Alternative Album Chart: The best new indie and alternative albums this week
So far, 2024 has been a brilliant year for music. Seamlessly carrying the torch from the previous 12 months, just six weeks in, we have seen many artists from across the kaleidoscopic spectrum of genres assert why they are at the forefront of music. This week has been no different. From experimental folk to pulsating industrial, the likes of Helado Negro and Chelsea Wolfe have released masterful records.
Although it might have seemed at the tail end of 2023 that it would be a tough act to copy, 2024 has started strongly, with several notable artists already offering contenders for Album of the Year when we’re so early into the long 12 months. So far, the likes of Gruff Rhys, Daudi Matsiko and The Last Dinner Party have released memorable titles into the ether, with this week providing a muscular supplement to this lap around the sun’s vanguard.
Alongside Helado Negro and Chelsea Wolfe, the likes of Madi Diaz, The Telescopes, and former Alamaba Shakes frontwoman Brittany Howard have returned with masterful releases, with the likes of punk band The Chisel and indie pop star Declan McKenna also releasing new titles. It’s safe to say there’s enough for everyone this week to keep them more than entertained as we move into the weekend.
Find this week’s Alternative Album Chart below.
The best new indie and alternative albums this week:
Phasor – Helado Negro – 4/5
Helado Negro translates from Spanish to English as “Black Ice Cream”. This name becomes less arbitrary upon listening to the Florida-born artist’s brand-new album, Phasor. Sweet and moreish at the outset, it prevails with opulent electronic textures and shady, late-night intoxication. Bright danceability is warped throughout by the avant-garde production quirks essential to Helado Negro’s sonic identity.
The successful experimental pop project of Roberto Carlos Lange, Helado Negro has prevailed for over 15 years. Since his 2009 debut album, Awe Owe, Lange has deftly straddled the fine line between experimentalism and accessibility, adorning an eclectic oeuvre with Latin tones to reflect his Ecuadorian heritage.
Contrary to Far In, a rumination on lockdown claustrophobia, Phasor hears Lange return to the big wide world. Instrumentally optimistic, this heady bundle presents a kaleidoscopic image of decadent dance halls and bustling beach parties. But not so fast; Lange will burrow under your skin with oblique flourishes and transportive lyrics demanding undivided attention. [Words: Jordan Potter]
Weird Faith – Madi Diaz – 3.5/5
Of her 2021 album, Madi Diaz said History Of A Feeling felt like her debut despite being active for years before. It was a painfully revealing insight into a relationship’s necessary yet painful end. Three years on, Weird Faith feels like a sophomore release in the best way, as Diaz attempts to dust herself off and figure out her place in the aftermath of heartbreak and the birth of new love.
Musically straightforward, it’s the kind of high-quality, plain sailing you’d expect from a performer of Diaz’s calibre. It’s careful not to crowd the lyricism but is scattered with enough difference and layers to protect it from being one-note. Adding Kacey Musgraves on ‘Don’t Do Me Good’ is a clear highlight, coming together for a good old-fashioned country ballad.
In every way, Weird Faith is a perfect follow-up to History Of A Feeling. It seamlessly continues the story in the most real way as the emotions it holds truthfully encapsulate the feeling of returning to love after a brutal loss. It’s an album that feels like it’s a walk in the dark, trying to balance letting yourself dive in deep again with a subtle desire to be more guarded than before. Diaz’s voice comes through crisp and clear with all that fear and doubt and excitement and giddiness that colours the early doors of a new relationship. All summed up in the opening lines of the final track; “I’ve been hoping, feeling emotions.” [Words: Lucy Harbron]
She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She – Chelsea Wolfe – 3.5/5
Chelsea Wolfe returned with a bang in her first album in five years. Picking up from where she left with 2019’s Birth of Violence and fusing it with her experience working on the soundtrack to Ti West’s X, listeners find the Californian entering a new space, one you could argue she’s been voyaging towards her whole career. Beautiful but haunting, She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She is an arresting blend of everything that makes the contemporary goth priestess compelling.
Across her new record, Chelsea Wolfe resoundingly asserts why she is one of the most authentic artists out there. Impossible to quantify with the gradually obsolete tags of genre, she blends her influences and previous career experiences into a multifaceted sonic experience that certainly leaves a mark on the listener. It’s also a testament to her that she’s managed to tap into new areas in such emphatic form.
Growing Eyes Becoming String – The Telescopes – 3.5/5
Over a decade ago, The Telescopes ventured to Berlin to create Growing Eyes Becoming String, a slightly more melodic endeavour than the noise rock output they were known for, though it would still retain their commitment to experimentation and improvisation. It was recorded in a studio at the Brian Jonestown Massacre’s new studio, which was gradually built around them, and the band’s influence can most certainly be felt.
