Category: 2019 Indie Songs

Paul Vernet is a seasoned rocker as well as a new-century indie musician. He is not a classic rock troubadour in the traditional sense of the word – rather, he’s a hybrid.

Vernet carefully excavates dinosaur bones of yesteryear’s rock icons, smashes them up into smaller pieces and mixes and grinds them all together with his own ingredients that span the spectrum of modern sub-genres – popularized under the umbrella that is indie rock.

“There might be something in the water up here,” he said looking out at the purple-tinged mountains near Woodstock, New York. Vernet has lived in the hills there for many years and recently recorded and dropped his new album Personal Mythology.

Living in such a beautiful and culturally historic (even though the Woodstock Festival of 1969 was actually held in the nearby town of Bethel) location has undoubtedly influenced his music in wondrous ways.

“Before all these digitized nerds took over an already crooked music biz, there was a hippie dream, you know, where songs meant something, and music could change the world. Call me crazy, but I still believe that.”

Vernet’s latest single, “Pregnant Widow,” is a sizzling slice of proto funk/punk, sort of like an all-star jam with Black Sabbath, Fela Kuti and the Talking Heads, he says. It’s definitely a standout.

“The song is about a wise old county doctor who makes house calls after hours,” he says. “The rest of the record plays itself all over the musical map – groove rock with a Brill Building backbone.”

“It’s about obsession, sex, and death. It’s a cautionary tale about a doctor and the wife of a terminal patient he’s treating.”

In this case, he says, the ‘good doctor’ crossed the line between “fear and hope, and now the townspeople are starting to gossip. It’s about doing things you know you shouldn’t, but compulsion takes over. The need to be desired is a very, very strong motivator.”

These lines from the song say much: “Don’t get your knickers in a twist/Don’t get your testes in a fix/Messing around, pants come down/Pop your dress right off.”

All of this put together may conjure up images of a Decemberists’ type of folklore lyric and song. But it’s uniquely Vernet’s.

The track accumulated nearly 9,000 streams on Spotify in a matter of a couple of weeks after being picked up by a couple of playlisters.

Vernet’s musical influences are varied and include Atomic Rooster to Charlie Rich; Steely Dan to Ween; The Monkees to Guns N Roses.

Last month we featured another great track from the album, “Skipping Stones”.

La Palma, the musical duo of Philly artist Tim Gibbon and D.C. musician Chris Walker formed earlier this year, dropped a new single on Friday titled “Swept Away/Holiday.”

But this is not your typical holiday track.

The song kicks off with a sunny, lazy tropical guitar vibe and Caribbean style percussions and what sound like at first seagulls but it’s a guitar string weeping or some other cool effect.

The song floats along with elements of beachy dream-pop and psych waves. You can almost feel the sun on your face and the warm breezes coming off the ocean.

Right at the mid-point the track transforms and morphs into a series of sound effects – all once again creating that sunny vibe. Towards the end, the track morphs again, this time into a strange little acoustic jam.

Gibbon describes the track best: “It begins with a lushly produced story of a dip in the ocean-turned deep-sea psychic tumult; the track then abruptly flips on its head to a more stripped-down acoustic feel, itching for an elusive holiday escape from the day-to-day grind.”

Because they live in different cities, the duo’s music is created correspondence-style – passing recordings through the cloud to build textured compositions and layers of instruments that glean from everyday sounds and experiences, steeped in beachy psych-pop and indie folk.

Gibbon and Walker are both writers, vocalists, and multi-instrumentalists on the guitar, keyboards, bass, percussion, and programming. Their music definitely falls under the indie rock umbrella, incorporating genres and sub-genres such as psych-pop, indie folk, experimental, bedroom pop, and dream pop.

They met years ago in D.C.’s music scene while playing with bands like Kittyhawk and Let’s French.

The duo has opened for bands like Goodnight Lights and Spelling Reform and are primarily influenced by bands like Animal Collective, Helado Negro, Devendra Banhart, and Melody’s Echo Chamber. We first featured La Palma back in the spring for their debut single.

This second indie songs playlist for November features artists and bands from across the U.S. and southern Ontario. Enjoy and please share to support DIY artists and bands.

Ten Minute Detour – Toronto, Ontario
Alex Floor – Western North Carolina
The Rope – Minneapolis, Minnesota
Summer Colds – Ashland, Oregon

Ten Minute Detour – “Bleeding Green”

The Toronto alternative rock band Ten Minute Detour cut their teeth in a small, detached, heatless garage in Calgary, Alberta.

Unlike the band’s previous singles, TMD’s new single, “Bleeding Green,” sports a more ambient-like guitar sound with smooth melodies, a chill beat and the impressive vocal work of guitarist Andrew Shier.

The accompanying video tears a page out of the old face-in-the-camera technique but switches it up a bit with green face paint sequences set to the track.

TMD’s fans will recognize that the song is a different and more sophisticated sound for the band; more mellow and emotive.

Since the band’s inception in 2016, their style has been raw garage rock with a rough and riffy classic rock sound, tube amps and wild vocals, backed by hard-hitting drums.

While their signature sound of the past was garage rock, Shier says many of the band’s songs were created using a “different recipe.”

Shortly after recording started, Shier, along with guitarist/vocalist Jordan MacNeil – the founder members – moved from their western prairie homeland in Alberta to Toronto, a city that has experienced a burgeoning indie music scene for years.

Unavoidably, the move also resulted in some of the Alberta-based band members’ departure from the band. That of course changed the band’s sound to what has surfaced here in 2019.

The band’s maturation as songwriters and musicians is notable and it will likely serve them well moving forward.

The other talented band members of Ten Minute Detour are keyboardist Matt Drake; drummer Kaol Porter, and bassist Jake Rowinski.

TMD’s sophomore album, Common Pleasure, was recorded “over a harrowing seven days” and serves as a testament to the band’s growth in songwriting and storytelling.

Producer and former Cage The Elephant guitarist, Lincoln Parish, was brought on to polish things off like a pro.

The band’s debut album, Lay It Down, was recorded in Alberta in 2015, featuring tracks like “Four Papers” and “Getaway,” two catchy alt. rock tracks that helped pave the way for the band, and lead to hundreds of live performances across the expansive country of Canada.

TMD’s biggest musical influences include Kings of Leon, Alabama Shakes, Arctic Monkeys, and Cage the Elephant.

Ten Minute Detour on Instagram

Alex Floor – “Speed Up Or Slow Down”

During the day, North Carolinian indie musician Alex Floor writes code and manages computer networks.

But between work and parenting, he finds time to write, record, master, and produce provocative and thoughtful songs.

His newest single, “Speed Up or Slow Down,” was originally written a few years ago following a divorce. A co-worker and friend helped encourage him to record the track. And so he did.

The track starts with a treble-high programmed beat and the introduction to Floor’s soft vocals and sweet melodies.

The track, which uses minimal instrumentation, takes on his anti-folk vibe and yet the beautiful aspects of the sound do not tinge the melancholy that is clearly present. It’s a really nice touch and Floor pulls it off capably.

In fact, we encourage folks to take the time to listen to his other accomplished songs such as “Keeping Me Up” and “Now That You’re Gone.”

Floor grew up in the Midwest rustbelt, lived in Brooklyn for a decade and now resides in the mountains of western North Carolina with his wife, children, cats, and dog. You could say that gives him a unique cross-reference of America for songwriting and musical tastes.

His musical influences include, but are not limited to, artists and bands like Elliott Smith, The Shins, Vampire Weekend, The Decemberists, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Joshua Radin, Cary Brothers, Dan Costello, and Brian Speaker.

IRC first featured Floor’s early single, “Borrowed Earth,” from his self-released debut album, American Peasant, back in 2010. In 2012, he dropped a respectable follow-up E.P., Finding A Middle.

