The Big Indie Playlist: The best new music of the week
It would be an impossible task to try and keep up with all the new music released in a week. That’s meant literally. Over 700,000 new tracks land on streaming services on average each week and if we take each song as a medium three minutes, you’d need several years to get through it. But luckily, the Big Indie Playlist is here to make sure the best bits aren’t missed.
From our crack team of music fans and writers, each with their own preferred genres and sounds, we’ve boiled down the noise of New Music Friday into a selection of must-hear tracks. No noise is too niche; no artist is too new, and all songs are considered here.
This week saw drops from some major players like Caroline Polachek, Graham Coxon’s project The Waeve, and a long-awaited album announcement from Soft Play. Elsewhere, tracks by Willow and Gracie Abrams proved that not all nepo babies are evil as they deliver incredible quality worthy of note.
From up-and-coming names to know, your attention should be drawn to the likes of Mouse Teeth, Fever, Dreamwave and more. Highlighting new releases from new artists across the UK and beyond, all you have to do is hit play and then you’ll forever be able to say that you were a fan first.
If you’re looking for a new favourite album, head to our weekly Alternative Album Chart for the best of the long plays. But right here, settle in for a quick fix of the biggest and best new hits from the last seven days.
The best new music of the week
Track of the week
Mouse Teeth – ‘The Original Of Laura’: Taking its name from the unfinished final novel by the controversial writer, Vladimir Nabokov, Mouse Teeth sharpens her swords for this scathing taking on the various abuses and abusers in creative fields. While her EP delves between music and poetry, this track goes all-out punk with chugging guitars, big drums and catchy hooks paired with cutting observations.
“Cause we are expendable / Our words don’t mean the same thing / You say jump we’ll say how high / And flinch at the sound of your name,” she sings directly to the villain of the story, considering the abusive men in power and the too-many women forced to keep working under their regimes. A vital topic articulated perfectly and performed with visceral passion, it’s electric. [5/5]
Instant Classics – The biggest new songs of the week
Caroline Polachek – ‘Starburned and Unkissed’: Announcing her soundtrack for a new movie, ‘Starburned and Unkissed’ is Polachek at her most cinematic. Made in collaboration with A.G Cook, it’s a perfect merge of high-production sonics and wistful feelings. [4/5]
Jessica Pratt – ‘Empires Never Know’: Pratt’s newly released album was one of our favourite releases this week, with this track being a major standout. Her vocals sound more polished than ever before, round and full, but they never lose their intimacy. [4.5/5]
Soft Play – ‘Act Violently’: The boys are back and have announced their first album in six years with this high-octane punk rager. Exactly what you’d expect from the band, but with a new and clearly reinvigorated excitement. [4/5]
Hamish Hawk – ‘Big Cat Tattoos‘: A swaggering beast of a tune that sees Hamish Hawk lay down his trademark lyricism over a beat reminiscent of the Pet Shop Boys. Darkness and attitude add a Berlin energy to lovely lines like, “You with all the modesty of big tech in boom, I tire of you, honestly, when you swan around the room.” [4/5]
Richard Hawley – ‘Prism in Jeans’: Richard Hawley doing Richard Hawley things. He croons another luscious lullaby with a melody not too far from ‘Harvest Moon’. If that doesn’t sound like your cup of tea then quietly move along. [4/5]
Orlando Weeks + Rhian Teasdale – ‘Dig’: It’s been a while since we heard from the Wet Leg girls but Rhian Teasdale has popped her head back up on this great new collaboration with Orlando Weeks. Reminding us of her indie dominance and delicious vocals, we’ve missed her. [4.5/5]
On the rise – New songs to note this week
Sunday (1994) – ‘Blonde’: Launching their cinematic world into full colour, Sunday (1994)’s debut EP is more like a collection of scenes than songs. ‘Blonde’ is a stand out, dripping with lust and longing and painted with perfected indie hooks. [4/5]
Nell Mescal – ‘Electric Picnic’: As she drops her long-awaited EP, this track is the golden thread tying all the songs together. Referencing other tracks in this richly emotive ode about the act of writing emotive odes, is a fascinating and beautiful creation. [4/5]
Paper Anthem – ‘Coelacanth’: LCD Soundsystem says hello to 2010s math rock on this new cut from London’s Paper Anthems. The neurotic nature of the lyricism is perfectly paired with a relentless and spiralling instrumentation, capturing a brain at its buzziest. [3/5]
Dreamwave – ‘Void’: Post-punk meets woozy psych rock in the world of Dreamwave. Playing out of Bristol, this track is a standout from their debut EP which screams that promise is on the horizon. [3/5]
Ernie – ‘Laundry Day Dreaming’: Prepping to join Baxter Dury and Goat Girl for some major shows this summer, Ernie’s brand of angsty, acoustic indie on this new cut will surely be a welcome start to the lineups. [3/5]
Goblin Band – ‘The Brisk Lad’: The traditional folk revival burns on as Goblin Band drop their debut EP on the same label that houses Broadside Hacks and The New Eves. For perfectly pagan, Wicker Man energy, hit play. [3.5/5]
Alien Chicks – ‘Steve Buscemi’: Alien Chicks are utterly genreless, merging strains of rap, punk, jazz and beyond. They’re non-committal in that way, but are wholly committed to their dedication to Steve Buscemi at least. [3.5/5]
Fever – ‘Why Can’t You Hear Me?’: With a selection of festival dates in the calendar, Fever have dropped a banger just in time. As a standout track from their debut EP, this song screams that they’re one to watch. [3.5/5]
Sam Bambery – ‘24.01’: A odd middle-ground between folky strumming and dissonant grudge makes for a captivating listen. As you muse over the peculiar composition, a sense of emotive sincerity rises through the murk. [3.5/5]
Off The Beaten Track – Left-field cut and global sounds.
Soundwalk Collective + Patti Smith – ‘Medea’: The art collective and the punk poet have teamed up again for this mammoth 14-minute-long meandering opus. Based on recordings of radio interceptions and field recordings with Smith reading a poem over the top, it’s an interesting composition if you’ve got the stamina for it. [3.5/5]
New Regency Orchestra – ‘Papa Boco’: As you might expect from an 18-piece big band, the first tracks to be released from New Regency Orchestra’s self-titled debut album sound colossal. Based in London, the Afro-Cuban orchestra offers a beautiful menagerie of sounds and influences, awash with distinctive Latin funk and the spirit of 1950s NYC big band jazz. These songs are backed up by a roster of London’s most skilled and passionate jazz musicians, to create something utterly timeless and innately funky. [4/5]
