The Big Indie Playlist: this week’s best new music
Truth be told, last week’s Big Indie Playlist wasn’t very heavy on the “indie”. I mean, just look who was included: Miley Cyrus, The Killers, Blur, and The Chemical Brothers all haven’t been “indie” in decades, if they were even indie at all. It’s getting harder and harder to decide on what “indie” actually is, but those guys and gals sure ain’t it. Maybe the “indie” are the songs we collected along the way.
Anyway, we’ve course-corrected a bit this week, with only a few known major label artists finding slots on the playlist. Listen, if you’re Lauren Mayberry or L Devine or The Kills and have more mainstream distribution than your peers, the indie has to be found somewhere in your heart. I would argue that all of these artists push that good old-fashioned indie narrative, but I guess I would, considering I made this damn list.
If you want to check out the best of the new albums, you can check out our Alternative Album Chart, which is stocked full of goodies just waiting to be discovered. Otherwise, if you’re looking for a quick fix, we’ve got you covered with the best new singles of the week.
From Katy Kirby to Wicketkeeper to Devendra Banhart and Mannequin Pussy, there is once more a smorgasbord of surprises from the music world and a few emerging talents to boot. Here are all the best singles from the week of September 1st. You can check them all out in a playlist at the foot of the piece, too.
The best new songs this week:
The best new folk songs
Katy Kirby – ‘Cubic Zirconia’: Katy Kirby has returned with a new single titled ‘Cubic Zirconia’, which also marks her first release with ANTI-Records, home to Tom Waits, Fleet Foxes and Andy Shauf. ‘Cubic Zirconia’ is a soft, whimsical track with sickly sweet vocals. Over indie folk instrumentals, Kirby asks, “What more could I want? Why wouldn’t that be enough?”, showing off some of her most deft lyrical writing to date. (4.5/5)
Beirut – ‘So Many Plans’: To preview his upcoming album, Beruit leader Zach Condon has shared the new track ‘So Many Plans’. Dripping with regret and longing, the track keeps the arrangement sparse so that Condon can wring every last drop of emotion out of his melancholy lyrics. (4/5)
Woods – ‘Little Black Flowers’: If there’s one constant in the folk section of this list, it’s Woods. The Brooklyn band are closing in on a full decade of radiant folk rock, and their latest track ‘Little Black Flowers’ perfectly fits into their extensive and accomplished discography. (4/5)
Helena Deland – ‘Bright Green Vibrant Grey’: One of the more fascinating folk upstarts of the 2020s has been Helena Deland, the Canadian singer-songwriter whose work continues to get better and better as the years continue to pass. ‘Bright Green Vibrant Grey’ is as delicate and gorgeous as anything that Deland has ever done. Bonus points for some tasteful flute. (4/5)
The best new indie songs
Wicketkeeper – ‘Something I’ve Never Seen’: British indie trio Wicketkeeper has returned with a brand new track, ‘Something I’ve Never Seen’. The song is the latest preview of the band’s upcoming second studio album Zambroni. A fuzzy and loopy indie track, ‘Something I’ve Never Seen’ is an unhurried run-through of anxiety-inducing thoughts. At once calming and highly combustible, the track is full of wonky contrasts and killer melodies. (4.5/5)
Devendra Banhart – ‘Nun’: With all the open-ended qualities of a great Brian Eno track mixed together with the delicate beauty of a Sufjan Stevens song, ‘Nun’ finds Devendra Banhart running circles as he tries to make sense of the world around him. Just a simple drum loop and some bright keyboard lines surrounding him is all that Banhart needs as he doesn’t seem to be in any rush to find an answer. (4/5)
Conan Gray – ‘Winner’: A delicate piano ballad filled with imagery of moving on and leaving the worst of life behind, ‘Winner’ isn’t at all upbeat or exuberant, despite its title. Instead, ‘Winner’ is a hard-worn victory for Conan Gray, one that comes with bittersweet consequences and melancholy. (3.5/5)
Kabeaushé – ‘These Dishes Ain’t Gonna Do Themelves’: Raised in the vivid expanse of Nairobi, Kenya, and now docked amid the demimonde of Berlin, Kabeaushé brings an eclectic slice of life to their work. That wildness comes to the fore on ‘These Dishes Ain’t Gonna Do Themselves’, an absolutely bananas track showing that some of the best music comes from outside the Western expanse. (3.5/5)
The best new alternative and rock songs
Lauren Mayberry – ‘Are You Awake’: Lauryn Mayberry has officially unveiled her debut solo offering ‘Are You Awake?’ The new track sees Mayberry explore a softer side of herself as she strips things back on the emotional piano ballad. It’s definitely not the high-energy synthpop of Chvrches, but a wonderful other side of Mayberry’s talents. (4.5/5)
L Devine – ‘Laundry Day’: After more than half a decade of awesome EPs, L Devine is finally coming out with her debut full-length studio effort, Digital Heartifacts. To preview the album, Devine has dropped ‘Laundry Day’. Led by a mix of soft keyboards and buzzy drum machines, Devine’s voice and lyrics remain the centrepiece of the track, just as it does throughout her discography. (4/5)
Mannequin Pussy – ‘I Got Heaven’: Philadelphia punks Mannequin Pussy have made an entire career of not giving a fuck about anything. If you think that ‘I Got Heaven’ will see them change that focus, you’re dead wrong. If you’re not ready to hear the phrase “And what if Jesus himself ate my fucking snatch?”, then you might want to pass on ‘I Got Heaven’. Otherwise, dive right in. (3.5/5)
The Kills – ‘103’: The Kills have just announced God Games, only their second album in roughly a decade. We’re celebrating with ‘103’, a buzzy electronic track that is actually more spacey and open than most of the band’s work, edging the closest that the duo have ever gotten to a true-blue ballad. (3/5)
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