Alex Floor on Soundcloud

The Rope – “Now You Know”

Based in one of the Midwest’s music capitals, popular Minneapolis alternative post-punk band The Rope just recently dropped their debut long-play album, Lillian. The album has received strong support, including on The Rope’s Bandcamp page.

Spawned from Lillian have been a number of standout tracks, including the newest single, the dark, eclectic, guitar-driven track, “Now You Know.”

The album features a collection of ten tracks featuring the blending of gothic, post-punk, new wave, darkwave, and alternative rock with clear 1970s and 80s influences.

This past year the band has toured, performing at the UK’s Sacrosanct and Germany’s Gotham Sounds festivals.

The band members are founding member and vocalist Jesse Hagon; drummer Ben Rickel; guitarist Michael Browning, and bassist Sam Richardson (bass).

Initially formed in 2009, The Rope released their eponymous debut E.P. in 2011. After a series of line-up changes, the band returned in 2015 with their second EP, Waters Rising.

The Rope’s musical influences include The Cure, Joy Division, Psychedelic Furs, My Life w/ the Thrill Kill Kult, and Sisters of Mercy.

https://www.facebook.com/TheRope1

Summer Colds – “Killing Flies”

The rising Ashland, Oregon indie rock trio Summer Colds return again with another track, “Killing Flies”, from their debut album.

The track opening with a snarly-style vocal delivery, a tepid background beat and a wall of guitars. Once the song opens up a bit more and really gets rolling, it’s a solid track.

However, the vocals could be better; they are understated like “dude, why you holding back?”

The growing pains of a new and young band. The guitar solo at the ending of the track is cool and how it merges with the other instruments.

Earlier this year, we featured the band’s debut single, “Whiteout,” which helped fuel the band’s visibility locally and online.

Soon we’ll be posting our review of the band’s debut album, Here Comes Nothing. Straddling between, and mixing, genres such as alt. rock, pop-punk, and power pop.

After recording two albums with his former band Black Bears Fire in 2013 & 2015, songwriter, songwriter, and vocalist Nic McNamara founded Summer Colds “to bring to life a heavier sound” than his previous folk-rock project.

He recruited drummer and vocalist Claire Burgess and bassist Nicole Swan to complete the band.

“Unlike many other songs on the album,” says McNamara, “this was written in its entirety a few months before the album was released.”

“It came in a flash of inspiration, triggered by running into an ex-girlfriend who had taken a self-destructive path.”

The song came together quicker than usual and ended up setting the standard for what the mixing and production of the rest of the tracks on the album would sound like.

Summer Colds has opened for a bunch of bands over the past five years, including Slow Corpse, Old Year, Calyx, The Juniper Berries, Yr Parents, and Glacierwolf.

The band’s biggest influences include Weezer, White Reaper, Surfer Blood, Pup, Brand New, and Wavves.

https://www.facebook.com/summercoldsband

This new indie rock songs playlist for October 2019 includes some creepy songs from Casino Garden, Chaser Eight, among others. Get spoooked.

Casino Garden – Wuppertal, Germany
Chaser Eight – New Haven, Connecticut
Audio For Gemini – Edinburgh, Scotland
GU¥ – Winchester, England
KYLO – Toronto, Ontario

Casino Garden – “Eternal Monster”

Just in time for Halloween, the grungy, shoegazed track, “Eternal Monster,” chugs along with a particularly spooky feel.

The song is from the Wuppertal, Germany indie rock band Casino Garden’s new album, Get Your Shit Together.

If you get a chance to listen to it (stream below), GYST is a real experience for fans of mixing indie rock, shoegaze, post-grunge and lo-fi-leaning post-punk.

The album is brimming with heavy, engaging shoegaze vibes created by multiple buzzing guitars, booming percussions, and gorgeous melodies.

The band’s fans and new followers – many of which are dedicated shoegazers online – started massing around the band last year after the release of Casino Garden’s debut album, Slide.

Another recent single from the album is the brash lo-fi, post-grunge track, “Clover,” which demonstrates a maturation in the band’s songwriting process since their debut.

One of the band’s fans wrote on their Bandcamp page of the new releases: “There are some really killer melodies like the ones in “Fallen Leaves in Summertime” or in “Sunrise in Jail,” which has a guarantee for goosebumps. But my highlight next to “The Devil Comes Home,” a perfect opener, is “Eternal Monster,” a real monster track with a [sic] exciting and stirring development and a very touching melody.”

Formed in 2016, Casino Garden, from Wuppertal, Germany, is Matthias Wiercinski (guitar, vocals); Oliver Kroker (bass); Helene Ballke (keys), and Alexander Alaimo Di Loro (drums).

The band members have a wide range of musical influences, including and most predominantly, Radiohead, Nirvana, Slowdive, Trail of Dead, Beatles, Tocotronic, and Ride.

Casino Garden Facebook Page

Chaser Eight – “Playing With Fire”

Not many indie rock bands can say they’ve opened for popular indie and rock bands like Panic! At The Disco and Local H. But New Haven’s Chaser Eight can because they did.

Known for their blistering alternative rock, Chaser Eight just released their latest album, Tell Me Lies, on October 18, 2019.

Their new thrashing, guitar blazing, and reverb-driven single, “Playing With Fire,” struts along with a big rock sound that is ready for a rock arena show.

The track sports a sinister vibe, and together with its dangerous title, comes off as an appropriate track for this Halloween season.

Chaser Eight has become a staple of the Connecticut rock scene and is known nationally thanks to a strong online following they’ve built up over the years.

The band members are *AUDRA* (vocals/guitar); Pat Walsh (guitar/vocals); Brennan DiLernia (bass); Eliav Nachmani (drums), and Jess Wolfer (backing vocals).

It’s great to see that there are still many kick-ass rock bands that are doing their thing.

Chaser Eight

Audio For Gemini – “The Red Tree”

Longtime ‘cosmic’ recording artist Nathan Allison, aka Audio For Gemini, writes and records dark pop guitar-oriented music that also ventures into the realms of rock, metal and acoustic.

On his newest single, “The Red Tree,” the Scottish musician purposely set out not to record the ordinary track.

“I went for a stripped-down organic rock band sound blended with heavily processed drums, bass, and guitars.”

The song is the fourth track from his latest E.P. that was recorded, he says, ‘post band’ and mixed ‘in the box.’

Allison programmed and performed all of the music on the E.P. with help from a close friend, producer and mix engineer MixedbySaw.

“The arranging process is distilled down to its basic components to achieve some clarity in as blunt a way as possible to avoid the predictable textures of rock production,” he says.

“That said, all of the elements on this E.P. exist in exaggeration.”

While his music is over the top in ways and experimental, it has an originality that helps it stand out from the ordinary fare.

Audio For Gemini on Facebook

GU¥ – “3 Word Lie”

Winchester, U.K. artist Guy Matthews, aka GU¥, returns with a new single, “3 Word Lie,” a summertime-like pop-oriented track with plenty of heat on it.

This alt-pop track is bristling with bright guitars, a catchy earworm chorus, bumbling bass line, energetic drums and a full-throttle dose of summer fun (even in the autumn; remember summer?).

GU¥ has been creating music on and off for the past decade as a member of a number of bands and music projects. During the same period, he has struggled with bouts of depression, weight gain and renewal.

His musical style blends pop, rock and punk music, drawing on influences ranging from Deftones and Arcane Roots to Raleigh Ritchie and Deaf Havana.

“After taking some time out from music to get depressed and fat and subsequently un-depressed and un-fat,” he says, GUY is back with a “song that came from a desire to write something in the vein of catchy 80s inspired pop.”

His debut album, Lies, Lies & Dirty Lies, drops November 1st.

