I bet that you’d look good on the A-side: 10 indie B-sides that should have been singles
Long gone are the days of the B-side. Some bands still include them if they have songs to throw around, but as the 7-inch is pressed less and less, the need for a B-side isn’t there. It makes sense, but it’s a shame, as the indie boom reflected how good the B-sides could be when bands such as Arctic Monkeys, Peace and Palma Violets all put out some of their greatest songs on the other side of the vinyl.
It’s hard to work out what makes a good B-side. Generally speaking, bands will release their biggest hitting song on the A-side of a record, and then the B-side will be a track which complements that single but doesn’t overstate it. The often more laid-back nature of the B-side means they age better, so when people look back on a single being released, they enjoy the B-side more than the A-side.
Given the time which has passed since the indie boom, we now have the chance to look back on some of these singles and determine which B-sides would have been better on the other side of the disc. You’d be surprised just how many great songs are out there, hiding in the shadows of the respective single they were released alongside.
These are some of the greatest B-sides released during the indie boom that deserved to be their own singles.
Indie B-sides which should have been singles:
Arctic Monkeys – ‘You’re So Dark’
When it comes to choosing Arctic Monkeys’ greatest B-sides, you’re well and truly spoilt for choice. Something that has remained consistent throughout the band’s career, regardless of the phase they’re going through, is their innate ability to release excellent B-sides alongside their other great singles.
Each B-side has a sound in line with whatever style they find themselves in for that specific angle, but perhaps one of their coolest and sexiest sounds was that on their song ‘You’re So Dark’. Released as a B-side, the song talks of a mysterious lover that Turner doesn’t deem himself cool or mysterious enough for. The pained longing in his voice during the outro is truly moving.
Peace – ‘Flirting USA’
When Peace was initially releasing music, it seemed like the band couldn’t put a foot wrong. Their debut album and the singles that came out in support of it were charming, catchy, and some of the most fun indie music available at the time. As such, when they released their first single in the run-up to their second album, people were waiting with bated breath.
‘Money’ was very well-received, with a heavy guitar line and poignant lyricism; however, the B-side caught the hearts of listeners as well. ‘Flirting USA’ had an incredibly bouncy and upbeat guitar line, and the high-pitched vocals which laced the chorus sounded like a mixture of disco music and modern indie. The track deserves a lot more praise than it gets.
The Strokes – ‘Modern Girls & Old Fashioned Men’
The Strokes weren’t only a good band, but their talent, style, and sound created a brand new musical movement. We look back at their early work fondly because of the new movement it started; however, their B-side, ‘Modern Girls & Old Fashioned Men’, is often overlooked when we consider these great songs.
The song opens with an arguing couple lashing out at one another but refusing to listen to what the other has to say. Julian Casablanca sings with Regina Spektor on this song, which feels like a very independent track for the band. The band still uses its unique sound but presents it in a different way.
The Vaccines – ‘Tiger Blood’
The Vaccines have maintained a steady stream of consistency throughout their time as a band. Their new material remains upbeat, fun to listen to, and the kind of thing that gets festival crowds bouncing. However, there’s something about their early work which is simply infectious.
We hear that in full flow on their B-side ‘Tiger Blood’. The track is gritty and exciting, and it is the kind of song that you immediately feel desperate to sing along to. The Vaccines burst onto the scene with a sound that immediately captured the hearts of indie lovers, and ‘Tiger Blood’ should have been celebrated more due to how much it championed that sound.
Palma Violets – ‘Last of the Summer Wine’
During the indie boom, we had a lot of bands that took a popular sound and repurposed it. As such, when we look back on that period, many musical outfits sound the same, and with the power of hindsight, simply aren’t that special. Palma Violets aren’t one of those bands.
From this period, they remain one of the most unique bands that stepped into the spotlight. Their energetic music and exciting live shows made them a force to be reckoned with, and this is best heard on their track ‘Last of the Summer Wine’. While it remains a fan favourite, we can’t help but feel the song deserved to be a leading single.
The Libertines – ‘Tell The King’
The Libertines’ music continues to feel modern and nostalgic simultaneously. Pete Doherty’s beautiful tone, alongside gritty guitar work, fun riffs, and energetic rhythm sections, makes for something equal parts serene and spontaneous.
While ‘Tell The King’ might not be the band’s most famous B-side, there is no denying that it champions the well-known elements of The Libertines that listeners fell in love with. Doherty’s voice is in full force, and the entire song feels like something that had the potential to be released as a leading single.
Foals – ‘Brazil Is Here!’
Foals have remained consistently inconsistent throughout their career. While what we hear on Antidotes varies compared to some of their later albums, Yannis Philippakis’s iconic vocals paired with the band’s unrelenting energy mean that even albums that sound different are undeniably the same band’s work.
Throughout the Antidotes era, we heard many songs, one of which was the fan-favourite single ‘Balloons’. The track was held in such high regard that it demoted the song ‘Brazil Is Here!’ to the B-side. However, music lovers agree that the high standard Foals set here means that ‘Brazil Is Here!’ is one of the greatest B-sides from the band’s history.
Blur – ‘Young and Lovely’
It can often take bands a while to truly find the sound they would be known to champion, and for Blur, their Blur-ness didn’t well and truly kick in until they started working on their second album, Modern Life Is Rubbish. They were very aware that they had some unique aspects to celebrate, especially with Damon Albarn’s distinctive vocals and Graham Coxon’s catchy guitar, but it was putting them both together that they needed to get right.
Upon returning to the UK after a long tour in America, they worked out a way to celebrate their unique music style, which can be heard beautifully in their song ‘Young And Lovely’. Despite its strength, the song was delegated to the B-side; however, the band seemed to recognise the error of their ways, as the song was featured on their setlist for their 2023 warm-up shows.
Radiohead – ‘Talk Show Host’
Jack Black highlighted the versatility of Radiohead when talking about two of their most popular albums. “If you want concept, you go OK Computer,” he said, “But if you wanna rock – if you want straight-up fucking songs – you go The Bends. The first few listens, I was like, ‘I don’t understand… My brain’s not computing…’ Then it clicked in: ‘Ohhhh, I see! It’s the best band in the history of rock!’”
As he said, The Bends might have been more of a straight-up rock album, but OK Computer was a heavy concept album that completely changed the face of music. Their B-side ahead of the release of this album prefaced the new direction they were going in, and ‘Talk Show Host’ remains one of their most exciting songs as a result. This track’s stop-start nature and hip-hop-like themes highlight how good Radiohead were becoming.
Primal Scream – ‘Velocity Girl’
Few bands have a sound that’s quite as exciting as Primal Scream, as the band manages to take influence from music in the 1960s but intertwines it with modern themes to create a psychedelic, enchanting sound. They have songs you can wholeheartedly get lost in, and their B-side to ‘Crystal Crescent’, ‘Velocity Girl’, is a great example.
The song sees the band at their trippiest, as this B-side is infectious throughout. It inspired other bands to make music similarly, and it’s certainly good enough to have made it onto one of the band’s A-sides.
