The Big Indie Playlist: The best new music of the week
Somehow, it’s August already. Summer 2024 has been hectic, full of memorable festival moments and a busy release schedule with artists of all shapes, sizes and genres putting in their contenders for the song of the season. To help you keep up and ensure no hit is missed, welcome to the Big Indie Playlist.
This week, just like every other, the music machine has been busy. Charli XCX made it clear that Brat Summer is still alive and kicking as she paired up with Billie Eilish for a new remix of ‘Guess’, produced by cultish wonder kid The Dare. On the opposite side of the spectrum, folk star Haley Heynderickx made her long-awaited return as she delivered her first new music in years. Among the headline names of the week, Suki Waterhouse, Bleacher, Confidence Man and Father John Misty also put out some of the biggest releases of the last seven days.
But the best stuff is found in the realm of emerging artists. Sarah Kinsley deserves and demands your attention in the run-up to her debut album, as her latest teaser, ‘Realm’, continues to set the standard incredibly high. Sex Week, Georgia Gets By, and Brigitte Calls Me Baby all deliver tracks that urgently demand to be part of a movie soundtrack, while Kit Sebastian and Pom Pom Squad keep the energy high.
No matter the size of the artist, genre of the track or how left-field the cut might be, all songs are considered here. If you’re looking for a long play to sink your teeth into, head to our weekly Alternative Album Chart to find your new favourite record. But for a quick fix of new hits, press play on our one-stop-shop of fresh finds.
The best new releases of the week:
Track of the week
Gigi Perez – ‘Sailor Song’: Ever since Gigi Perez caught attention back in 2021 with her debut single ‘Sometimes (Backwood)’, she’s had an evergrowing cult of fans. Some come for her utterly unique and stunning voice that is rich with emotion. Some come for her sharp lyricism that manages to articulate even the trickiest feelings with pure poetry. On her latest cut, ‘Sailor Song’, both combine for a track that pulls you.
It’s a siren call of a song. “Kiss me on the mouth and love me like a sailor”, she sings in the chorus of a song that merges love, lust and desperation. Pure devolution and need mix in this queer love song that grapples with societal ignorance and desire. If there was going to be one song to make new listeners a fan of Perez’s, this track is sure to do the job. [4.5/5]
Instant classics – The biggest songs of the week
Charli xcx and Billie Eilish – ‘Guess’: Brat summer just keeps on levelling up as Charli xcx unveils her newest collab. Following a recent link-up with Lorde, she’s now paired with Billie Eilish for a steamy remix of her already scorching track, ‘Guess’. It’s tailor-made for your weekend parties. [4/5]
Kate Bollinger – ‘What’s This About (La La La)’: But if you’re more low-key than a “365 party girl”, Kate Bollinger offers something softer for a tender, twee summer. With her signature stunning vocal and a beautiful instrumental nest, this track is faultlessly delightful. [4/5]
Suki Waterhouse – ‘Blackout Drunk’: In the run-up to her sophomore album, musician, model, and actor Suki Waterhouse is proving her worth as an artist to be taken seriously. Her lyricism seems to have found its flow, wandering down a unique, stream-of-consciousness path that grips you instantly. [3.5/5]
Bleachers – ‘Wild Heart’: To celebrate ten years of their debut album, Bleachers have returned to their early track ‘Wild Heart’ for this beautiful remake. Highlighting the poetry of the lyrics but levelling it up with Antonoff’s matured style, both as a frontman and as a producer, it’s ten times better than the original. [3.5/5]
Father John Misty – ‘I Guess Time Just Makes Fools Of Us All’: He’s done it again. Father John Misty returns in true swaggering fashion. If his latest album, Chloë and the Next 20th Century, was a Vegas evening show, this new track sees him strutting around the casinos and sleazy underbelly. [4/5]
Confidence Man – ‘So What’: Confidence Man want you up and dancing. At festivals around the world, this huge new track is soundtracking the best summer memories. Sure, the experience in your headphones can’t quite compete with a whole crowd of energy, but ‘So What’ will still deliver a hit of serotonin. [3.5/5]