Guy music on Facebook

KYLO – “Solace”

Hailing from the northern music city of Toronto, electro-pop artist KYŁO released her third E.P., Exit, on October 7th DIY-style.

While her music is more radio pop-leaning than we usually listen to, we are impressed with her talents and rapid growth of fans in just a few years.

Her music has sometimes been compared to artists such as Banks and Abra, and yet KYLO does manage to drive a stake in the genre with her own more emotive, dance-like sonics on songs like “Solace” from the new E.P.

The trend of her tracks from her beginning in 2016 follows a pattern of catchy, experimental tracks with “sultry harmonies that are steeped in synth and reverb amidst echoey layers.”

Since last fall, she has also released two other well-received singles, “Your Eyes” and “Sometimes.”

She has performed in venues across the city, including the Danforth Music Hall for NXNE, The Drake, and The Baby G.

This indie rock songs playlist features indie artists and bands from across the U.S. – from Indiana to New York California to Massachusetts.

In this installment:

Aaron Laughlin – Humboldt, California
Evan Mix – Floyds Knobs, Indiana
Jet Set Future – Plymouth, Massachusetts
Haelphon – Los Angeles, California
Parlors – Brooklyn, New York

Aaron Laughlin – “Sacred and Sweet”

Aaron Laughlin’s music weaves together concurrently expressive instrumentation, such as the mandolin, guitar, and keyboards to create a busy, swirling sound that is also remarkably peaceful and transcendent at the same time on his single, “Sacred and Sweet.”

This is not your ordinary fare indie track. Rather it blends folk, experimental, and acoustic with intriguing melodies, mixing and rhythm.

It feels a bit like walking through the foggy redwood forests that still grace the area where Laughlin lives in Humboldt, California.

I can imagine listening to this song on headphones while walking beneath the sheer majesty of the ancient giant trees of the northern California coast.

It’s not hard to imagine how much the surrounding environment of Humboldt County must inform Laughlin’s music. In addition to guitars and mandolin, he plays keyboards and programs drums. He also mixed and mastered the recording – full-throttle DIY.

The song has a Nick Drake-meets-Michael-Hedges (RIP both) vibe that runs through it. The stop and starts throughout the song give an unpredictability to it that is refreshing.

“‘Sacred and Sweet’ was the first time I picked a mandolin,” he says. “The song developed quickly from there and inspired me to try new things, such as playing keyboards and programming drums.”

As the song developed, he says, it turned in to “an attempt to see if I could completely self-produce a multi-instrumental song.”

Laughlin then began to write and compose songs on different instruments and it changed the way he looked at songwriting.

“Writing on new instruments changed my approach and made me look at songwriting in a new light,” he says.

He continues to work on new material for a complete album planned to drop in 2020.

Aaron Laughlin on Spotify

Jet Set Future – “Vice”

Hailing from the historic town of Plymouth, Massachusetts, the female-fronted five-piece alt rock band Jet Set Future’s new single, “Vice,” features jangling guitars, chugging percussions and the sort of Gwen Stefani-like vocals of singer Meagan Crossman.

The band was originally formed in 2016 by guitarist Mike Kemmett and bassist Ben Ciccone, both former members of the punk band Polaroid Days.

Kemmett also started playing drums until they found a permanent drummer, E.J. Gellar. Subsequently, Gellar recruited his old cover band mate, Crossman, for vocal duties. And then guitarist George Barber joined the band.

Since then, the band’s chemistry has worked out well for all, which is evident in the results. JSF weaves tapestries of beautiful melodies, bumbling bass, thrashing drums, and powerful guitars.

“This release is important to our music direction,” says Kemmet “because it shows you a foreshadowing of what’s to come on our full length.

“We can be poppy and peppy. We can be dark, we can have a feeling like you’re relaxing on a beach, we can also add a sense of classical. “

Although they started out with the band name Summer Street, they decided to scrap that for JSF. The only criticism is that it is hard to find info on the band in Google because everything pops up Jet Set Radio Future (and it could even attract the attention of their corporate office if the band were to get popular).

We tell bands all of the time – think very carefully before you pick a name – if it’s named similar to an already established brand – you’re looking for trouble. We’ve seen plenty of band’s scramble to change their name when they receive that first cease and desist letter from a law firm.

Picking an artist or a band name that is completely unique, not already an established brand, where there are no conflicting results in Google search and where the social media accounts for that moniker are available across the board. Then trademark it. It’s apparent that the band has struggled to find the right name. It really doesn’t matter but it has to be available (and the dotcom domain should also be available).

For example, a band could call itself the Yellow Jelly Belly Brigade – it doesn’t matter. What does matter nowadays are two things – a clear brand and the music itself.

Increasingly, brands are what get people to actually listen to an artist’s music. We tell artists and bands all of the time how important cover art is – it makes – or not – people more likely to take the time to listen to the music if they are drawn in by the cover art, band name and other cues of branding.

Therefore, branding from all angles and right from the start is critical to a band’s visibility and success (and to stay out of legal scrambles, real or possible). That starts with picking the right name and really researching it. Afterall it’s almost as important as naming a first baby.

https://www.facebook.com/jetsetfuture/

Evan Mix – “Does Anyone Like January?”

For years we’ve been following the interesting and unconventional – sometimes outright strange – music career of Indiana experimental artist Evan Mix. His music is fitting in ways too.

Afterall, what would we expect from an artist born and raised in a small farming town called Floyds Knobs.

Recently Mix released his fifth studio album, Described With Adjectives, which will be included in IRC’s year-end Best DIY Albums of 2019 series.

In the meantime, we wanted to present one of the tracks from the album, “Does Anyone Like January?” The song is fragmented musically with stuttering instrumentation from a piano and vibraphone together with Mix’s original vocal delivery, which is more like a conversation than a song. And that’s refreshing. Not the same old boring thing.

If you like or are intrigued by the song enough to want to hear the rest of the album, we encourage you to do so, especially if you are a fan of avant-garde, minimalism, experimental, and/or lo-fi indie.

His friend and sometimes producer, only ever known as Kaiser, edited and mixed this one track.

“In the original demo for the song, both the piano and vibraphone played straight through from beginning to end,” Mix says.

“Kaiser was able to listen to the arrangement and decide when to mute either part so it wouldn’t clash with the other sounds. He also made helpful recommendations on the phrasing of the vocals in this song.”

Kaiser was the producer of Mix’s underground mini-hit album, Chips Forboy, and which we reviewed here on IRC enthusiastically.

In regards to his latest album, Mix says: “it’s homemade pop music that represents the heart of Southern Indiana.”

Maybe one of these days the real Dr. Demento, who is still doing his radio show 40 years later, will play some of Evan Mix’s music. It’s the perfect venue.

Listen to the album on Soundcloud

Haelphon – “Mixed Emotions”

A few weeks ago the debut album from Boston electro musician Haelphon dropped. The album is engaging, personal and thought-provoking on songs like “Mixed Emotions” and “Make Up Your Mind.”

His music can definitely be called ‘mood’ music with its musically and lyrically deep and emotive songs throughout the album.

The lead track, in our opinion, “Mixed Emotions,” almost has a classic rock opera feel to it with wide ranges in the agonized vocal deliveries from Haelphon, while “Make Up Your Mind” leans towards the more reflective side of the spectrum.

His writing style leans literary with stories of his youth told through the vignettes of carefully arranged compositions.

Early on in his career, Haelphon was heavily influenced by progressive electro artists like Avicii and Swedish House Mafia. Over time he began to add tropical influences inspired by artists like Kygo. He has had his music licensed for a series of commercials and films over the years.

His first examples of electronic music production were combined with the talents of featured vocalists around the world, but as the lyrics began to reflect more personal moments, he decided to begin singing them himself.

