The Big Indie Playlist: The best new music of the week
There are only three certainties in this life: death, taxes, and The Big Indie Playlist bringing you a selection of the greatest new music releases from across the past week.
After last week’s extensive offerings of up-and-coming indie and post-punk anthems, the musical realm of these past seven days has turned up the energy dial tenfold. Not only have we been gifted with an incredibly adrenaline-fueled, Prodigy-esque new track from Confidence Man, but the week has also conjured up a dancefloor-centric offering from Genesis Owusu, as well as an unexpectedly welcome opportunity for King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard to explore breakbeat electronica.
Nevertheless, if spending your night in a sweaty club doesn’t suit your sensibility, or seems rather strenuous given the unrelenting summer heatwave, do not worry. In addition to those dancefloor stormers, the week has also seen masterfully downbeat offerings from the likes of Slow Pulp, Nation of Language, and even 21st-century cumbia masters Hermanos Gutiérrez.
Yes, as always, the Big Indie Playlist negates its own name by exploring the finest releases from across the musical landscape, from old-school reggae to adrenaline-fueled rock and roll. So, no matter your musical leanings, there will be something from across the span of the airwaves to suit your sensibilities, particularly in a week as diverse as this one turned out to be.
Must-hear: The best new music of the week
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – ‘Level 5’: Yet another new era for the band that never sleeps, this time ushering in an age of high-energy breakbeat influences and an entire landscape of dance electronica, providing a fittingly strange soundtrack to a robot rave, albeit one which marks a steep departure from the group’s previous offerings. [3.5/5]
Genesis Owusu – ‘HUMAN AGAIN’: Keeping the energy high, Genesis Owusu returned this week with a dancefloor-focused, infectiously energising exercise in the kind of funk-pop and hip-hop influences that have made the Ghanaian-Australian artist such a compelling figure in recent years. [4/5]
Confidence Man – ‘Young London’: The Big Indie Playlist is for all genres, but there is no avoiding that this week has been a stellar seven days for dance music, and a surprise new release from Australian-born, London-based dancefloor heroes Confidence Man has been a notable highlight. Drawing upon old-school, Prodigy-style rave anthems and pounding rhythms, Con Man still retains some of the off-beat sensibilities that have followed them throughout the entirety of their development. [4/5]
Gilla Band – ‘Placeholder’: Ahead of their hotly-anticipated new record, Pugnello, Dublin’s premier noise-rock outfit, formerly known as Girl Band, unleash the might of their uniquely abrasive sound with this newly-released single, balancing harsh noise desperation with a strangely danceable backbeat in a similar vein to the mastery of previous LP Most Normal. [4/5]
Gerald V. Casale – ‘Just Do It’: After over half a century battling against the political establishment and status quo, Devo’s Gerald Casale is still palpably angry at the state of modern-day America, and he makes no attempt to hide his feelings behind subtlety on this pointed sonic assault on Donald Trump, harking back to the sound of his Devo heyday with modernised reference points. [3/5]
TVOD – ‘Wet Brain’: In support of their upcoming record The Farm, due out in October, Brooklyn’s rising post-punk titans reaffirm their knack for emotionally-drive, out-and-out rock and roll, with this song evoking the sounds of early 2000s indie and pop punk, but with considerably more substance to its content. [3.5/5]
Interpol – ‘Iron City’: Another new single from the posterboys of 2000s post-punk, ‘Iron City’ sees Interpol opt for a more mellow, vulnerable sound, switching guitar riffs for a gentle piano accompaniment and a rising tempo that ebbs and flows across its four-minute runtime. It might not be the definitive ‘Interpol sound’, but it offers a new side to their output nonetheless. [2.5/5]
Little Grandad – ‘Babe, We’ve Run Out Of Time’: When confronted with tracks as polished as these, it is easy to forget that ‘Babe, We’ve Run Out Of Time’ is only the third release by London-based Little Grandad, who claim this single was inspired by the likes of Edith Piaf, despite sounding like a throwback to the slacker indie rock of 2000s icons like The Cribs. [3.5/5]
Nation of Language – ‘The Conversation’: The B-side to their latest seven-inch single, this atmospheric soundscape, which exists on a border between enchanting and haunting, forms the newest in a series of incredibly promising efforts by Nation of Language and, listening to it, you would never guess that the A-side is a Bruce Springsteen cover. [3/5]
Alex Amor – ‘Aquamarine’: Epitomising the sound of summer-centric indie-pop, ‘Aquamarine’ sees the Scottish-born, Brighton-based Alex Amor exercise her deep-rooted adoration for the west coast of Scotland, evoking super-eight images of rolling heather, winding roads, and picturesque blue water which will be familiar to anyone who has had the pleasure of visiting that particular corner of the world. [3.5/5]
Asher White – ‘The eagle is no omen’: An art-pop exploration of various complex issues, including substance abuse, gender dysphoria, and the ever-recurring realm of heartbreak, the Illinois-born White manages to capture a sense of those themes and emotions in a seemingly upbeat, sunshine single that contrasts the atmosphere of performance with the hard-hitting nature of its lyrics. [4/5]
Slow Pulp – ‘Not for Nothing’: Proof that a banjo, piano, and guitar is all you really need to create a downbeat, lo-fi rock record, Chicago’s Slow Pulp can’t be describe as being particularly upbeat on this new effort, but then again, they pull off the melancholic rock sound with such grace that it is difficult to question their mood. [3.5/5]
Really Good Time – ‘The Love Song’: A band name and song title that both live up to their names, Dublin’s Really Good Time offer an adrenaline-fueled ode to romanticism on their new single, providing a much-needed high-energy alternative to the litany of mushy rock love songs out there at current. [4/5]
Graham Hunt – ‘Riverboat Blues’: Blending a deluge of influences befitting the sensibilities of this Wisconsin multi-instrumentalist, ‘Riverboat Blues’ glides from Pavement-inspired 1990s slacker rock to old-school psychedelia, indie rock, and even a few hints at power pop. Most impressively, though, Hunt pulls it all off while still creating a coherent, compelling track. [3/5]
Off the Beaten Track: Left-field sounds
Hermanos Gutiérrez – ‘Los Ojos del Cóndor’: A laid-back, spaced-out new offering from the Latin instrumental brothers, befitting a summer’s day spent baking in the sunshine a la Sexy Beast, rather than the high-energy cumbia rhythms of some of their previous efforts. [4/5]
Marco Benevento – ‘Quattro Passi’: Big Crown Records’ latest offering sees Marco Benevento’s effortlessly cool blend of jazz, samba, and psychedelia collide with the lush vocals of Italy’s Chiara Civello, culminating in a track that feels naturally suited to summer nights and smokey underground bars. [4/5]
Donnoya Drake – ‘You Don’t Love Me (No No No)’: London’s Original Gravity Records offer an incredible, upbeat and soulful rendering of Dawn Penn’s 1994 rocksteady classic, with Donnoya Drake reaffirming her vocal talents with the aid of Neil Andersons’ ever-commendable production style. [3.5/5]
Shimokita – ‘Carolina, Carol Bela’: Tokyo-based DJ and producer Shimokita, aka DJ Koco, harks back to the heyday of library music and Hammond organs on this slice of funk and soul wax, positioned towards the world of hip-hop breakbeats but retaining a debt to the pioneers of R&B and Latin soul from way back in the 1960s. [3.5/5]
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