The Big Indie Playlist: The best new music of the week, curated by Lemonsuckr
Another seven-day period slowly fading from the rear-view mirror, and if you have managed not to melt into a puddle of sweat and choc-ice sticks, you can reward yourself by embracing all the new music that has been released over the past heat-stricken week, in the Big Indie Playlist.
We cannot promise that this expansive collection of new music will keep you cool in the heat, or, indeed, that any vinyl purchases won’t melt into floppy frisbees before they ever reach your turntable platter. What we can promise, however, is that it has been yet another stellar week of new music, ranging from bona fide legends like PJ Harvey re-entering the fold, post-punk heroes Yard Act ushering in a new era, and a deluge of exciting up-and-coming acts making their first momentous marks on the music scene.
On the topic of those exciting newcomers, Brighton-based Lemonsuckr have kindly stepped in to curate a section of this week’s playlist, detailing ten relatively new releases that have been keeping the rapidly rising dance-punk outfit energised during what seems to be a rather busy time for the group.
Fresh from a stand-out set at the Great Escape Festival in their native Brighton, and the release of the infectious EP, Life is a Heist, earlier in the month, the group are gearing up for a summer of exhaustive touring, but that hasn’t stopped them from compiling an incredible, and incredibly diverse, selection of tracks for your new music consumption.
Whether you’re crisping up in the blistering sunshine and need some fitting tunes, or are hiding away in the shade and desire some musical company, The Big Indie Playlist – as always – has you covered. So, join us as we dive into another excellent week in the musical realm.
Must-hear: Curated by Lemonsuckr
Man/Woman/Chainsaw – ‘Nosedive’: “This song is super addictive, we’ve all had it pretty much on loop since it dropped, and it’s effortlessly climbed its way to pole position on the old ‘On Repeat’ playlist. Cannot wait for the full album in August”.
Westside Cowboy – ‘Kick Stones (The Boys)’: “May just be their best song yet, beautifully crafted and super catchy. The drums on this track are infectious enough to give you bruises on your thighs. Love the blend of the two singers’ voices; they complement each other perfectly, also big fans of the harmonic work on the guitar”.
Ear – ‘Ne Plus Ultra’: “Eagerly awaiting new music from Ear after their first album, this did not disappoint. Floaty melodies, atmospheric ambience, and dirty, glitchy synths. They sample sounds that you feel you hear every day but can’t put a finger on”.
SoftTop – ‘Paving Stones’: “Feels like the soundtrack to a film everyone tells you to watch. My favourite tune off their album ‘Gathering Dust’.”
Madra Salach – ‘The Man Who Seeks Pleasure (Live)’: “A beautifully solemn song with shatteringly honest-sounding vocals”.
Genesis Owusu – ‘Stampede’: “Makes me wish I was driving down the motorway in the early hours; within the legal speed limit, of course”.
YHWH Nailgun – ‘Stillness Blues’: “Only YHWH Nailgun can make a one-minute 20 song feel so complete. Honestly feels a bit like you’re heading towards the underworld or entering limbo at times”.
Mary in the Junkyard – ‘New Muscles’: “One of the grooviest and most rhythmically interesting tracks I’ve heard this year. Makes me wanna wag my finger and move my hips till the cows come home”.
Bed – ‘円相 ｜Enso’: “Palpitating and trancelike, this one transports you to a wet-walled basement in Tokyo”.
RIP MAGIC – ‘Screwdark’: “Listening to this feels like you’ve just laced your shoes and wrapped your hands, and this is your ringwalk song”.