Haelphon on Bandcamp

Parlors – “Stucco”

Following years of recording demos and changing band names, New York City indie band Parlors entered the studio last year to record the final takes on a set of songs they felt were ready for their debut album.

After many months of working to hone in on the sound they were striving for, the band entered the studio last year during a hot New York summer.

Some months later, they emerged with a fully baked debut. One of the standout tracks on the album, and their newest single, is the grooving number “Stucco.”

The song has a solid backbeat and bass with decidedly pop/singer-songwriter feel, complex guitar work, cool vocals, and intricate melodies.

As the band contends, their music is more “apt to soundtrack the twilight hours of an autumn evening.” “Stucco” achieves that effect.

The band’s debut single, “State Lines,” released earlier this year, was featured on the show Kings of A&R.

The band describes the song as a “concoction that might have otherwise required the Eagles of 1972 to abandon their acoustic guitars and invite Queens of the Stone Age for a ride east to meet The Strokes in an East Village studio.”

The band members are Matt Fullam (vocals, guitar); Hart Mechlin (lead guitarist); Dan Fullam (drums) and Matt DaSilva (bass).

Parlors on Facebook

The third installment of top July indie singles includes the following artists:

Boundary Run – Omaha, Nebraska
Daniel Fallon – Newcastle, England
Neuromantics – London, England
Mercvrial – Multiple Locales
Sansha Blue – Los Angeles, California
Todd & Jingyu – Ballground, Georgia

Boundary Run – “Make It Out”

The comforting and airy new single, “Make It Out,” comes by way of the Omaha-based band Boundary Run.

The breezy folk track has been making its way onto various playlists for a couple of months now.

Artist Tim Halperin and writer/producer Billy Van formed their indie project “to explore a reflective style of expression” with songs that evoke “wonder and introspection through a warm landscape of strings, piano, and guitar.” The sound and vocals remind us of Bon Iver.

The track brims with warmth, emotion, and space to concentrate on lyrics and get lost in the coziness of the track.

While originally from Omaha, Halperin recently wed and moved to Nashville.

Daniel Fallon – “Death of an Anthem”

U.K. musician Daniel Fallon’s latest single, “Death of an Anthem,” is a brash lo-fi alt. rock/garage rock chugger.

This sizzling number is the first song from his new album, The Beginning, which has been making the rounds on blogs and playlists across the web.

Fallon says the song “represents a nostalgia for anthemic songs and a youth-centered on musical togetherness,” adding that the track “has its dark and light element, with an almost religious experience towards the end.”

Notice how the track transitions from an energetic rocker to a mellowed out blazer.

The album is first of what Fallon plans to be a trilogy of albums that have been in the works for years.

A quintessential one-man band, Fallon writes, records, mixes, sings and performs all of the instruments himself, including guitars and percussion.

Influenced by artists ranging from Vampire Weekend, Oasis The Beatles and The Strokes, Fallon’s decidedly Brit-pop/rock sound is bright and infectious.

Fallon describes his musical journey as one with the aim “to get the feel of an indie/alternative group, focusing on high energy, direct melodic rock. My project is a trilogy of alternative/indie anthems with a beginning a middle and an end.”

An experienced and widely-traveled globe-trotter, Fallon has lived and performed in various countries while his music itself remains distinctly British.

“I have lived, traveled and played in many countries and continents but I feel the soul of my music is very British.”

Mercvrial – “Carnival”

Originating from nowhere, but instead sprawled out across several states and Mexico, the eclectic indie group Mercvrial crafts dream pop and shoegaze elements to create heavy, shimmering layers of guitars, hazy vocals and booming percussions on one of the band’s newest singles, “Carnival. ”

The accompanying video uses a format similar to that of VH1’s pop-up videos. More specifically, the video for the track was inspired by the video “This Can’t Be Today” from the band Rain Parade.

Each of the band members filmed a part of the completed video in locales from Wisconsin, Virginia, California, and Mexico. Their musical influences include artists such as Ride, Slowdive, and The Chills.

“Carnival” and another single, “Otherworld,” will appear on Mercvrial’s upcoming EP titled The Stars, Like Dust, set for release on August 9th.

Mercvrial on Facebook

Neuromantics – “Clarity”

The London four-piece rock band Neuromantics’ new single, “Clarity,“ is an “existential power chord alt-rocker that makes it a perfect track for a warm summer day or night time party.

The track grooves with intricately woven guitar melodies, inspirational vocals, smooth bumbling bass lines, and upbeat drums, proving a catchy, memorable vibe.

Frontman Daniel Pye writes: “’Clarity’ encourages a path centered on facing your fears and inner demons; exploring and making the most of the opportunities that come along in life; and having the strength to engage in the life for you, not society’s expectations of who or what you should be.”

This is the new band’s third single from their debut album, Crimes of Passion, and is accompanied by the official music video. The video features the dream-like evening adventures of “two strikingly different yet potentially closely intertwined individuals” who end up together in the end.

The band’s previous singles have won the praise of some in the London music press and fans alike. In addition to Pye, the band members include Andrew Gambell (guitar/keyboards), Daniel Timoteo (bass/vocals) and Edgars Ozolins (drums).

The members come from diverse backgrounds, “originally hailing from various corners of the globe” bringing a more varied range of genres and styles that inform the band’s overall sound.

Neuromantics on Facebook

Sansha Blue – “Give It Time”

Chris Paraggio is a singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer. In 2015, Paraggio began writing and recording a series of demos.

Initially, he founded a band called CAPTCHA, but dissolved the group to work solo as the recording artist Sansha Blue.

His new single, “Give It Time,” is a sugary sweet psych-pop track that has melodic and synergetic resonance topped with hypnotic layers.

After dropping his solo debut E.P., The Grey Area, Paraggio began to write and record with his friend and songwriting ally, Edward Smith. Together they recorded and dropped the E.P, Without Me.

Next, Paraggio asked long-time friend John Baggetta to help engineer and co-produce Sansha Blue’s last effort, beginning with “Give It Time.”

The live band includes musicians Trevor Jones, Finn Ruane, and Stephen Papa.

The single is from the LP, You Could Try If You Wanted To, set to drop this Friday. In addition to Paraggio and Baggetta, Trevor Jones, Finn Ruane, and Stephen Papa perform as part of the live band.

Sansha Blue on Instagram

Todd and Jingyu – “Boy and Girl”

All we can say is this is different and interesting. Not sure what others will think; it’s definitely more than the regular submission we receive.

The musical interplay on “Boy and Girl” from L.A. based band Todd (Lerner) and Jingyu (Yao) is fun and enthusiastic and the fade effects on female vocals of Jingyu Yao in the chorus is really inviting; it’s a nice reprieve from the conversational core of the track.

Lerner is American and Yao is Chinese living in America. Their boy/girl pop duets are reminiscent of duos like She & Him.

If you listen in order, the album follows the couple’s own relationship story with the energies of falling in love, breaking down and soul-searching.

The music is captivating, charming, piano-driven and duet driven. The album apparently took a decade to write and record, according to the couple. They are giving away the album for free via their official website.

Lately, we’ve come across or received a batch of fresh dope songs from DIY artists and bands from overseas locales around the world.

There are some fire tracks down below that you’ll (probably) only hear on IRC. Keeping it real! Please share if you enjoy this post. The full, continuous streaming playlist of all songs in this post is found at the end of the post.

Andes Fellas – Bandung, Indonesia
Bee Bee Sea – Castel Goffredo, Italy
Black Midi – London, England
Corniglia – Perth, Australia
Pure Assassins – Bournemouth, England
Sandmoon – Beirut, Lebanon

These kids really sparked our attention with their recently dropped track, “Flick Away,” from the debut album, Spread The Love.

