The Big Indie Playlist: the best new music of the week
Welcome back to The Big Indie Playlist, where all the best new music of the week is compiled into one convenient list.
If you had told me at the beginning of the week that our best album would come down to a punk band from Scranton, Pennsylvania, and a satanic doo-wop duo, I would have said you were crazy. But here we are, as The Menzingers just barely edge out Twin Temple as our Album of the Week. Both are 4.5 star albums, so let your personal preference guide you to one or the other since they’re both great.
If you want to check out more of the best of the new albums, you can check out our Alternative Album Chart, which is stocked full of goodies just waiting to be discovered. Otherwise, if you’re looking for a quick fix, we’ve got you covered with the best new singles of the week.
From Fenne Lily to Bar Italia to Bombay Bicycle Club and Chaka Khan, there is once more a smorgasbord of surprises from the music world and a few emerging talents to boot. Here are all the best singles from the week of October 13th. You can also check them out in a playlist at the foot of the piece.
The week’s best new music:
The best new folk songs
Fenne Lily – ‘Hollywood and Fear’: It’s always mind-boggling to me when artists keep great songs off of albums. Fenne Lily already had an amazing album with Big Picture, but for whatever reason, she decided to keep the heartbreaking ‘Hollywood and Fear’ off the final mix. No bother – it’s now available as a bonus track and it’s on constant rotation around here. (4.5/5)
Beirut – ‘The Tern’: Zach Condon’s unique Neo-folk sensibilities have always run the risk of getting stale as he stares down 20 years of Beirut. Luckily for all of us, he’s been able to find fascinating new corners of his style, likely stripped-back drum machine ambience of ‘The Tern’. (4/5)
Maple Glider – ‘Do You’: I detest the term “confessional songwriter”. It’s lazy, boring, and almost exclusively used for women. Can we try “intimate songwriter” or “insightful personal songwriter” instead? Nah, those are pretty clunky. Whatever – Australian singer-songwriter Maple Glider brings you right into her world with ‘Do You’, a song as tender and lovely as it is… confessional? Damn it. (4/5)
The best new indie songs
Bar Italia – ‘Jelsy’: I don’t know about you all, but I’m hopping on the Bar Italia bandwagon as its careening at full speed towards something much bigger. I’ve got my tickets in hand for their DC show later this year and am eagerly anticipating The Twits when it comes out next month. ‘Jelsy’ is a fresh look into the band’s bag of tricks, one that seems endless at this point. (4.5/5)
Noah Yorke – ‘Return Again (If I Wait)’: It would be so easy to hate on Noah Yorke. But when you put away the “nepo baby” pitchforks, the man is crafting some real quality music right now. ‘Return Again (If I Wait)’ is catchy and complex without being too lurching or trying too hard. If he keeps this up, he could give his ol’ pops a run for his money. (4/5)
Hotline TNT – ‘Out of Town’: I’m pretty sure all three of Hotline TNT’s preview singles from their upcoming LP Cartwheel have appeared on The Big Indie Playlist. I’ll admit that ‘Out of Town’ has been my least favourite so far… but only because ‘Protocol’ and ‘I Thought You’d Change’ were absolutely excellent. (3.5/5)
The Last Dinner Party – ‘My Lady of Mercy’: I don’t know how The Last Dinner Party have become a controversial band to like in the upstart world of rock music. People can get their knickers in a twist over them not technically being “indie”, but I’ve got one simple rule here – shut up and listen to the music. ‘My Lady of Mercy’ is a good track, so maybe that’s what we should focus on, yeah? (3.5/5)
The best new alternative/rock songs
Bombay Bicycle Club – ‘Tekken 2’ (ft. Chaka Khan): Man, shoot that good Chaka Khan shit straight into my veins. The legendary R&B queen gets an appropriately funky song to strut all over as Bombay Bicycle Club lay down the groove on ‘Tekken 2’. When Khan’s signature brassy vocals come storming in, it’s pure serotonin. (4.5/5)
Lauren Mayberry – ‘Shame’: Chvrches singer Lauren Mayberry is getting looser and funkier than she’s ever been before on her new single ‘Shame’. She’s showing new sides to herself, going full piano ballad on ‘Are You Awake?’ and now letting the slinky pop flow out of her on ‘Shame’. For my money, this is the earworm-iest track of the week. (4/5)
The Vaccines – ‘Sometimes, I Swear’: I’m a simple man – just give me some awesome guitar rock straight from the heartland of West London and we’re all good. The Vaccines have always been reliable for that brand of music, and their latest single ‘Sometimes, I Swear’ leans heavily into the anthemic side of their style. (4/5)
Black Pumas – ‘Angel’: Black Pumas tend to live and die by the energy of lead singer Eric Burton. Burton always brings his A-game, but sometimes he’s happy to let his titanic voice carry him through some middling material. Not so on the poetic ‘Angel’, a real gut punch of a song that finds Burton firing on all cylinders. (3.5/5)
Blossoms – ‘To Do List (After the Breakup)’ [ft. Findlay]: Everyone wants to be a great synthpop band. Maybe playing so many Smiths cover gigs with Rick Astley rubbed off on Blossoms, who recruited English singer-songwriter Findlay to duet their way through the dance floor-ready ‘To Do List’. It’s not their greatest song, but it’s impossible to resist those candy-coated pop hooks. (3/5)
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