Growing Eyes Becoming String is a dreary record in the most complimentary way. Its instrumentation drones, repeats, screeches and entrances in equal measure, with only Lawrie’s vocals to hold onto. It has absolutely no concern with genre, finding its own way no matter how treacherous the path may be, a sentiment Lawrie echoed while talking about the making of the record.
“Loaded with guitars, noise and melody, swirling around pounding repetition, Growing Eyes Becoming String is a more vocal document of where The Telescopes’ head was at during that time,” he concluded. It’s a perfect description of Growing Eyes Becoming String, which whirls and whirrs in equal measure, always unapologetically. It’s an album to get lost in on dark, dismal nights while seeking out comfort and contemplation. [Words: Elle Palmer]
What Now – Brittany Howard – 3/5
Like the finest flora, Brittany Howard has grown away from her Alabama Shakes to showcase an arrangement of artistry capable of filling an entire bouquet. What Now, the singer’s latest record, is just another reminder of her talent as she continues to break new ground and set roots in a bed of nutrient-rich sonic soil. The latest LP may have its moments of genre confusion, but what it lacks in simple narrative, it makes up for in atmospheric audio nourishment.
What Now is a record that only a five-time Grammy award winner could make. Full of supreme confidence but delivered with a panache that few can pull off without feeling contrived. Howard allows herself to let loose, she tightens up when needed and even provides the odd moment of genuine, tear-jerking pain along the way. Anchored by Howard’s unstoppable vocal, she manages to cram a career’s worth of artistic movement into 12 tracks. [Words: Jack Whatley]
Harm’s Way – Ducks Ltd. – 2.5/5
The indie pop genre is not exactly starved of bands. Thus, to succeed in the genre, you really need to do something different. Ducks Ltd have played it overwhelmingly safe with their new album, Harm’s Way, although those who consider themselves big fans of sun-drenched indie will certainly find something to enjoy here.
There’s a certain charm to this, inviting listeners to revel in memories of youth or those who are teenagers to use their songs as the soundtrack for their coming-of-age. However, there is nothing particularly new about the sound Ducks Ltd have crafted. I’ve heard countless songs – which I have subsequently forgotten – like the ones on Harm’s Way.
That’s not to say that the record is all bad. There are some fun melodies at work, playful guitars and fast-paced drums which propel the record forward. Moreover, the band manage to balance lyrics about “the strain of living in the world when it feels like it’s ready to collapse” with instrumental optimism, making the record more multi-dimensional. Despite everything, they encourage us to dance.
As a whole, though, the record lacks variety, which makes it a rather repetitive listen. Moreover, lead vocalist Tom McGreevy struggles to sound like he’s genuinely pleased to be on singing duties. [Words: Aimee Ferrier]
What Happened to the Beach? – Declan McKenna – 2.5/5
When you know your way around a chorus like Declan Mckenna does, there has to be some temptation to continue pumping out singalongs and reaping the rewards. His new album, What Happened to the Beach? shows his maturity as a songwriter and his dedication to his craft as he dabbles in more experimental sounds and styles. Unfortunately, despite his ambition with this LP, it doesn’t pay off.
You can’t say this is a bad album; it’s good, McKenna’s voice is lovely, and the whole tone is too upbeat and light for it to be considered bad, but it does fall short of being great. It’s great to see a musician let go and dive into new territory, and there is certainly something here to be excited about, but on What Happened to the Beach? McKenna’s sandcastle is swept up by a tide of uncertainty. [Words: Dale Maplethorpe]
What a Fucking Nightmare – The Chisel – 1/5
Within the microcosm of music, there exists ample space for expressions of rage. As we navigate the fringes of a revolution, confronting various forms of prejudice and social injustice, embracing the void becomes our sole recourse. The Chisel have long been pioneers in the resurgence of Oi! punk’s gritty yet enduringly sharp ethos, yet What A Fucking Nightmare does little more than set the tone from the outset.
This music was unabashedly raw and rebellious, a sentiment that The Chisel fully embrace and embody. While Oi! isn’t necessarily supposed to be “nice” music and existed in the beginning to epitomise the ugliness of working-class, skinhead culture, What A Fucking Nightmare feels a little too brutal in execution. The album delves into a profound appreciation for the raw, unadorned energy of this boldly unpretentious form of punk rock, ripe for sweaty singalongs and eager to accentuate class conflict. However, while inherently political, the resulting sound begins to lose its initial integrity. [Words: Kelly Scanlon]