They are Andes Fellas an unlikely indie-pop trio from all the way in Bandung, Indonesia – half a world afar.

The trio was created last summer. Interestingly, they refer to themselves as “a pack of boys from Andes Cluster” – a neighborhood of Bandung.

The band members are somewhat mysterious: guitarist and vocalist Tama and drummer Octy are only known by their nicknames, while the bassist’s real name apparently is Roy Rexter.

The music is just DIY-good enough, and the locale from which it comes is just ‘exotic’ enough, that it added up to a must-include for this playlist.

Boy Pablo and Mac Demarco are big musical influences according to the band. They recommend their songs for “people who’ve been broken-hearted.”

The explosive Italian punk trio Bee Bee Sea have made their mark in recent years dropping slick singles and opening for bands like Thee Oh Sees, Black Lips and King Khan & The Shrines.

Bee Bee Sea’s newest single is the throwback-sounding and uninhibited track, “Be Bop Palooza.” It’s a brilliantly deranged song that you might have on repeat for days.

Mixing genres like punk, garage and glam rock with a little bit of The Cramps’ psycho-surf and some of Can’s hypno-funk, this punchy, three-minute romp will definitely get your attention. The band members are Wilson Wilson, Giacomo Parisio, and Andrea Onofrio.

High school friends, they hail from the historic northern Italian town of Castel Goffredo.

London’s young four-piece guitar band Black Midi was one of SXSW 2019’s “it” bands that had music industry insiders buzzing and music lovers swarming to their Austin shows.

They’d gained a rep in London and abroad for their direct, harsh, and dazzling live shows.

Their long-awaited debut album, Schlagenheim, dropped last Friday. The first single from the album is the trippy and raucous, “Ducter,” which has an accompanying anime music video.

Black Midi creates amazing post-punk experimental music that sounds nostalgic and yet feels refreshingly new, with a vocalist, frontman Geordie Greep, that stands out like few other frontmen, plus an award-winning drummer Morgan Simpson, and two brilliant string men – guitarist Cameron Picton and bassist Matt Kwasniewski-Kelvin.

Just a few days ago, the U.K. Guardian newspaper tagged Black Midi as the “most exciting new guitar band in Britain.” The band’s name is derived from the Japanese music genre Black MIDI.

Corniglia is the moniker of Australian musician Matthew Irwin who weaves shoegaze, dream pop, and psych into richly-textured, dark textures.

The Perth musician’s newest single is the bliss-heavy psych track, “A Lost Forgotten Dream,” from the album, On/Off, which drops on July 5, 2019.

The track oozes with melodies, hypnotizing guitar parts and reverb-laden vocals. According to Irwin: “It’s a rolling psych song. It’s dark dream pop…A dream of nature and of man – Conjoined twins long separated – both reunited and at war.”

“It’s the undulating, pulsing flow of surreal lyrics over rolling drums and guitars that drive and release like the rise and fall of the ocean…It’s waking in a primordial land. It’s waking from a dream.”

In the past, Irwin worked with his partner-in-music, Chloe De Paoli. However, this time around, he decided to go it alone.

The U.K. outfit Pure Assassins’ new anthemic single, “Get Down Stay Down” sports a syncopated groove stabbed and punctured by distorted guitars, drum and bass-like synths and standout vocals and chorus.

The one-man band behind Bournemouth’s Pure Assassins is songwriter and producer Chris Rush, formerly of the drum-n-bass duo Calyx.

Calyx achieved global radio play, including multiple airings on BBC’s Radio One for their unique styling of techno-step and neuro-funk that put Rush into a position where he could take more liberty to explore as an artist.

Now Rush returns to his musical roots on his latest recordings after working as a producer with a number of record labels.

In the studio, Rush gets help from a collective of musicians, including Terl Bryant (John Paul Jones), Chris Mears (New Volunteer), Simon Jeffery, and drummer Tom Hooper.

The abstract lyrics describe, Rush says, “the push and pull of wanting to take the harder things in life on but subconsciously wanting to avoid them.”

The hooky chorus is one of the main hallmarks of the song; one that you might find yourself humming hours later. Rush has created his own mini summer hit.

Rush is influenced by bands like Queens of the Stone Age, Beck, BRMC, The Black Keys, Radiohead, and Supergrass.

The new music video, “Fiery Observation,” from Beirut musical project Sandmoon, is more like a mini road trip movie set to an exciting and eclectic soundtrack.

In fact, it was inspired by Agatha Christie’s adventures and was filmed in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon, reflecting, the band says “the emotional and raw vision they have for the [upcoming] album.”

Sandmoon is songwriter, vocalist, and musician Sandra Arslanian and a collective of revolving musicians. Arslanian is a multi-instrumentalist and plays instruments such as the ukulele and piano.

After a number of revamps, the band is now made up of guitarist Sam Wehbi, cellist Ribal Kallab, bassist Georgy Flouty, drummer Dani Shukri, and Arslanian.

In 2016 she wrote and recorded the soundtrack for director Philippe Aractingi’s film, Listen. As a result, Sandmoon received the award for best soundtrack at the Lebanese Movie Awards.

Additionally, their EP, Beirut-Berlin Session, was produced by renowned producer Victor Van Vugt (Nick Cave, PJ Harvey). Additional releases like Home and In The End also received radio play and blog coverage in the Middle East, Europe, and the U.S.

Arslanian’s influences include David Bowie, Feist, PJ Harvey, Beth Gibbons, and Radiohead.

The first DIY indie rock songs playlist for May 2019 features fresh tracks from the following indie artists and bands. There is a full playlist at the end of this post for uninterrupted streaming of the featured tracks.

Note: For some reason the song files are not showing up in some mobile browsers. We’re working on fixing that.

J.B. Boone – El Paso, Texas
Summer Colds – Ashland, Oregon
Mini Trees – Los Angeles, California
The Engine Above – Vancouver, British Columbia
Holden Laurence – Cleveland, Ohio
Hausers – Milan, Italy
Ronan Conroy – Brooklyn, New York

Submit your music for review.

J.B. Boone – “The World Shrinker”

The Texan songwriter and musician J.B. Boone has released his anticipated new single, “The World Shrinker,” from his upcoming EP, Severe Adventures. The upbeat, almost joyously musical track is not one-dimensional, however.

“This song is about overcoming unhealthy dependence,” he said. “For some, your ‘World Shrinker’ might be a spouse, significant other, or family member. For others, like my father, it could be his past with substance abuse.” The single “pushes you to overcome the fear and anxiety that comes with chemical dependence.”

Born and raised along the U.S. border in El Paso, Boone is currently in L.A. working on his next release.

His experiences, combined with his mixed heritage (he is half American Indian and half Caucasian), give Boone a unique perspective on life. The songs on the EP “reflect his mixed heritage, spanning multiple genres, yet they all seamlessly tie back his unique sound.

Boone’s biggest musical influences, he said, are Lumineers; Bob Dylan; Shakey Graves; Ben Howard; The Head and The Heart; Dirty River Boys.

A graduate of Texas A&M, Boone grew up in a musical family. His musician father, who plays banjo on one of the EP’s tracks, helped him greatly to develop his skills and his own style and sound. He spent time studying in Jordan, where new experiences shaped his songwriting.

“I just think our lives here are severe adventures, with hurricanes and celebrations and ecstasy and deadly boredom with ourselves and others, with some people living through it while others don’t.”

Summer Colds – “Whiteout”

Seeking to change musical direction from folk rock to indie rock and power pop, Ashland, Oregon guitarist and vocalist Nic McNamara formed a new band, Summer Colds, in 2018.

