We have new August indie rock songs mainly from DIY indie bands in the U.S. and England.
This first new indie rock songs playlist for August features a diversity of indie sounds from rock to alt. folk to pop and more. The full playlist with uninterrupted streaming appears at the end of the post.
Hot Flash Heat Wave – San Francisco, California
Obil – New York, New York
Leo Harmonay – Peekskill, New York
Hazey Jane – London, England
EMU – Middlesbrough, England
The Coolers – Los Angeles, California
Hot Flash Heat Wave – “Floating”
Almost as if it was created specifically to evoke summertime feelings of warmth, love, and adventure, the psych-pop indie rock song “Floating” comes our way from the San Francisco band Hot Flash Heat Wave.
It is the opening track on the band’s latest E.P. – the five-track, Mood Ring. Other standout tracks on the E.P. include the dreamy, “Head in the Clouds,” and the illuminating, “Glo Ride,” which racked up more than 80K plays on Soundcloud alone.
The band has gained national and international acclaim in recent years for their fuzzy psych-pop vibe, selling out appearances at popular musical conferences and festivals such as SXSW and Outside Lands.
All of the members – bassist and vocalist Ted Davis; guitarist and vocalist Adam Abilgaard and drummer Nick Duffy – met while high school students in the town of Davis, which is located along the easternmost edge of the S.F. Bay. A couple of years ago, all three moved to San Francisco in order to be close to the music scene.
One of the things we really dig about the band is how they experiment and mix in elements like dream pop, post-punk, surfer rock, tropical, psych, new wave, soul and other influences to create airy and light tracks that play like a soundtrack for summer.
“Floating” is just one example of the band’s unique ability to seep into your heart and soul without ever making you feel down, alone or bored. For the most part, everything always seems to be alright – even when it’s not – while listening to HFHW.
Another infectious shimmering summery track is the psych-pop/new wave hit, “Sky So Blue.” There are plenty of HFHW songs now floating around in the sky for any new converts to get a good feel for the band.
The trio is currently on a cross-country tour for the entire month of August, zigzagging from the Midwest to the Northeast to the Western states.
Listen to more Hot Flash Heat Wave on Bandcamp
Obil – “Your Name”
After introducing the band to the NYC market, Obil was inspired to jump in the studio and record a fan-favorite song from their set.
Titled “Your Name,” the single is “meant to evoke the peaceful simplicity of a summertime love affair,” according to Obil’s frontman Miguel Martinez. His subtly-accented vocals do in fact evoke the feel the band was looking for.
Built on a percussive base of acoustic and electric elements, the track flows beautifully with influences such as international folk and world music, producing an original lo-fi indie vibe.
Started just last year, the members of Obil met while working in the professional club scene of New York City.
Guitarist dNo (Everything Ever, Curious Volume) brought along his friend and drummer Chris Peters (Neaux, Back and Forth) to join the band.
The band members’ backgrounds include experiences as touring musicians in heavier rock bands. This background adds flair and energy to their sound that is a more chill, danceable, and indie pop-rock sound.
Check out Obil’s page on FB
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Leo Harmonay – “Naked Rivers”
The stellar new title track, “Naked Rivers,” comes from a fresh collection of songs from New York singer/songwriter and musician Leo Harmonay.
The song, “attempts to reflect on lost opportunities, wasted time, collections of disagreements wrapped in streams of images,” he says, adding, “in a more upbeat tempo, which differs from my usuals approach.”
Harmonay writes and records original folk-tinged soulful rock music that is filled with poetic imagery against an emotional musical landscape that comes together nicely on songs like his latest efforts.
He lives and records at home in the quiet Hudson Valley town of Peekskill. He describes himself as “an old soul that had lived in the shadows for many years,” adding that he has experienced a reawakening of his songwriting interests after several life chapters that he describes as a “roller coaster” – and which he is now coming to terms with via his music.
In 2015, he released the L.P., Somewhere Over the Hudson, winning critical acclaim, followed the next year by The Blink Of An Eye.
That album, he says, “brings together a collection of deep-seated and boldly honest personal musical statements that are both thought-provoking and emotionally accessible while surrounded by a strong rhythmic perspective of haunting melodies.”
Harmonay’s songs are your classic singer/songwriter fare, but with a flare that calls on influences from soul, folk and blues. He is just proof again that there are talented artists in our midsts who are not being fully appreciated for their gifts.
Leo Harmonay official website
Hazey Jane – “Open”
Formed only last year, Hazey Jane is an indie-folk quartet based in the Hackney area of London that is making waves.
The band’s warm and mesmerizing songs combine traditional folk storytelling with arena-sized pop hooks, swooning four-part vocal harmonies and delicate, breezy electric guitar playing.
Their newest single, “Open,” hits all of those buttons and is unapologetic in its unbridled optimism.
