The Big Indie Playlist: The best new releases of the week
It’s not just the end of another week, but it’s the end of half a year. 2025 is halfway done, and if each week brings about tens of thousands of new songs, it’s impossible to even imagine how big the pile of new music shared so far this year must be. That’s where the Big Indie Playlist steps in, helping to ensure no greatness is missed.
This week truly was a great one. Wolf Alice returned with the second teaser track from their upcoming album, continuing to present a more mature and intriguing sound on this cycle. Countless artists shared long-awaited and hotly anticipated albums, including Wet Leg’s sophomore release and the deeply poignant collaboration between Ólafur Arnalds and the late Irish artist Talos, marking a beautiful celebration of their friendship.
In the world of up-and-comers, it was a busy week, too. Luvcat announced that her debut album will arrive later this year, sharing the title track as another offering on a golden run of singles. Jessica Winter shared her debut album to soundtrack the weekend, while Greta Isaac continues to morph into her hyper-pop alter ego, Dolly Zoom.
From alt-pop to rock, country-twanged indie to classical music, there truly is a bit of everything in this week’s playlist. Don’t let the title deceive you, we’re going far beyond the world of indie to cover all corners of this week’s greatness.
The best new music of the week
Track of the week
Wolf Alice – ‘The Sofa’: The two songs shared so far from Wolf Alice’s upcoming fourth album speak to a band that has truly levelled up. ‘Bloom Baby Bloom opened up the era with pure energy, but the latest offering, ‘The Sofa’, is mature.
Ellie Rowsell’s voice is especially gorgeous here as her range, which was always impressive, seems to have grown both in breadth, depth and strength. As that final chorus hit and she wails “let me lie here on the sofa”, it’s goose-bump inducingly beautiful. An ode to going limp to the world and wishing you could simply exist unbothered for a moment of peace, I’d even claim it’s one of the band’s best songs yet. [4.5/5]
Instant classics – The biggest release of the week
Deftones – ‘My Mind Is A Mountain’: I’m still not quite over the loss of the Deftones into Charli XCX run that should have happened at Glastonbury before the group had to cancel, but the announcement of a new album and this opening teaser track is a good compensation. [4/5]
Wet Leg – ‘11:21’: Wet Leg bagged our album of the week crown with Moisturizer, and while there are more high-octane or immediately gripping tracks to focus on, it’s this gentle hidden gem that holds true beauty. [4/5]
Big Thief – ‘All Day All Night’: Adrianne Lenker never misses. There’s a reason why they’ve become one of the most respected songwriters around, and with each new song, they offer up more evidence to explain it. [4/5]
MJ Lenderman – ‘Just Be Simple’: Does MJ Lenderman ever take a day off? I swear he’s always on tour or releasing something, but when it’s always this good, there are no complaints here. This most country-twanged offering is especially nice. [4.5/5]
Role Model and Laufey – ‘The Longest Goodbye’: Two new Gen-Z icons teaming up, the link of Role Model and Laufey just feels right. Giving new life to Role Model’s simple end-of-the-heartbreak anthem, Laufey’s perfect jazz vocals make it silky smooth. [3.5/5]
Geese – ‘Taxes’: Right as Cameron Winter is having a major moment of appreciation following his 2024 solo album, he announced the return of his band, Geese, with their first new track since 2023. It’s a welcome return for fans of the band and new Winter fans alike. [4/5]
Ólafur Arnalds and Talos – ‘A Dawning’: This week’s most poignant release comes from Ólafur Arnalds and the late Talos as their collaboration, finished solo by Arnalds after Talos’ passing, is released. So tenderly made and so rich with emotion, the titular track ‘A Dawning’ is staggeringly beautiful and incredibly moving. [5/5]
Must-Hear – The best new releases this week
Luvcat – ‘Vicious Delicious’: It finally happened. Luvcat announced her debut album and shared this, the title track. It’s another hit in her golden run of singles, delving into a toxic relationship that is too intoxicating to quit. [4/5]
Jessica Winter – ‘Big Star’: Jessica Winter released her aptly titled debut album, My First Album, this week, and it’s a perfect weekend soundtrack, ready to take you from introspection to parties, with ‘Big Star’ being a clear highlight. [4/5]
NewDad – ‘Roobosh’: Galway’s NewDad have always been likened to a The Cure style post-punk spirit, but this new track isn’t so easily defined, merging rock elements with synthy, electronic details for something more interesting. [3.5/5]
Liang Lawrence – ‘A Day Off In Margaritaville’: Do I like this song or do I just really want a day off lounging around Margaritaville with an overly sweet drink in hand and the sun shining down? Who knows. [3/5]
Been Stellar – ‘Adored’: After becoming a key one-to-watch with their debut album last year, Been Stellar are back with more. These latest singles speak to a mature unit who are set on developing, and ‘Adored’ sets a new standard. [4/5]
Greta Isaac/Dolly Zoom – ‘Moviestar’: Greta Isaac is in the middle of a reinvention as they morph into Dolly Zoom, moving from introspective folk-leaning tracks to pure hyper pop fun. But a song like ‘Moviestar’, with its outright silliness, is hard to resist. [3.5/5]
Off The Beaten Track – Left-field sounds, curated and written by Ben Forrest
Leroi Conroy – ‘Panthera Cry’: This week saw the release of A Tiger’s Tale, the latest offering from Leroi Conroy, AKA, Terry Cole, the man behind the incredible roster over at Colemine Records in Ohio. On ‘Panthera Cry’, the producer treats audiences to a lush, laid-back slice of old-school cinematic funk, fitting right at home with the rest of Colemine’s ever-expanded repertoire of funk excellence. [4.5/5]
Radiance and Andrea Stone – ‘You’re The Number 1’: Best Records, who have been premier proprietors of italio-disco since back in the 1980s, have pulled a gem out of the vaults, in the form of Radiance’s ‘You’re The Number 1’, first released back in 1983. With an incredibly groovy bassline and the ethereal vocals of Stone, this reissue reaffirms the track’s ability to fill dancefloors, decades on from the original release. [4/5]
P-SOL – ‘No Category’: New York’s P-SOL unleash a narrative jazz-funk groover with ‘No Category’. Drawing upon a deep-rooted appreciation for the golden age of funk and soul, the single is also indebted to hip-hop beats and sampling, allowing ‘No Category’ to ride the wave between different genres and generations expertly, and they’re all pressed one-by-one on lathe-cut vinyl to boot. [4/5]