Since then, the three-piece band has worked on songs, rehearsing and recording. The result of the trio’s labors will be available on May 31st via the band’s debut LP, Here Comes Nothing.

The band’s intrepid debut single, “Whiteout,” is an upbeat, hook-driven chugger that blazes right out of the gates with driving layers of guitars, dope bass line and nicely timed drumming.

After leaving his former folk rock band, Black Bears Fire, McNamara set out “to bring to life a heavier sound” and recruited two musicians to fulfill that vision; drummer and vocalist Claire Burgess and bassist Nicole Swan.

Summer Colds has opened for other bands like Slow Corpse, Old Year, Calyx, The Juniper Berries, Yr Parents, and Glacierwolf. Their musical influences include Weezer, White Reaper, Surfer Blood, Pup, Brand New, and Wavves.

Mini Trees – “Steady Me”

Mini Trees is the brand-new musical endeavor from LA alt and indie pop artist Lexi Vega. Her latest single, “Steady Me,” is a dreamy indie-pop track that shows her growth as a songwriter in just a year.

On “Steady Me,” she is optimistic about a new relationship and yet fully aware of the problems that inevitably befall all relationships.

While the song has a dreamy, “all is ok,” cadence to it, the instrumentation and Vega’s vocals display an underlying melancholy that sits right under the seemingly bright surface of the song.

Previously, Vega’s musical endeavors revolved around her role as a drummer. But during the past the past few months, she’s been dropping her own material.

The unveiling of Mini Trees, however, brings forth her skills for songwriting and melodies. Her self-titled debut will drop on May 24th.

The Engine Above – “System Paradigm”

The Vancouver progressive rock DIY band The Engine Above dropped its enthralling new EP, Savage Fingers, today.

The lead single, “System Paradigm,” is an aspirational track featuring a mix of prog rock, indie, and alternative. It has a theatrical quality to it with an early 1970s prog signature.

“It’s the second piece of a puzzle to a much greater picture of a nautical world with the introduction of new story elements,” said vocalist and keyboardist Jeremy Tardif (formerly Jeremy Tardif Band).

The Savages Fingers EP, the band says, is a “thematic continuation” of the earlier Pilot EP. The Engine Above mixes various subgenres of rock like indie, prog, melodic and alt. rock.

The rest of the band includes drummer Earl Heath; bassist Doug MacPherson and guitarist Kerry MacPherson. The band’s musical influences include Peter Gabriel, Rush, Tool, Jethro Tull, Frank Zappa, Sibelius, Miles Davis, Monk

Holden Laurence – “Shadows of Old Love”

Cleveland indie artist Holden Laurence’s new sophomore album, Rewire, is full of big melodies and dark romance from a tapestry of 80’s-heavy rock, new wave, indie, post punk and alt. rock influences.

One of the lead tracks, “Shadows of Old Love,” is a mysterious indie rock love song with brooding percussions, mood-shifting guitars, and Laurence’s somber vocals. It’s interesting how Laurence conveys a balance of dread and optimism musically and lyrically.

Just like for his debut LP, Laurence once again worked with drummer Michael O’Brien of The Modern Electric. Rewire was engineered, mixed, and mastered by Shane Olivo, in partnership with executive producer Dr. Michael Bell.

With the exception of drums and percussion, McNamara performed all the instruments on the album. On Rewire, Laurence expands his musical and emotional palettes with walls of synths and glassy guitars and driving grooves.

Rewire is the follow-up to Laurence’s acclaimed debut, Wild Empty Promises. The album drops to drop on May 10th with a release show on May 17th featuring Niights and Punch Drunk Tagalogs.

Laurence’s debut album put him on the map of Cleveland’s music scene and garnered widespread praise for the unique combination of 80’s alternative and new wave together with “vivid, vulnerable songwriting.”

The band also has another single out, “Speaking in Tongues,” which it says is a ‘road trip song.’

Hausers – “Tokyo”

Hausers is an anonymous outfit from Milan. This means they keep their names and faces hidden. But what’s to hide?

The band fuses indie-rock with art to make something unlike we’ve ever seen before. It’s ego-free music that worries about creating art – visual and audio – above everything else. It’s refreshing to see that approach in the current era of music.

“We take a different approach to music creation and how we present our band,” says the band. “But this is by design and we would like to see our music speak for itself. You can feel this spirit in ‘Tokyo’ and we look forward to seeing how it’s received.”

From what we know about Hausers, the band is a trio that started in 2016. The artists behind the music have rarely met in person and they do most of their work at their homes before fusing it together.

Ronan Conroy – “The Moment Is Gone”

Brooklyn-based ‘dark indie’ songwriter and vocalist Ronan Conroy is set to drop his fifth solo LP, The Moment Is Gone, on May 30th.

The album, he says, “examines interpersonal and family relationships, the personal traits we inherit and develop and how we struggle with them, and the yearning for love and redemption.” The lead single, “Burn The Cane,” relates to the burning of sugar cane in the south, Conroy says.

The songs were written and recorded between September 2014 and October 2018, featuring musicians Ronan regularly works with Charlie Nieland (guitars, bass, keys, synth, drums) and Justin Wierbsonki (drums), with Ronan on vocals and guitar.

His first few solo albums, released over the past decade, were what he calls “dark indie”, is the predominant style on his records. For this sound, he draws from influences like The Band, David Bowie, Nick Cave, Bob Mould, David Gray, Leonard Cohen, and Bob Dylan.

Growing up in Ireland with four brothers, his parents played everything from traditional Irish folk music to Simon and Garfunkel in the house.

He first started playing guitar and songwriting at the age of 15 and was introduced to a range of influences from 80s new wave to post-punk to metal and grunge.

He learned to play guitar from books, school friends and listening to Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and John Lee Hooker records.

Conroy played in a number of bands previously including The Listeners, Lovemyth and Oh Halo from which he began experimenting with new guitar styles that inform his playing to this day.

Indie Rock Cafe’s latest new playlist of DIY indie songs from the following artists and bands:

FantasticBoom – Dallas, Texas
Jingo Kong – Bergen, Norway
Under The Rug – Los Angeles, California
Kris Kelly – Brooklyn, New York
Shockmop – Brooklyn, New York
Dusty Cubby – Everett, Washington

FantasticBoom – “I Thought I Could Save You”

Having left behind work on a PhD in the philosophy of religion to pursue music, Dallas songwriter and musician Mark Cuthbertson established a moniker, FantasticBoom.

After many months of work, including help from some reputed fellow musicians, Cuthbertson emerges with the new debut album, How To Build A Hole, featuring standout singles like the impressive overall production of “Gabby”; the captivating “I Thought I Could Save You” and the intoxicating, slow-burn of “Meg.”

The songs for the album were “written purely on acoustic in order to ensure substance, then recorded as peculiar sonic colors,” Cuthbertson says. “The lyrics are about things that ache me: epistemology, theology, heartbreak and my substantial failings.” (Ouch, don’t be so hard on yourself dude.)

Cuthbertson, who plays almost every instrument but drums, received top-notch help from respected musicians like Jesse Chandler (Mercury Rev and Midlake) on winds and acoustic piano; Bucky Wheaton (Land of Talk) on drums, and Jace Lasek (The Besnard Lakes) on production.

His musical influences include Talk Talk, Broken Social Scene and Radiohead while his music itself crosses genre lines from indie rock to alternative to indie pop. The album dropped in late January and is well worth a listen on Bandcamp.

Jingo Kong – “Olivia”

Norweigan singer/songwriter and musician Per Vidar Staff has premiered his debut track, “Olivia,” under the new moniker, Jingo Kong, the former name of the long-time band PV & The Hehehes.

The song is a heartfelt, poetic and beautifully crafted acoustic track, featuring just Staff himself on guitar and vocals. “Olivia” has been featured on a number of Spotify playlists, music blogs and Norweigan radio.

