Here are some of 2019’s best indie videos that we’ve been watching lately, two of which include videos from bands with members who are also well-known young actors. You can also see more new videos on our Music Videos page, which is updated regularly.
Calpurnia – Vancouver, British Columbia
Angel Du$t – Baltimore, Maryland
Wallows – Los Angeles, California
Better Oblivion Community Center – Los Angeles, California
Calpurnia – “Cell”
This young new band from Canada is not your ordinary band; two of the members are teen celebs: Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things) and Malcolm Craig (Bates Motel, Frequency) met in 2014 during a music video shoot for PUP’s single, “Guilt Trip.”
At that time, the two had not yet appeared in their respective film series. But they decided to start a band anyways and recruited viral-video guitarist Ayla Tesler-Mabe.
Last year, Calpurnia dropped the debut single, “City Boy.” Now they are back with this exciting new video and Dino Jr-like track, “Cell.” The video was filmed and directed by Pooneh Ghana and the band.
Without having any released music at the time, Calpurnia has opened for Tenacious D, Mac DeMarco, and Weird Al Yankovic. We’re not teenie-bopper types, but at the same time, we know a great track and video when we hear/see it.
Angel Du$t – “Big Ass Love”
Based in the city of Baltimore, indie rock band Angel Du$t includes members of hardcore outfits like Turnstile and Trapped Under Ice.
Who can forget the band’s 2016 hook-driven, brash and raucous album, Rock the Fuck On Forever.
At this moment the band is in the studio working with producer Will Yip (Turnstile, Code Orange, Title Fight) on a new album. “The songs are very much Angel Du$t, while the production is some whole other shit,” the band stated late last year.
The new release will apparently be dropped later this year. Angel Du$t was founded in 2013 by Trapped Under Ice frontman Justice Tripp and Turnstile drummer Daniel Fang, and features bassist Nick Heitman and guitarist Pat McCrory.
Wallows – “Are You Bored Yet?”
The L.A.band Wallows’ new official video for “Are You Bored Yet?,” featuring Clairo, has received almost two million views. In February they dropped “Scrawny” which earned a spot on our Top Ten Songs playlist.
It’s just a coincidence that another band fronted by a child star actor has also dropped a hot new video lands in this post. Dylan Minnette landed a bigtime role in the teen drama 13 Reasons Why. The popularity of that show put the spotlight on his band, Wallows, which had already existed for a couple of years.
The band, featuring childhood friends guitarist and vocalist Braeden Lemasters (and fellow actor on Men of a Certain Age) drummer Cole Preston, and of course Minnette himself, a vocalist and guitarist like Lemasters. They met as teens in school band class and formed the trio.
Nonetheless, Wallows, with the benefit of two high profile band members, but more so thanks to their dynamic 80’style sound, then hit it good last year with the release of the debut EP Spring. The band’s debut album, Nothing Happens, dropped March 22nd.
Better Oblivion Community Center – “Dylan Thomas”
Better Oblivion Community Center is the new and fascinating folk-pop collaboration between Conor Oberst and Phoebe Bridgers, which has spawned the recently released self-titled debut album.
So far, the track “Dylan Thomas” bubbled up to the Top Ten Songs playlist, which was not terribly surprising. It’s great music and a cool video.