The Big Indie Playlist: The best new releases of the week
Another week, another bumper crop of new music. Each week, more music is shared than any one singular person could ever keep up with. Hey, we get it! You’ve got busy lives and things to be getting on with – but this is our job. To ensure no greatness is missed, The Big Indie Playlist compiles the must-hear tracks into one place.
This week especially, folk was winning. So many truly stunning folk releases were shared this week for fans of deeply introspective, beautifully sung and tenderly written songs. Natalie Wildgoose’s new EP Come Into The Garden demands attention, as does Clara Mann’s new album. Billie Marten also shared a gorgeous new track, as her voice could really sing anything and make it something special.
But across the worlds of indie, rock, punk, alt-pop and beyond, all the genres were busy this week. Whether it’s a raging punk tune you’re after to blow away the cobwebs of the week in time for the weekend, or whether you need a new banger to full antics to come or the first beer garden trip of the year, this week’s batch of new music can certainly provide that.
If it’s a new favourite album you’re looking for, though, or if you’re keen to sink your teeth into a long-form project, head to our weekly Alternative Album Chart to see all the new record releases in one place. But right here, we’re focussed on a quick fix of the best new hits.
The best new music of the week
Track of the week
Natalie Wildgoose – ‘Blackberries’: You know those songs so beautiful that they stop you in your tracks? They immediately pick you up and drop you into a distinct atmosphere as a cloud of wistfulness descends on you, and there is truly no escaping. That’s how this new Natalie Wildgoose track feels.
In fact, her entire new EP feels like that. So intimate and beautiful, the whole of Come Into The Garden is worthy of a focussed listen. But on ‘Blackberries’, it hits a whole new level. With glimmers of the singer’s Yorkshire accent peeking through, it’s a gorgeous slice of lo-fi folk. [4.5/5]
Instant Classics – The biggest new releases of the week
Black Country, New Road – ‘Happy Birthday’: Marching towards the release of their new album, Black Country, New Road are now on two for two great singles, getting us super excited for the full project later in the year. [4/5]
Doechii – ‘Anxiety’: What started out as an improvisation over Gotye’s ‘Somebody That I Used To Know’ posted years ago ages, has now finally been polished up and released. Everything Doechii touches turns to gold at the moment, and this is further proof. [3.5/5]
Billy Nomates – ‘The Test’: Billy Nomates is back! Announcing a new album coming later in the year, ‘The Test’ is a great opening number with big high-octane rock choruses that will sound incredible blasting out of big stages. [3.5/5]
Tennis – ‘At The Wedding’: After announcing a new album last month, Tennis are back with another teaser. The American duo have such a distinctive energy and sound and it’s as intoxicating as ever right here. [4/5]
Billie Marten – ‘Miles and Inches’: The Strangers On A Bench podcast are doing this thing where they’re getting artists to write songs based on episodes, and so far, every single one has been so stunning. Billie Marten’s offering is no different, but really, she could sing a shopping list, and it would be gorgeous. [4.5/5]
Must-hear – New releases to note this week
San Vito Ryder – ‘Crimson Sunset’: Imagine if The Birthday Party were dropped into a David Lynch movie, and that’s basically what you’ve got here. So cinematic and stylish while still being so wild and raging; it’s red neon glowing punk carnage. [4/5]
Ideal Living – ‘March’: I swear we say this every week, but there’s something in the water in Brighton. Is there another city right now so consistently delivering greatness? Ideal Living suggest not as their EP This Big House is another must-hear this week, with ‘March’ as a stand-out. [4/5]
Sofia Isella – ‘Josephine’: The world of Sofia Isella is absolutely intoxicating. Each track feels like a whole movie, as her voice, sharp lyricism, and production power make for something so immersive. Following the incredible ‘Dog’s Dinner’, ‘Josephine’ continues the dark, seductive energy. [4/5]