In addition to performing in his native country and Europe, Staff has also performed in the U.S. as a touring musician.

It was then that he met Grammy-winning guitarist and producer Paul Nelson (Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy) in 1999 during the recording of Staff’s debut EP and invited him to the studio. During that session, Nelson ended up playing guitar on the track, “Summerdays.”

The song went on to become something of a hit record that summer in Norway and was used in a popular TV commercial.

Jingo Kong is set to drop more new and exciting singles throughout 2019. You can follow him on Facebook.

Under The Rug – “Manila & Grey”

Based in the sprawl of Los Angeles, alt-rock DIY band Under The Rug’s signature sound is an eclectic mix of rock and 90’s grunge.

This is clear on the band’s latest single, “Manila and Grey,” from the band’s recent album drop, Pale King. The song is a slow-burning, angry rocker with psych and blues guitar influences and anguished vocals embellished by heavy percussions and organ grinds.

Bassist Jesse Holsapple says the song is about working a long day at the office and the frustrations it brings on people. “It’s a concept album about day jobs…[and an] honest complaint about the way it feels to be part of the awkward working class in the US at the moment.’ The band self-produced its debut album.

UTR first formed (originally under the name Moo) in 2012 when UC Santa Cruz students Casey Dayan (lead vocals, guitars), Sean Campbell (guitars) and Brendan McQueeney (drums, percussion) realized a shared love for classic rock, grunge and funk/soul music.

Holsapple met Dayan in another band before joining UTR. A few years ago the band moved to LA to be around a bigger audience and greater opportunities.

They are influenced by bands such as Alabama Shakes, Soundgarden, Jeff Buckley, Pearl Jam, and mewithoutYou, and say they blend “the do-it-yourself attitude of bands like Vulfpeck with modern alt-grunge rock.”

Kris Kelly – “Birthplace”

Brooklyn-via-Austin singer/songwriter and musician Kris Kelly moved to NYC at the age of 17 to attend New York University, where he majored in classical vocal performance and music composition.

During that time and in more recent years, Kelly has performed his compositions for a range of instruments from voice and flute to violin and guitar.

Now, some years later, he is reflecting back on his youth and his roots on the emotional song, “Birthplace,” from the new album, Runaways.

Throughout the song, Kelly explores the idea and concept of examing one’s birthplace and “what that means on a deeper level.”

The indie-folk elements nicely complement Kelly’s thoughtful lyrics and the official music video for the song (which runs six minutes longer) is provocative, strange and visually compelling.

Kelly then spent five years traveling through South America with just his guitar and a suitcase. Spending most of his time in Argentina and Brazil, he met his husband, and through his experiences, along with “love, loss, discovery, and growth,” wrote Runaways.

Contributing artists where many: John Philip Shenale (Tori Amos) on string/wind/horn arrangements; Todd Sickafoose (Ani DiFranco) on bass; Brian Griffin (Lana Del Rey) on drums; Dave Levita (Alanis Morrisette) & Benji Lysaght (Father John Misty) on electric guitar, and Dave Palmer (Fiona Apple) on keyboards.

Kelly self-produced the album and it was mixed by Noah Georgeson (Joanna Newsom, Devendra Banhart, Andy Shauf).

Shockmop is a three-piece indie rock band from Brooklyn that is taking on the DIY scene from all sides, including releasing a new, and original, video for the mainly acoustic track, “Condoleeza.”

Shot in Ridgewood, New York, the video follows band members through various scenes in an apartment complex without the usual editing of big-budget music videos. The effect works.

“[It] was One-take, one performance and all the happy accidents and limitations that come with it,” vocalist and guitarist Jacob Goldfine said. “Collaborating with New York DP Armaan Virani, the band broke into the drummer’s apartment, scaled ladders, and sprinted across rooftops to capture the live rendition on video.”

The other two band members are Sean Mowry (drums) and brother Sam Goldfine (bass, vocals). The band actively performs at venues across Brooklyn and Manhattan.

The band is currently in the process of recording a few new tracks which we plan to release over the course of Summer 2019. They also made a sweet cover of The National’s “Sorrow.”

Dusty Cubby – “Everett”

While we have never been big fans of most emo pop, every once in a while there is some that filters through. Lately, we have been listening to some tracks from the new album, Town Story, by Seattle trio Dusty Cubby.

The tracks that have grabbed our attention the most are “Everett” (an emo ode to the Washington city of same name) with their rawness, lo-fi poeticism and emotions-on-sleeve brevity.

They also do a pretty interesting cover of Lil Yachty’s “Minnesota.”

The band members are Cade Miller (guitar, vocals); Danny Schwartz (bass) and Kade Samson (drums).

Our latest indie music songs playlist, or ‘fresh tracks,’ features the following bands. If you like any of these artists, show your love! You can also stream all songs uninterrupted at the end of the post. Enjoy.

La Palma – Philadelphia-via-Washington D.C.
Para Lia – Cottbus, Germany
Natural History – Salt Lake City, Utah
Sleeptape – Brighton, England
Jarod Grice – Denton, Texas
Asila – Los Angeles, California

La Palma – “One Foot In”

La Palma is a musical duo of Chris Walker and Tim Gibbon, based out of Washington D.C. and Philadelphia, respectively. Their self-titled 2019 debut album weaves together kaleidoscopic layers of melodies and rhythms.

Working between two cities, the duo’s self-produced and self-released debut album was created correspondence-style, sharing recordings back and forth “to build textured compositions that glean from everyday sounds and experiences, steeped in beachy psych-pop and indie folk. ”

The first single from the release is the discordant, industrial-mocking and theatrical, “One Foot In,” which also has of course a macabre connotation. Oddly, for those who are familiar with the Hare Krishna ‘theme song,’ the latter part of the track sounds like but totally on acid. Very interesting, even at little more than 90 seconds. In fact, the release is very interesting and what we like to hear as far as bands being experimental and taking chances.

The two multi-instrumentalists and vocalists originally met years prior in D.C.’s music scene, while members in the bands Kittyhawk and Let’s French.

Para Lia – “The Man Who Went Away”

The release Soap Bubble Dreams is the electrifying debut album from the German indie/alt rock duo Para Lia. Based in Cottbus near Berlin, Para Lia’s release last week has been greeted with rave reviews across the web and with singles like the tantalizing love song, “Romancero,” and alt. rock wonders of “The Man Who Went Away” gaining radio rotations in the U.S., U.K., Europe and Australia.

All ten songs on the album come together to culminate in a recording brimming with towering, melodic guitars; colorful analog synths; textured, driving percussions, and a distinctive lead guitar sound that flows seamlessly from song to song. On top of all of that are the symbiotic vocals of husband-and-wife duo Rene Methner and Cindy Methner.

Soap Bubble Dreams celebrates the indie/alternative rock sound of the 1990’s along with the stylistic elements of 1980’s darkwave and psychedelic prog rock. Particular comparisons can be made to bands like The Cure, Dinosaur Jr., and New Order.

The guitar work and vocals are the trademarks of the duo’s songs; René Methner’s vocals stand forefront, enhanced by the near-ethereal vocals of Cindy Methner’s on songs like the new wave-heavy “Beautiful Delay” and “Over It,” to name just a couple.

Buoyed by such well-paired vocals, the album bubbles with melodic-atmospherics, ringing guitars, dark retro sounds and accomplished originality.

The other standout songs include the industrial-like murkiness of “Leaves of Grey”; the driving pulse of “Wait”; and the banging title track, which chugs along with a New Order-like tempo and haunting vocals and synth effects.

As with so many of the tracks, the lightning guitar riffs are just strong enough to be in the forefront, but smartly, the engineering is such that they don’t ever over-power the other song elements.