The best new music of the week
PJ Harvey – ‘Voyager’: A surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one. This week saw PJ Harvey return after three long years of touring and decompressing, with this ambitious, sweeping single, ‘Voyager’, which comes complete with full orchestral accompaniment to perfect the cosmic scale of its sound. This new era of Harvey’s output has only just arrived, and yet it already feels incredibly exciting. [4.5/5]
Yard Act – ‘New Beginnings’: Leeds’ post-punk poster boys have come a long way from supporting gigs at Brudenell Social Club, and this – the second single to be taken from the upcoming LP You’re Gonna Need A Little Music – ushers in a new era for the band, befitting of the song’s title. Well crafted and capturing a slice of the genre-spanning influences of the new album, there is no doubting that the West Yorkshire outfit hasn’t lost its touch. [4/5]
Martha Reeves – ‘To Know You is to Love You’: Yes, that Martha Reeves. After 22 years, the Motown icon and Detroit soul superstar has returned with an incredible new single, evoking her longstanding credentials in soul and R&B, while embracing a laidback jazz atmosphere that gives her still-stellar vocals a chance to shine once again. [4/5]
Wasuremono – ‘Welcome Back’: Garden shed indie-pop from William Southward in Bradford-On-Avon, this new single from Wasuremono is a fitting soundtrack to these summer months, down to the background xylophone giving the track a playful feel which doesn’t detract from its quality. [3.5/5]
Grandmas House – ‘The Table’: A staple of their live sets for a number of years, Bristol’s Grandmas House amp up to their hotly-anticipated debut album with this driving indie rock stormer, imbued with the high-energy of their live performances but with a well-crafted, intensifying atmosphere which suggests that the album will be well worth the wait. [4/5]
The Tubs – ‘Who’s Gonna Love You Now?’: The inaugural single to be taken from their third studio album, The Tubs’ unite an indie pop sensibility with punk attitude on this effort, with vocalist Owen Williams evoking the dormant spirit of Jam-era Paul Weller in his confrontational, underdog lyricism. [3/5]
Brennan Wedl – ‘Pretty Little Fantasy’: Ahead of her self-titled LP due out in August, the Minnesota-born, Nashville-based songwriter Brennan Wedl has unleashed this powerful, fuzzy, assertive lead single, with Chrissie Hynde-esque vocals and the kind of punk-fueled attitude that has served many of Wedl’s influences well. [3.5/5]
Halfway Up A Jagged Hill – ‘Obscure Sorrows’: Moody post-rock aggression is hardly the right soundtrack for a heatwave, but that’s no reason not to shine a light on this emo-slanted cacophony of moping guitar distortion, the first track to be taken from the Brooklyn outfit’s upcoming HUAJH, due out in September. [3/5]
Nick Mitchell Maiato – ‘Critical Mass’: Cosmic, kaleidoscopic psych boogie is one of the only ways to encapsulate the expansive excellence of Maitato’s new track, with its honky tonk, boogie-woogie atmosphere existing somewhere on the vast spectrum between the Grateful Dead, Sparks, and Harry Nilsson. If that doesn’t sell it, nothing will. [4/5]
Anna Shoemaker – ‘Counting’: Moving away from the alt-pop of her earlier releases, the Philadelphia-born Shoemaker goes head-first into the realm of gentle folk Americana on this pulchritudinous new single, marking the beginning of an exciting – if thematically heartbreaking – new period in the songwriter’s incredible discography. [4/5]
Off the Beaten Track: Left-field sounds
BaBa ZuLa – ‘Kutsal Zeytin Halayı’: A new single from Anatolian psych veterans BaBa ZuLa, ahead of a new album out in September, and it is fittingly far-out. Blending tribal, pounding rhythms with Eastern influences and a hypnotic kaleidoscope of psych sounds, it is without a doubt the most mind-bending release of the week. [4.5/5]
Takeshi’s Cashew – ‘Operator’: One of the strangest concept album ideas in recent memory, Viennese outfit Takeshi’s Cashew have created an album that blends medieval European melodies with classic video game soundtracks, and by the sounds of ‘Operator’, we are all in for a bizarre treat when that LP releases in late October. [4/5]
The Animeros – ‘La Camita’: Texan outfit The Animeros reaffirm their status as one of the most exciting Latin rock bands of recent times, with this blistering cumbia-infused cover of the Peruvian hard rock outfit Traffic Sound and their cult track ‘La Camita’. Sunshine grooves for all weather conditions. [4.5/5]
Calibro 35 – ‘LA Confidential’: Italian instrumental masters Calibro 35 have outdone themselves with the soundtrack to ELLROY vs LA, and the second single to be taken from that release is awash with funk suspense and retro-styled giallo soundtrack intrigue. [4/5]
Johari Salleh – ‘Johana’: A lost gem of Malaysian jazz, uncovered and platformed by the crate digging masters at Habibi Funk, for the inaugural release on its sister label, Audible Beauty, which also acts as a fitting description of these beautiful slices of jazz horns and Malay funk. [5/5]
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