The Big Indie Playlist: The best new releases of the week
Dear reader, as I write this, it is 20 degrees and sunny. We have finally made it. Winter is over, spring is here, and dare I say that perhaps it even smells like summer? To top off the perfect scene, the week has brought around another bumper crop of new greatness. Compiled all in one place, The Big Indie Playlist brings together the best new tracks of the week.
It seems that everybody wanted to make a comeback this week. Wet Leg finally dropped new music after teasing us for a while, Laufey returned to launch a new era, The Dare finally followed up his 2024 debut, and even in the world of up-and-comers, Leeds’ Green Gardens popped back up with something new.
Whether you’re feeling sad or overjoyed, keen to party or set to have a big cry, introspective or ready to blast your brains with some loud noise, there is a song for everything this week. Sydney Rose and Sarah Julia provide the tenderness, Wax Head provide the punk chaos, and even Tilda Swinton is on hand to talk you through a crisis.
If it’s a new favourite album you’re looking for, head to our weekly Alternative Album Chart, where all the best LPs are gathered. But right here, we’re bringing you a quick fix of the best new hits all in one place, so you simply have to hit play.
The best new music of the week:
Track of the week
HAIM – ‘Everybody’s trying to figure me out’: After the band released ‘Relationships’, a fun little earworm of a track, their follow-up is heavier. With Danielle Haim back behind the drum kit, you know it’s going to be good. As one of the band’s signature indie offerings that defies any tight genre hole or easy description, it almost feels improvised as the instruments dance around each other.
But it’s mostly the lyricism that gets me. There is so much to chew through here in what feels like one of the band’s rawest and most honest offerings yet. [4.5/5]
Instant classics – The biggest releases of the week
Wet Leg – ‘Catch These Fists’: Wet Leg return with another track that will be stuck in your head for a good few weeks. I dare you to listen to this and not be singing “Man Down” to yourself on repeat. [4.5/5]
The Dare – ‘LCA’: Lights, camera, action! The Dare sets the scene and makes it go crazy on what feels like his loudest and boldest offering to date. You get halfway through, and the song morphs into a whole different one. I need to hear this in the club ASAP. [4/5]
Laufey – ‘Silver Lining’: Need to feel like you’re in a rom-com? Laufey has always been able to provide that. Returning with her first new track since her Grammy-winning Bewitched era, the new jazz idol keeps getting better. [4.5/5]
Orbital and Tilda Swinton – ‘Deepest’: Feeling a bit weird and keen to feel a little weirder – here’s a track to trip you out. Softly narrated by Tilda Swinton as the music builds and builds around her calm voice, it’s an odd contradiction that works. [4/5]
Must-Hear – New releases to note this week
Bnny – ‘By My Side’: Bnny’s 2024 record One Million Love Songs was a gorgeous release, so naturally, we’re overjoyed to have even more and on the deluxe version, this new track is a welcome addition. [3.5/5]
Blondshell – ‘23’s A Baby’: “Cause 23′s a baby, Why’d you have a baby?” It’s the question on all our lips; only Blondshell is brave enough to ask it. [3.5/5]
The Marias – ‘Back To Me’: Thank god The Marias are back with something new cause the amount of times I’d listened to ‘No One Noticed’ was getting alarming. As dreamy and gorgeous as all their music, this is no different. [3.5/5]
Green Gardens – ‘Ghost of a Tree’: One of Leeds’ finest up-and-comers also offered up something new this week. The instrumental here is layered in such an interesting way that it scratches the brain so nicely. [3.5/5]
Sydney Rose – ‘5 More Minutes’: Don’t listen to this if you’re in your feelings. The same goes for the entirety of Sydney Rose’s new EP. But if you’re looking to feel introspective and somewhat fragile, her voice puts you right in that place. [3.5/5]
Wax Head – ‘Terminal Stinker’: Each week, we like to provide you with one track to blow the cobwebs of the week away; here is it. Play it loud, or don’t play it at all. [3/5]
Sarah Julia – ‘Daughters’: Two sisters singing together with a perfect natural harmony has to be one of the best types of bands, and Sarah Julia should be a new obsession. ‘Daughters’ depicts the best of them, from their vocals to their lyrics to the all-round musicality of their folkish project. [3/5]
Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs – ‘Blockage’: It’s been a hectic week. If one loud brain rattler of a track wasn’t enough to shake it off, here’s a second one that once again demands the volume be cranked up. [3.5/5]
Y – ‘Ladies Who’: Gathering up a bunch of powerful musicians connected to the likes of Fat White Family and Pregoblin, Y was always going to be good. But on their third EP, they’re better than ever with ‘Ladies Who’ as a fun highlight. [3/5]
Jenny Hval – ‘The Artist Is Absent’: They say don’t judge a book by its cover, but I took one look at this song title and knew I’d be obsessed. Jenny Hval’s alternative art-pop energy more than matches up to that first impression. [3.5/5]
Independent Spirit – The best unsigned release of the week
Linfa Kear – ‘Venn Diagram’: You know when you stumble upon one of those perfect voices that you’d happily hear sing absolutely anything? Yeah, that’s Linfa Kear. Luckily though, that vocal talent is matched with a knack for poignant lyricism and a gorgeous ear for folkish indie. The whole of her EP How’s Your Mother demands a listen, but this track is a highlight. [4/5]
Off the beaten track – Left-field sounds, curated and written by Ben Forrest
Surprise Chef – ‘Consulate Case’: It seems as though we have been waiting an age for Melbourne jazz-funk outfit Surprise Chef to unleash their upcoming record ‘Superb’, but it is still over a month away from release. However, Big Crown Records in their infinite kindness treated listeners to a sneak preview this week, in the form of the groovy bass-driven ‘Consulate Case’ which perfectly captures the blend of old-school jazz and modern electronic influences which have made Surprise Chef such an endearing outfit [4/5]
Nu Genea – ‘Tienaté’: Neapolitan duo Nu Genea have returned at last, and the track ‘Tienaté’ is particularly well-suited to reflecting the timeless disco-funk rhythms of the duo. Rooted in the culture and traditions of Naples, the track is a masterful exploration of place, but its diverse sonic offering give it universal appeal. [4.5/5]
Adam O’Farrill – ‘Migration’: A tender avant jazz exploration of nature, humanity, and self, New York trumpeter Adam O’Farrill is on top form on ‘Migration’, from the incredible album ‘For The Streets’. [3.5/5]
Néstor Álvarez – ‘There Was A Time’: London’s Original Gravity label treats us to a sun-soaked slice of Latin jazz on this instrumental anthem from Néstor Álvarez. The musician builds upon the infectious quality of last year’s ‘Melting Pot’ album brilliantly, making it an ideal track to usher in the springtime. [3.5/5]