The standout closer, “Who Gets Fooled Again,” received a bunch of plays, likes, follows and positive comments via Soundcloud alone. Additionally, the wonderful “The Man Who Went Away” and “Why Higher and Away” have received play on indie rock radio stations worldwide.

Stream Soap Bubble Dreams on Bandcamp.

Natural History – “It’s A Start”

Formed in Salt Lake City last year, the indie trio Natural History has just dropped a pair of enthralling new singles from the debut album, The Long Mountain.

These include “We’re In Trouble” the indie folk of “Words and Verse” – which breaks into a full band effort in the second half of the track. Perhaps the most upbeat and accessible track on the album is, “It’s a Start.” Overall, the recording is tight, folksy and full of acoustics and piano.

The songs were recorded in a secluded winter cabin in the wilderness of Oakley, Utah. To get to the cabin, the band members had to haul their equipment up a ‘long’ mountain in a sled hitched to an ATV’ just to get to the cabin where they subsequently set up a temporary studio.

“We worked 14 hour days, stopping only for meals and the occasional ATV excursion to feel the cold mountain air and re-calibrate our minds,” says vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Austin Archer.

The other band members are drummer Whit Hertford and producer Chris Bjornn (Us Thieves, BOSS TV). Over the years, Archer and Bjornn have recorded albums together and played in other bands.

They describe their sound as a “rich folk sound drenched in Americana with a focus on driving beats, soaring anthemic melodies, and tight harmonic undertones.”

Sleeptape – “Midnight”

Brighton band SleepTape’s new single, “Midnight,” is an edgy, taunting blaze of rock guitars, tempting percussions, and snarly, dark vocals with stops and starts of exhilarating ferociousness.

And yet the choruses are a different matter, with soaring guitar lines, huge atmospheres and creeping close to anthemic proportions.

Bassist Elliot Johnson says the band’s new single is “about looking for self-validation or self-gratification through going out drinking and enabling the darker sides of a persona, projecting a false over-confident version of yourself.”

The band members – which also include Jonathan Lott (vocals, guitar); Luke Rogers (guitar) and Dan Butterworth (drums) – are heavily influenced by Biffy Clyro, Lower Than Atlantis, and early era Foals.

Last year the band made waves in the northeast UK with their debut single, “Benefit” and the follow-up “Nadir,” with rotation on BBC Introducing. That helped fuel a string of sold-out shows which continues into 2019 with the release of this track and last month’s exciting, “Run.”

Jarod Grice – “Signal”

Singer-songwriter Jarod Grice from Denton, Texas (outside of Dallas) has established himself among other artists like Norah Jones, Pearl Earl and Brave Combo.

Grice has just released his first single, “Signal,” with 6:4 Records – also based in Denton.

The song has a soft sadness about it expressed with slight acoustic contributions and quietly soaring synths until it builds into a more melodic and hopeful composition.

As the song blossoms, the obvious influences of folk, Americana, rock – and some soul and R&B – are etched in the strings, piano, bass and vocal expressions of “Signal” from start to finish.

It’s not surprising then that one of Grice’s influences is Gregory Alan Isakov, as well as Wilco, The Beatles, and Allen Stone.

Asila – “Paranormal”

Originally from Johannesburg, South Africa, the female-fronted alt. rock band Asila, now based in Los Angeles, California, is making noise with their new and punchy single, “Paranormal.”

The song is full of blazing guitars, booming drums and bass and the raucous vocals of lead singer Hana Mutfic. The band plays with plenty of grit, heart, and soul. The production quality is also solid.

After recording a debut album under the band name Revery in 2016, the band felt a name change was due to reflects their change in sound and direction.

In March of last year, Asila released their first music video and single ‘Resistance’ and are in the processes of finishing up their debut album, Acid Rain.

The band members, all solid players, include, in addition to Mutfic, Richard Globisch (guitar); Adrian Patterson (bass) and Taryn Young (drums). They are fans of Halestorm, Evanescence, Incubus, Iron Maiden, Muse, and many other artists and bands.

It’s been a minute. Here’s a new best indie songs playlist featuring interesting indie music on Soundcloud that we’ve been listening to from indie bands in the U.S., Canada, England, and Sweden. Many of these are DIY artists that deserve to be ‘above the radar,’ thus their inclusion here.

The end of this post includes the full playlist of all of the tracks in this post so that you can stream them uninterrupted if you wish. Please follow, link to, share and like – it all helps let us know.

This installment includes Soundcloud indie tracks from:

The Figurants – Seattle, Washington
The Polaroids – Linköping, Sweden
Coma Row – Durham, England
FCE – Minneapolis, Minnesota
Andy Leon – Los Angeles, California
Middle Life – Nashville, Tennessee
Olloway – Vancouver, British Columbia

The Figurants – When we first heard “Your Uncle Morty” from The Figurants (an online-only music collaboration), we couldn’t help but to hear hints of Sonic Youth mixed with Dinosaur Jr. It’s rare to come across such an interesting, if unintentional, combination. And yet the duo has it’s own unique alt rock sound. We dig when artists dare to be different.

The duo behind The Figurants is songwriter Matt McClure (Red Kitchen), of Seattle, Washington, and producer Erik Sahd (Chauchat). The two originally met in high school in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

After a 20-plus year hiatus and facilitated by the long-distance recording methods of indie rock band Sparklehorse, McClure and Sahd began to exchange recordings online and have since released three albums. The new album – worth a listen – is Vicarious Victims. The band had a mini hit not long ago with the track “Astricin.”
 

The Polaroids – A five-piece indie rock band from Linköping, Sweden. “Chinatown” is The Polaroids’ debut single from the album Whatever Makes a Profit, expected to drop next month.

These lads can rock, and are definitely influenced by the Arctic Monkeys and The Strokes. Solid driving rock and roll.

Coma Row – A new wave/indie rock project started in 2017 by Durham, England musician Andy Buchanan. The song “Dance (The Night Away)” is upbeat but still has an undeniable 80’s new wave synth vein running through it that makes his music a bit trickier to categorize.

His musical influences include New Order, The Cure, The Smiths, and Joy Division.

Andy Leon – On the song, “Sweetness,” Los Angeles vocalist Andy Leon’s voice is gorgeous, triggering comparisons, however lightly, with Norah Jones. The single is from the new album The Great Mouse Parade, titled after her backup band.

The GMP is a group of four college friends who each transplanted from Boston to LA within the past couple of years. The band performs shows around the LA area and are often remembered for “strings and horns” integrated into their sound and stage presence.

Middle Life – Nashville musician Jon DaCosta is the force behind the moniker for Middle Life, which is a brash, lo-fi, garage indie rock sound, as demonstrated on the brave track, “If I Was You.” The song is from Middle Life’s self-titled debut album dropped in February.

DaCosta has been playing in folk bands for nearly 15 years. During the past few years, he has been reconnecting with the music he grew up on – alt rock of the 1990s. DaCosta has channeled this early love into writing his own “songs reminiscent of that sound…Weezer, Radiohead, Stephen Malkmus, and Dinosaur Jr.

Olloway – Hailing from Vancouver, Canada, Olloway is the collaboration of two high school friends, and musicians, Paul Kane and Brett Fabian.

Olloway’s sound is based on a combination of their “astute production skills and the rock music that inspired their youth,” resulting in a unique genre-bending mix of sounds.

The duo’s musical influences are varied and include artists such as Coldplay, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Porter Robinson, The Beatles, and Queen.

FCE – Minneapolis musician Chris Koza’s single, “Sleepwalkers,” has an indie folk rock feel on the back of a thickly veiled love song that is simply wonderful. That said, we still haven’t been able to find out what FCE stands for.

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