlighting an epic new epoch for the Windmill graduates.
Sasami – “In Love With A Memory” Feat. Clairo
Sasami grew up studying composition, and so did producer and former Vampire Weekend member Rostam Batmanglij. For the latest single from the forthcoming Blood On The Silver Screen, Sasami and Rostam tapped into their compositional knowledge to create “In Love With A Memory.” Drawing more from Sasami’s classical upbringing, “In Love With A Memory” cruises on adroit synth arpeggios while taking inspiration from Japanese and Korean folk songs. It also includes vocals from fellow indie-pop songwriter Clairo, whose gossamer timbre seamlessly blends into the song’s fabric.
Uwade – “Call It A Draw”
At the beginning of “Wading In Waist-High Water,” the opening track of Fleet Foxes’ 2020 album Shore, Uwade Akhere’s voice comes in like a lapping wave. When she recorded those vocals, she was studying classics at Oxford. She shuffled around the studio toying with various instruments and marveling at her surroundings. She recorded some covers during the Shore sessions, too, but in the time that’s elapsed, Uwade has established a voice of her own. “Call It A Draw,” the lead single of her forthcoming debut album, Florilegium, blends alt-R&B, neo-soul, and indie-folk. Threading it all together is Uwade’s hypnotic vocals, which flare like vaporous tendrils swirling about the stereo field. Five years ago, Uwade introduced herself. But now, she has fully arrived.
