The Big Indie Playlist: The best new releases of the week
Each day, around 120,000 new songs are added to streaming services. That means that approximately 252,0000 minutes of new music come out weekly, in contrast to the 10,080 each seven-day period gives us. So, to stop you from playing catch-up for the rest of your life, we’ve boiled down the best new track for our weekly Big Indie Playlist.
But don’t be fool, we’re not indie exclusive. This week’s crop includes everything from indie, pop, folk and rock, into the more left-field worlds of classical compositions and jazz. From artists of all scales, genres and levels of notoriety, from the biggest names in the music world to artists releasing their debut single, we don’t discriminate. All songs are considered here but only the best of the best make it.
This week was busy with comebacks. After a few years of silence, Bon Iver released new music just in time to soundtrack autumn. Father John Misty also launched a new era with the seven-minute-long opus ‘Screamland’, and Rahim C Redcar, formally known as Christine and the Queens, reintroduced himself.
In the world of up-and-coming artists, Leeds-based unite Fuzz Lightyear is primed and ready to blow off the cobwebs of the week with acts like Flip Top Head, Wallice, Annie-Dog and more proving just how high the quality of emerging talent right now.
If you’re looking for a new favourite album, head to our weekly Alternative Album Chart for the best of the long plays. But right now, we’re diving into the best tracks of the week.
The best new music this week:
Track of the week
Fuzz Lightyear – ‘My Body’: There’s something in the water up in Leeds. It feels like every next week and month reveals a new act emerging from the city’s bustling live scene. The latest that should be on your radar is Fuzz Lightyear, a punky four-piece that maintains the sound of those basement jam sessions as they climb up to bigger and bigger stages.
As they reveal they’ve signed to Nice Swan Records, ‘My Body’ proves exactly why they’ve caught label attention. It’s big and bold but still manages to be expertly textured, even in its loudest moments. A song that will sound just as good blasting your eardrums in headphones as it will pounding out of venue sound systems when played live, they another act putting a star next to Leeds as one of the UK’s best musical cities. [4/5]
Instant Classics – The biggest releases of the week
Bon Iver – ‘S P E Y S I D E’: The start of autumn has been announced by the true sound of the season. After a few years, Bon Iver returned with Justin Vernon’s voice met with a sweet acoustic guitar, reminiscent of their old and beloved sound on For Emma or Vernon’s solo recordings. [4/5]
Blossoms – ‘I Like Your Look’: For a standout track on their fifth album, the Manchester indie kids join up with Dunboyne’s CMAT as the Mercury Nominee continues to prove that anything she touches turns to gold. [4/5]
Father John Misty – ‘Screamland’: Cinematic is a word that gets thrown around a lot, but in this case, it truly applies. Father John Misty returns with a nearly seven-minute-long emotional odyssey that navigates choppy waters of feeling and frustration. [4/5]
The WAEVE – ‘Moth To A Flame’: The duo of Graham Coxon and Rose Elinor Dougall return with their second album, with this 1980s gothic track being a real highlight amongst the lineup. [4/5]
Rahim C Redcar – ‘Deep Holes’: Formally known as Christine and the Queens, Rahim C Redcar relaunches with a name that better aligns with his identity now. As the opening to a new chapter with the announcement of a new album, Hopecore, it’s gripping and tense but still fun. [3/5]
On the rise – New releases to note
Sunday (1994) – ‘Blossom’: Sunday (1994) expand their cinematic world with a deluxe version of their debut EP. There’s just something about the combination of Paige’s girlish vocals and Leo’s classic indie instrumentals that feels like a match made in heaven. [3/5]
Misty Miller – ‘Too Heavy’: With one of those voices that could sing a shopping list and still be stunning, Miller’s sharply emotive songwriting is a cherry on top of this beautifully crafted ballad. [3.5/5]
Annie-Dog – ‘Have I Been Living?’: Only a month or so after the release of her debut EP, it’s clear there is no slowing Dublin-based Annie-Dog as she delivers another expertly built track with incredible production details. [4/5]
Lizzy McAlpine – ‘Pushing It Down and Praying’: No one can write a song like Lizzy McAlpine can. There’s just a unique, indescribable quality to her lyrics that combines sharp storytelling with so much feeling and atmosphere that it could move even the hardest hearts to tears, especially this new and tricky track about love, desire and guilt. [4.5/5]
Wallice – ‘Gut Punch Love’: Indie pop done so very right. Wallice dives into her own mother’s tragic love story as her fiance went missing but handles it with a sunny edge to bring devastation the optimism it often needs. [3.5/5]
Mandrake Handshake – ‘King Cnut’: Seeing Mandrake Handshake live is a sight to behold as the sprawling band creates such an incredible yet nuanced wall of sound. That’s translated beautifully to this latest track delivers a great taster of their energy. [4/5]
Monobloc – ‘Irish Goodbye’: Indie is so back as this New York-based band is signed to the same management as The Strokes. Bringing back the energy of the 00s scene, this new one sits somewhere between their management mates and LCD Soundsystem. [4/5]
Flip Top Head – ‘So Much For Mole Catching’: The Brighton music scene delivers more and more greatness each month. But in a busy city, Flip Top Head are an act to take note off as the meandering melodies in this track are delicious. [4/5]
Katy J Pearson – ‘It’s Mine Now’: One of the highlights from our album of the week, ‘It’s Mine Now’ is a true crowning jewel on Katy J Pearson’s beautiful third album. [4.5/5]
First Spin – Debut single of the week
Harkling – ‘Alive’: While hailing from Northumberland, Harkling spent a year living in Arctic Norway. It’s the landscape of that remote environment that inspires this debut track as she launches an indie-pop project that has flavours of Maggie Rogers and Bjork, being both deeply atmospheric yet accessible and gripping. [4/5]
Off The Beaten Track – Left-field sounds
Erland Cooper – ‘Carve The Ruins Then Be Content With Silence’: Scottish composer Erland Cooper made this piece, put it on one tape and then deleted every other copy of it. He then buried it in the ground for years, letting the earth do what it may. The version now available to listen to is the result of that experimentation, as the ground recomposed his piece with unique details and alterations. Technically, this is a whole album with a 30-minute run time, but it deserves the attention of a full, uninterrupted listen. It’s nothing short of a masterpiece. [5/5]
Nubya Garcia – ‘Odyssey’: Speaking to Garcia’s dedication to the jazz genre, and moving the scene forwards, her new album’s title track is an impressively timeless jazz effort. [5/5]
