The Alternative Indie Chart: The best new indie albums this week
We’re quickly running headfirst into the second half of 2023, and what a year it is proving to be for music. We’ve already compiled our list of best albums of the year so far, as each week has produced new music of such quality that leaves us lost for words. Whilst the offerings this week have not been as numerous as in previous ones, the positive trend continues with a real variety on offer and the quality at an elevated level.
The explanation for why 2023 has proven such a stellar year for music is complex; however, there are a handful of evident causes for such a condition. One is that we’re in an era where the internet has mostly removed the barriers between scenes and genres, with the zeitgeist now more kaleidoscopic than ever. In the spirit of postmodernism, people are cherrypicking from across popular culture, with the field of play levelling out because of this. Whilst this might mean that some records experience less vociferous fanfare from a unified collective than before, artists can now reach a much broader fanbase, a reap the rewards.
We’re currently in the middle of festival season, meaning that the album release schedule is still active. A host of different offerings have emerged during this period, appealing to all tastes. Reflecting this, last week we had new releases by Guided by Voices and Moon Panda, with another eclectic assortment arriving in the current seven-day cycle.
This week we have the return of the cult London trio The Clientele. They have released what might well go down as their masterpiece with the 19-track journey that is I Am Not There Anymore. Following this is a new opus from New York no wave legends Bush Tetras, and even the reissue of Raise, the 1991 debut by British guitar heroes Swervedriver. Find all of what the indie world had in store below.
The best new indie albums this week:
I Am Not There Anymore – The Clientele – 4.5/5
After six years away, fans were expecting big things from London trio The Clientele, and they have not been disappointed. Their new album, I Am Not There Anymore, is a triumph. Whilst you might take one look at the tracklist and think 19 is far too many songs, it is not.
The record is an expertly constructed sonic palette that draws on psychedelia, jazz and the band’s trademark jangle pop, as well as a host of other areas, as frontman, songwriter and guitarist Alasdair MacLean conjures a journey into his past and ponders childhood and the question of what it truly means to be yourself. A luminous return from The Clientele, I Am Not There Anymore is a total sonic triumph. I wonder where they’ll go next, as they’ve opened themselves up to a whole new world on this record. It can only be exciting.
They Live In My Head – Bush Tetras – 3.5/5
The latest offering from Bush Tetras, They Live In My Head, marks the band’s third album since their formation back in 1979. The record showcases the realisation of their new sound, which they have honed over the years, remaining commanding, genre-defying, and outspoken on vital topics. However, conviction can fall a tad short at times, and a little dash of this would have elevated it to even greater heights, ironing out any rough edges that hinder its intentions.
‘I Am Not A Member’, for instance, exemplifies the band’s talents, reflecting their unmatched DIY, self-taught approach. Yet, amid the swirling smoke clouds of post-punk, the album’s attempt at exhibiting fresh sonics risks being overshadowed. The lineage they were a part of is indisputable, and the masterful drumming contributed by Sonic Youth’s Steve Shelley adds an endearing foundation to an already dynamic musical arrangement. However, more refinement is needed to elevate the sound to where they want to be. Let’s see what the future holds.
Love Hallucination – Jessy Lanza – 3.5/5
Canadian electronic songwriter and producer Jessy Lanza has unveiled her fourth album, Love Hallucination, via Hyperdub. It’s a glittering portrait of anxiety and a move towards self-trust, soundtracked by her usual mix of upbeat club-focused beats and slower, softer and more seductive soundscapes.
Following the critical success of 2020’s All the Time, Love Hallucination sees Lanza lean further into the airy techno-leaning, pop-infused electronica of her previous album. Though it lacks some of the bite of tracks like ‘It Means I Love You’ and ‘VV Violence’ from her previous record, Love Hallucination demonstrates Lanza taking full ownership of her music, overcoming her anxieties, and embracing her emotions through the sleek superficiality of electronica.
Love Hallucination is a record full of agitation, emotion, and newfound confidence. Like most of Lanza’s discography, it’s the perfect soundtrack for contemplative drives and club nights. It’s essential listening for alternative electronic fans looking for a dose of effortlessly glitzy sonic neuroticism, regardless of the setting they find themselves.
Dancing, Alone – Ten Tonnes – 3/5
Dancing, Alone, the second album from Ethan Barnett, better known as Tenne Tonnes, is a power pop delight. It appears to take its cues from the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Sam Fender, and other stadium fillers that pair rousing musicianship with resonant lyrics and anthemic delivery. Here, the synths, guitars and other instrumentation combine for 12 tracks that are easy to lose yourself in.
Complete with uplifting moments and bluer ones, Barnett resoundingly shows his talent on his second offering, and in the four years since his debut, he’s clearly refined his craft. Tracks like the opener ‘Monday Morning’, ‘The Joke Got Old’ and ‘Lone Star’ demonstrate this, but the one downside of the album is that it is rather one dimensional. However, this style of music is clearly having a resurgence at the moment, so more power to him for the development this body of work contains.
Reissue: Raise – Swervedriver – 5/5
In the late 1980s, the British press coined the term shoegazing to categorise a burgeoning movement in alternative rock music. Thanks to bands like Spacemen 3 and The Jesus and Mary Chain, neo-psychedelia was on the rise, and this latest kaleidoscopic injection would be adorned with effect pedals and moody guitarists staring vacantly towards the ground. Today, we’re rebounding to 1991, the peak of shoegaze and the year that bore Raise, the debut album of Oxford-based band Swervedriver.
Releasing this masterpiece debut album in September 1991, Swervedriver pitted themselves against the fierce competition of My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless, Slowdive’s Just for a Day, Chapterhouse’s Whirlpool and Blur’s Leisure. Despite such prominent neighbouring releases, though – not to mention Oxford peers Ride’s 1990 debut – Swervedriver carved themselves a bold niche in the world of swirling, warping guitars.
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