Divorce – ‘Karen’: Divorce’s debut album dropped this week, and it did not disappoint. ‘Karen’ is a stand-out for us as the contrast between the intimate opening and the booming second half displays both sides of the band’s power. [4.5/5]
Rachel Chinouriri – ‘Can We Talk About Isaac?’: In need of an outright indie banger this week? Look right here. A gorgeous love song from Rachel Chinouriri, the joy of the music sounds exactly like the joy of being as head over heels as the singer is for the boyfriend she name-drops in the track. [3/5]
Chloe Qisha – ‘Sex & Drugs & Existential Dread’: In case you missed it, Chloe Qisha is the new alt-pop it-girl. ‘Sex & Drugs & Existential Dread’ is a track to disco dance to while the world burns, which is exactly what we all need right now, right? [3.5/5]
Panic Shack – ‘Gok Wan’: Each week, we like to deliver one raging punk track to blow the cobwebs of the week away, and as this weekend marks International Women’s day, Panic Shack’s scream against beauty standards, diet culture and objectification is a perfect option. [3.5/5]
AtticOmatic – ‘Wait’: Oh look, more Brighton greatness! Musing on neurodivergent love as they meander through textures of pure rock and pure indie with mix-ins of dream pop and jazz, ‘Wait’ is a perfect opening teaser track as they announce their debut EP to come in May. [4/5]
Clara Mann – ‘Oranges’: On an album musing on heartbreak, ‘Oranges’ feels like the start of the clouds clearing and the light shining in again. The whole record is stunning as a beautiful folk release from Mann, but this song is particularly special. [4/5]
Independent spirit – The best unsigned release of the week
Emma Bradley – ‘Serotonin Skies’: Emma Bradley is an artist who has kind of done it all and seen it all. She’s done the label thing, she’s done the indie-pop thing, she’s done the working with co-writers and producers things. She’s even released full instrumental, compositional works to play in another vein of her talent.
But the release of ‘Serotonin Skies’ marks the start of a new and clearly empowering era. Now a fully independent artist, there’s the sense that Bradley had clawed back control of her artists, now even fully producing her work with this track being the first offering of these skills she’s been honing her entire career, but now has the courage to commit to. It’s a triumph and a beautiful display of the greatness that can come when an artist trusts themself. [4/5]
Off The Beaten Track – Left-field sounds, curated and written by Ben Forrest
Los Pirañas – ‘El nuevo Prometeo’: This masterfully improvised track opens the newly released album, Una Oportunidad más de triunfar en la vida, and sees the Colombian avant-psych masters entrenched deep in their uniquely eclectic blend of experimental composition, old-school psychedelic rock, and traditional Colombian influences. [4.5/5]
Pyramid Blue feat. Habiba Chaouf – ‘Amal’: A blistering new seven-inch single released via Barcelona’s Rocafort Records, ‘Amal’ witnesses a beautiful colliding of Pyramid Blue’s Ethio-jazz expertise with the enchanting vocals of Arabic singer Habiba Chaouf, who has her roots in the Spanish flamenco scene. As you can imagine, the resulting track is expansive and ethereal, drawing upon everything from Afrofunk to soul, boogaloo, and even elements of surf rock. [4.5/5]
Giovanni Damico – ‘LAx5’: Hailing from Southern Italy, Giovanni Damico returns with an infectiously groovy offering featuring a heavy disco-centric bassline, a psychedelic angle, and the unavoidable marks of Afrofunk. You would be forgiven for assuming that this track was first released back in the early 1980s were it not for the raw musical innovation at the heart of Damico’s work. [4/5]
Surprise Chef – ‘Dangerous’: The latest cut to be released from upcoming album Superb, Surprise Chef reaffirm their expertise in creating unsuspectingly catchy cinematic soul tracks. This one sees the band centre around the focal point of an organ, building a rich tapestry of sound from that core instrument and succeeding in building anticipation for the full record to be released in May. [3.5/5]
Move 78 – ‘Mistakes On Purpose’: Hailing from the vibrancy of Berlin’s jazz scene, Move 78 gives a sneak preview of their upcoming album Game Four on this single. Blending experimental soundscapes with voluminous jazz and marks of hip-hop, too, the song feels like a much more colossal journey than its two-and-a-half-minute runtime gives it credit for. [3.5/5]
