The Big Indie Playlist: Curated by Charlie Vaughan
Can’t you just feel summer in the air? As April comes to an end and May begins, spring seems to finally be settling into some semi-consistent sun. The Big Indie Playlist is here to capture the vibes.
As well as the weather looking up, it’s time to start looking forward towards festival season and some upcoming record and EP releases. This week, Luvcat announced a new EP of dark, gothic and sexy murder ballads, while acts like Mary In The Junkyard and Suki Waterhouse keep sharing teasers for upcoming LPs.
With the weekend looking set to be a nice one, there are also plenty of tracks primed and ready to soundtrack pre-drinks or days in the park. In particular, turn towards Toast Club for high-energy vibes, or Blossoms for indie fun.
Don’t just take your tips from us, though. This week, we checked in with London’s Charlie Vaughan to see what songs the rock and roller has on repeat.
Must-hear: Charlie Vaughan’s on-repeat playlist
Ruby Doomsday – ‘Blood and Thunder’: “Such an adventure! The best sing-along and a great story”.
Trudy & The Romance – ‘That’s Not Me’: “Perfectly melancholic”.
Jackson Roy – ‘Natural Cause’: “ROCKING ROY! We go from beautifully soft Jackson to heavy as hell Jackson. So good live, drums are absolutely killer. ‘Drifting on in third, never know where I’m heading’; I think that’s why me and Jack are friends”.
Laurie Debnam – ‘T Shirts’: “A song to listen to on a Sunday afternoon, lying on your bed, looking out the window. That’s what I want to do”.
Geraldyne – ‘That Look’: “The best song to rock out to. See it live. ‘THAT LOOK! dun dun duuuuu!'”
Lee Hazlewood – ‘My Autumn Done Come’: “He has my favourite voice. This song is simple and beautiful, a type of song I could only dream of writing”.
Bob Dylan – ‘You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go’: “I have a different favourite song from Blood On The Tracks every month. At the moment, it’s this one, and I probably listen to it five times a day. It’s the line, ‘I could stay with you forever and never realise the time’, which I’ll try to write my own version of for the rest of my life, probably”.
Ran Noakes / Gerry Rafferty – ‘Waiting Here For You’: “A perfect song to me. The melody is so elegant, and the lyrics are simple and pure”.
The best new music of the week:
Suki Waterhouse – ‘Tiny Raisin’: Time and time again, Suki Waterhouse proves she’s not to be underestimated as she unleashes one uniquely lyrical banger after the next. By now, her writing feels so singular; she’s moving in her own vein. And, you know, Robert Pattinson obviously makes a good love song muse. [3.5/5]
Sydney Ross Mitchell – ‘Pale Blue Eyes’: Yearning? Pining? Thinking about your ex again? Sydney Ross Mitchell has delivered another song just for you as she’s slowly becoming the poet laureate for girls who can’t get over anyone. [3.5/5]
Lucy Dacus – ‘Planting Tomatoes’: Initially released as a special seven-inch for Record Store Day, ‘Planting Tomatoes’ is now on streamers as a beautiful stand-alone single follow-up to the tenderness of Forever Is A Feeling. [3.5/5]
FLOCO – ‘Open’: The word hypnotic gets thrown around a lot in music, but FLOCO truly embodies it. The work sounds like the kind of music nymphs would play to lure you into the water with shimmering wave-like layers. [4/5]
Pulp – ‘Opening Strings’: A random but beautiful new addition from Pulp here. No vocals, no nothing, just a stunning instrumental piece that takes the light and joy of More and distils it into one composition. [4.5/5]
Blossoms – ‘Joke About Divorce’: I have a theory. The longer Blossoms defy the industry and stay in their lane back in Stockport, the better they’re getting again. There’s a sense that the band are really just having fun, writing without overthinking, leading to catchy little tunes like this with Rick Astley on backing vocals. [3.5/5]
Smerz – ‘Spring Summer’: Each week, there has to be one song destined to be played out over the beer gardens of East London or some other trendy hot spot. This week, Smerz delivered that with exactly the kind of cool, languid tune a warm April evening needs. [3.5/5]
Bleech 9:3 – ‘Underrated’: Bleach 9:3 are the latest buzzy name amongst the army of post-Wunderhorse boom rock bands; however, out of all of them, they have something a little special. The intro is reminiscent of Slowdive, and their grunge is matched in equal measure with a shoegaze introspection. [3/5]
Mary In The Junkyard – ‘Candelabra’: As always, everything Mary In The Junkyard shares is stunning; what else is there really to say at this point? [4/5]
Toast Club – ‘Mean Girls’: I propose a worldwide vibe switch. Let’s all get really into this kind of Italo disco meets yacht rock vibe, and let’s crown Toast Club our kings? Put this in your sunny day playlists instantly. [4/5]
Alfreda – ‘Adult Film Star’: Alfreda’s usually campy and theatrical world is pausing for a moment of vulnerability. Confronting a moment when she felt completely lost after becoming a mother, going through a breakup and struggling to know where to go next, this is the kind of painstakingly honest song that makes you feel less alone. [3.5/5]
Rhiannon Hope – ‘Magpie’: From one of the fastest rising stars of the Leeds music scene comes this pulchritudinous new track, rising from stripped-back folk to an intense, jazz-fueled cacophony over the course of its seven-minute runtime, giving you more than enough time to fall in love with Hope’s endlessly emotive vocals. [4.5/5]
Off The Beaten Track: Curated and written by Ben Forrest
Karate Boogaloo – ‘Head First’: Whatever is happening in Melbourne that means the city is awash with incredible instrumental bands, let’s pray it doesn’t cease anytime soon. Karate Boogaloo are quickly rising to the top of that ever-expanding scene, and ‘Head First’ perfectly demonstrates their penchant for old-school instrumental soul, spurred on by Booker T-esque organs and an infectious, cinematic spirit. [4/5]
Serokolo 7 – ‘Naba Ba Papedi’: A modern incarnation of the Bapedi Mapanta sound, DJ and sound system operator Serokolo 7 introduces mass audiences to the driving, electronic Afrofuturist sounds that have been soundtracking parties in Uganda for decades, and this track from his aptly named Maramfa Musick Pro is a good indicator of the sound’s enduring appeal. [4/5]
Antoine Dougbé – ‘We Tayi Sin Assi Tche’: Forming the opening track of the latest Analog Africa release, centred around the obscure yet unforgettable sounds of Cotonou’s Antoine Dougbé, whose blend of Afrobeat, tropical funk, and even hints at cumbia spurred him to refer to himself as “the devil’s prime minister”, which is about as good an advert as any record can hope to achieve. [4.5/5]
