New Indie Bands
ALMA – naturanaturans
Alma are a trio of ladies in film scoring and audio engineering bringing a quirky, cinematic, DIY approach to pop. Their music is immersive, chock full of vocal harmony and homegrown production, and cut with a dash of sass and a side of groove. Their new single #naturanaturans is a DIY anthem about the trials and tribulations of social media. Directly translated as “nature doing what nature does,” it explores the irony of our natural choice to not be natural, and how we lose ourselves in the scroll shaping our identities based on how others see us online.
Stripped down with only vocals and hand percussion, #naturanaturans at its core invites us to feel into our own inherent completeness that exists beyond all of the likes, comments, and follows. There’s nothing that this song is without and the same is true for us as human beings.
Love Ghost – Pink Car
Love Ghost is an indie/alternative/hard rock band consisting of Finnegan Bell (guitar and vocals), Daniel Alcala (Guitar), Ryan Stevens (Bass and background vocals) Samson Young (drums and background vocals) and Cory Batchler (keyboards). Their new single Pink Car is an instantly classic alternative indie rock love song for these times. Drenched in train-of-thought emotion, the song slows down time and takes you on a ride as a willing passenger.
Ghostribe – Make You See
Ghostribe’s new single Make You See was conceived from an intense, difficult, but truly mind expanding experience in the desert. With shades of Alt J, SOHN and Glass Animals, the cinematic-pop song brings a unique view to the political fray that has befallen the country.
Blume Hinges – Taxi Cabs
The third single from Bulme Hinge’s album Build Your Castle Inside of a Mountain, Taxi Cabs is a song of hopelessness and feeling complete and utter despair. By far the most depressing song on the album, it does not have any redeeming or optimistic qualities thematically – it starts sad and finishes sadder. Taxi Cabs is a deep dive into depression, portrayed in the form of a pretty song with a catchy melody. It is about losing the one thing or person that you believed you ever truly loved, ever truly made you happier, and the will to death that inevitably ensues. It’s the nothingness that engulfs an individual in the throes of despair. It’s the tar pit you willingly let yourself sink into… sitting alone.
Butch Wifey – Soap
Chloe Ponder, also known as Butch Wifey, is an indie artist from Boise, Idaho. She started writing songs at the age of 15 and released her first single in the summer of 2019. Her lyrics aim to dredge up the uncomfortable feelings associated with queer relationships. Her new song Soap is about being gaslit by someone who sees your most vulnerable sides. It aims to mimic that sort of confusion that comes with being lied to constantly, but ultimately, believing and going back to that person.
overpass – Otherside of Midnight
Overpass have gained considerable attention since forming one year ago, with over 300,000 views across social media platforms and an ever-growing fanbase. Their debut single ‘One Night Lover’ received an outpouring of praise, as well as numerous BBC Introducing radio plays. The band characterise their sound as being influenced by the likes of Inhaler, Catfish and the Bottlemen, and Arctic Monkeys. On their new single Otherside of Midnight the band comment:
Otherside of Midnight encapsulates the struggle of wanting to help someone help themselves, whilst ultimately lacking that power. It’s about asking someone to take the hand that’s being offered to them, knowing that you can’t make someone feel better, but you can try to show them that you’re there. Despite the darker theme, the message is a positive one: that when you’re feeling down, you have people there who care enough to try to help. We hoped to capture the relief that can come with letting go of a false sense of control over life, and instead embracing the possibilities with a new perspective. There is an ‘other’ side to the darkness of midnight.
Scalawag – You On My Mind
Scalawag’s single You On My Mind is a quietly quirky contemplation on love. The song’s arrangement and lyrical clarity lets you reminisce of classic 50s pop love songs, while enjoying a modern Pheobe Bridgers-esque folky atmospheric quality. Scalawag’s varied influences and musical background lend the single a complexity in the composition, while still giving the song direction in its clear and simple arrangement. Scalawag’s second single after his debut album in 2019 captures that feeling of butterflies, and foretells of a new, happier direction for the solo artist.
Gaspar Sanz – You Can Be Somebody To Love
You Can Be Somebody To Love is the new single from Australian indie band Gaspar Sanz. As for all artists, 2020 hit Gaspar Sanz hard. Robbed of the ability to perform live, the band delved into introspection and songwriting after the release of Glass Rainbow, an EP that was written before the world knew words like ‘social distancing’ and live music became a thing of the past. The band’s new single You Can Be Somebody To Love reflects the desire to hold onto the positivity of pre-pandemic times. Singer James Bell comments:
We wanted to have fun with this track and focus on good vibes but also let people know that they have the choice to be the best versions of themselves
dad sports – nrvs again
dad sports, who signed to Grand Jury Music late last year, are announcing their debut EP, I AM JUST A BOY LEAVE ME ALONE !!!, out March 19th, with the music video for nrvs again. nrvs again is a testament to the rapid growth of the band since their debut singles in 2019 and lead singer/songwriter Miguel Plante’s skill. The new track was recorded, engineered and mixed by Plante, with dad sports’ signature electronic drums and emo-inspired vocals combined in a potent, catchy and endearing ode to believing in yourself, even if it takes time to get there.
Blue Canopy – Banji
Blue Canopy’s Sleep While You Can is the newest entry from Portland-based multi-instrumentalist, Alex Schiff. Exploring the often unspoken anxiety related to having a child and what that means for losing the past version of one’s self, the EP is beautifully introspective at a time where self-reflection is incredibly crucial.
Formerly the keyboardist and co-writer for indie band, Modern Rivals, the EP is a follow up to his 2020 debut, Mild Anxiety, which was produced alongside Patrick J Smith (A Beacon School), a frequent collaborator.
America Jayne – My Boyfriend’s Roommate’s Girlfriend
America Jayne is a Brooklyn based Alternative-Indie musician. Working at the famous music venue, Rockwood Music Hall, in the Lower East Side, she garnered a group of friends who wanted to help her make music, thus, America Jayne was born. New single My Boyfriend’s Roommate’s Girlfriend is the first to directly address her journey of accepting her own identity as a pansexual cis woman.
The Micro Band – Bridge of Eden
Scottish festival veterans The Micro Band bring their unique brand of percussive power pop out of the muddy fields and into your earholes for their first official release. Recorded at the start of 2020 in the band’s underground studio, Bridge of Eden evokes the pounding drums, hedonism and inevitable comedown of a chaotic summer that never was. Bridge Of Eden is written about a brain seizure in a supermarket. Its captures the thunder and lightning that happens inside a persons head… then the broken windows, cracked pavement and leaning walls that follow.