The song serves, the band says, as a “playful reminder that outgrowing negative voices and listening to yourself is the healthiest process in the world.”
The single is the band’s most soulful offering to date and affirms that “everyone can be their own source of inspiration and optimism.” It’s probably not a big surprise that the band’s biggest musical influences include Nick Drake, Ben Howard, and Michael Kiwanuka.
Before “Open,” the band released the song, “Lay Low,” during a sell-out show at The Old Blue venue in London back in May. The single accumulated more than 10,000 Spotify streams in 10 days and received critical acclaim from a number of U.K. and European indie blogs.
In 2016 the band achieved a crowd-funding goal of 5,000 English pounds, enough to record and release their five-track debut E.P. Us On A Wire.
The album was produced by Marcel Van Limbeek, whose worked with artists such as Tori Amos and mastered by Sander Van Laere (NAO, Mount Kimbie).
Upon completion of the album, and surrounded by an enthusiastic response, the band set out on their first headline tour of the U.K. They sold out venues throughout the country’s southeast region.
Last year, Hazey Jane dropped a second E.P., Lifeboat, garnering ‘taste-maker support’ from BBC Introducing London, Record of the Day and Sofar Sounds. The E.P. also helped the band land slots at U.K. festivals such as The Great Escape, Greenbelt and Cambridge Folk.
Hazey Jane on Soundcloud
EMU – “Hungover, Dazed & Confused”
EMU is a fresh new indie rock four-piece band from the U.K. city of Middlesbrough, England.
The band’s newest single, “Hungover, Dazed & Confused,” is the title track off their new E.P. It’s hard to put the song into a genre or style because it is sort of free-form indie hybrid – there are influences and sounds of hiphop, rock, and punk.
The track is powerful and its experimentation edge is interesting, all while admitting that there is some fine-tuning needed.
But, hey, these guys are just starting out and it’s a solid first outing. The track is uncompromising and a vein of attitude without being annoying.
According to vocalist and songwriter Luke Freeman, HD&C was written a couple of years ago after a party.
“I realized I was the only one nodding off and I just thought, ‘get me home so I can have a cup of tea and listen to The Smiths’.” The song then evolved from there through a series of refinements.
Taking inspiration from artists such as Queens of the Stone Age, The Smiths, Foo Fighters, The Clash, Bob Dylan, and Sex Pistols, EMU’s E.P. features a collection of songs that fuse delicate guitar lines from influences like The Strokes and The Vaccines with “the attitude and hard-hitting delivery of punk.”
The album was recorded in lead guitarist Matty Broadrick’s bedroom and at Middlesbrough College with engineering, mixing and mastering accomplished by the band members; thereby taking the full and straight-up indie DIY approach and helping the band produce exactly the sound they wanted.
“The recording techniques were pretty standard with just a lot of close mics on the amps and drum components in order to try and capture the raw sound we were going for,” says Broadrick.
“The mixing [had] only slight EQ tweaks on the instruments and some reverb…and a one-key technique were [sic] added for slight distortion onto to the vocals in order to make it sound more gritty.”
Some of the band’s gear includes Les Paul guitar; Vox A 15; Fender Strat; V96 bass; various snares, kicks, and toms with SM57 and AKG 414 mics, and one large diaphragm condenser for vocals.
EMU on Soundcloud
The Coolers – “Where The Fish Live”
Hailing from the music and sun-drenched city of Los Angeles, The Coolers are not just another band trying to help keep rock and roll alive. And they are actually doing it with their own brand of hybrid garage rock that really resonates in memorable ways.
Such is the case on the band’s smoking new single, “Where The Fish Live,” a raw, gritty track that embodies a symbiotic relationship of 60s-meet-90s rock styles.
The song is from the new self-produced, live E.P., Troglodyte, that was recorded at the famous Clear Lake Recording Studio in California, and mastered by multi-Grammy award-winning outfit Lurssen Mastering.
For the lovers of rock, this E.P. is worth your time. Kick it on at an outdoor BBQ with some cold brews and away you go. Other tracks like the fist-pumping song, “Birthday in Bed,” further prove the point.
A signature of the band’s sound is sharp and hypnotic guitar licks and hooks combined with introspective lyrics, raunchy vocals, and booming percussions.
Like the ideal garage rock band story, The Coolers were literally born in the garage of drummer and vocalist Sergio Gonzales, together with long-time friend and rhythm guitarist Sadie Dean; Texan guitarist and vocalist Leslie Bumgarner and Ohio-smitten bassist J.D. Ramage. They became The Coolers.
Now, a year later, they are tearing things up. Three of the members share songwriting efforts, drawing from a catalog of musical inspirations and influences that include Joan Jett, Pink Floyd, Soundgarden, The Pixes, and Black Sabbath, among others.
The Coolers on FB
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