Haley Heynderickx – ‘Seed Of A Seed’: Haley Heynderickx has finally answered the calls for new music. It has been years since we last heard a new song from the singer, so ‘Seed Of A Seed’ arriving was like a gift. Luckily, after all this time, the wait was worth it. [4/5]
On the rise – New releases to note this week
Hongza – ‘Cold Days’: For shoegaze fans, Hongza is a new name to be paying attention to. Following the beautiful track ‘She Changes The Weather’, ‘Cold Days’ wanders into stormier skys for a moody slice of dream pop. [3/5]
Sarah Kinsley – ‘Realms’: Sarah Kinsley’s debut album is coming soon, and if the music industry makes any sense, she’ll be the next big thing in no time. No one makes music like she does, using classical training merged with unique production flares for music that seems to follow the beat of her heart, capturing whatever feeling she’s dealing with. On ‘Realms’, she ponders alternate universes on this expansive track. [4/5]
Sex Week – ‘Kid Muscle’: This is the sort of song that you hit play on and are instantly dragged into its emotional world. The atmosphere of the track is so all-encompassing that it’s impossible to resist the introspective melancholy. So, if you need a song to soundtrack a cinematic moment of sadness, hit play. [4/5]
Kit Sebastian – ‘Metropolis’: Along with the announcement of a new album coming in September, Kit Sebastian dropped this infectious cut. Borrowing from global influences and boiled down with their kooky indie edge, ‘Metropolis’ considers the experience of immigrants with a captivating flare. [4/5]
Pom Pom Squad – ‘Spinning’: Another album announcement this week came from Pom Pom Squad, whose interest peaked for their sophomore release with this new track. Rocky and angsty but with a pop sheen, it demands a singalong. [3/5]
MJ Lenderman – ‘Joker Lips’: Nostalgia trips from MJ Lenderman’s latest one as he bottles good old-fashioned blues rock spirit. The lyrics merge sincerity with deadpan humour, and guitars slide all over the top of it. As we race towards the release of his upcoming record, the standard of these teaser tracks sets expectations high. [3.5/5]
Soccer Mommy – ‘M’: Soccer Mommy announced her new album, Evergreen, with this gorgeous new track. Offering a more stripped-back sound than was heard on her latest release, it centres her lyricism rightfully in the spotlight. [3.5/5]
Georgia Gets By – ‘Some Kind Of Angel’: Dream pop greatness was delivered by Georgia Gets By this week. This song is so cinematic that it should be placed in a montage scene of some coming-of-age movie as a matter of urgency. [4/5]
Brigitte Calls Me Baby – ‘Too Easy’: Chicago’s Brigitte Calls Me Baby delivered his debut album this week with this track as a serious standout. Merging Elvis Presley, The Smiths, Roy Orbison and a whole host of crooning greats with a modern edge, it’s something really special. [4/5]
First spin – Debut single of the week
Tibia – ‘Two Weeks Of Gloria’: Childhood best friends reuniting in their twenties to make hedonistic rock and roll? Sounds like a recipe for greatness. The Stockholm duo are launching themselves into the music world with a sound that’s already so solid and so polished that it could only have come from minds that grew up together. It’s an incredibly promising opener that no doubt suggests more and bigger things are coming. [3.5/5]
Off The Beaten Track – Left field sounds
Soyuz, Asha Puthli, Sven Wunder – ‘Spring Has Sprung’: If good vibes are what you’re after, look no further than this dream collaboration born from the brains of an international team of talent. Swedish concept album master Sven Wunder, India’s greatest vocalist Asha Puthi and the Belarus creative collective Soyuz all bring a lot to the table, and the result is somehow even better than the sum of its incredible parts. [4/5]
George Daniel – ‘Screen Cleaner’: The 1975 drummer has always boasted a resume far bigger than his band. As a producer, he’s worked with the likes of Charli xcx, The Japanese House Beabadoobee and more. But as he unleashes his solo project, the result is a glitchy cut powered by a captivating beat that will have even the most club-phobic music fans yearning for a booming sound system and sticky floors. [3.5/5]
