Nine new tracks that could easily be more, if time was not always a constraint we all fight against. This means that time forces us to make choices, and those choices in the case of a TGIF compilation like this mean there is only space for the best songs that have been submitted to us all week. And what a week! Counting in more than 400 tracks, these are the best new indie releases, the new tracks that made us shiver the most.
9Million – Why
Matthew Tomasi seems like an incredibly cool person. They worked with Ethel Cain on their amazing “Preacher’s Daugther“ and seemingly have produced the last two Nicole Dollanganger records. It’s always cool to see someone seemingly interesting release music through their own lenses, as they have done with the 9Million project/band.
9Million’s latest mixtape, “Between Us“, is a collection of very pretty, colourful and fuzzy guitar-driven music. It deserves a listen in itself but we have fallen in love with “Why” (a collaboration with Nicole Dollanganger!), a track lost between slowcore verses and heavy, crunchy guitars, forcing us to travel through a wall of sounds that would make the best shoegaze acts blush from not having delivered this track.
Ann Weberg – Day After Day
Soul singer from Norway, Ann Weberg makes music that dives deep into her feelings, even if it might mean showcasing some of her most vulnerable sides. With a passion for deep soundscapes, soulful vocals, and vibrant melodies, her music is quite melodic and emotionally driven, as the artist set out to develop a personal and insightful approach to songwriting.
Ann freshly released her first EP “Day After Day“, created during the pandemic, and with the intention to create something honest and uncompromising. At this moment, dealing with relations and daily life was hard and draining, but writing about it and creating something beautiful gave her a sense of meaning.
Ay Wing – Dare to Dream
Many of Ay Wing’s songs showcase a dreamy, nostalgic vibe with beat-driven, pop sensibilities that are sure to take any listener on an emotional journey with her. Big on retro synth and dirty beats, Ay Wing’s music can be described as electronica, but of a classical kind; sharp, three-minute, bangers enhanced by her keen attention to the most exact musical details.
“Dare to Dream” is a summer vibes track with all of the warmth we need to embrace the inner dreamer inside of us. It encourages us to surrender to our inner child and stay playful and connected to nature. The groovy undertones and hip-hop-influenced beat, mixed with the underlying indie influence can make one feel like they are on a road trip with their favourite people.
She says: “I wrote this song when I felt a little bit stuck in life and was lacking inspiration. I felt that I needed to come back to myself and embrace my true nature. I needed to dream again.”
Beach For Tiger – Love Again
Between the lines of psych, lo-fi and dream-pop lay the sounds of Beach For Tiger. The bad was started by brothers Peter and Michael, and have taken their live show across Europe sharing stages with acts like Boogarins, Sugar Candy Mountain, and Baywaves. Following the release of the single “Daze” last year, they are back in 2022 with a fresh blend of psychedelic dance music.
The first one is entitled “Love Again” a psychedelic dance tune which contemplates the daunting prospect of newly found romance. The track that fills the listener from the start with gorgeous guitars (Mac DeMarco are you there?) also makes an impact vocally and lyrically, with a nice catchy song that finds in the dream-pop fragility the greatest vessel. The chorus sticks like gum, and that’s a good thing for such a heartful track.
Brooke Surgener – I Hate You The Least
Sometimes pop keeps surprising us and sounding impactful and new. It is for sure the case with the debut from Brooke Surgener. The simple “I Hate You The Least” is clearly a romantic track that while pop-infused finds in the folk and Americana soft wandering the perfect way to not sound corny but honest and gorgeous. Probably the greatest accomplishment in this is the way her vocals sound modern, familiar but mesmerizingly-delicately-powerful. The song’s structure is simple enough to still keep on playing several times on repeat. And you all know what that means…
Like a proper pop diamond, the track comes accompanied by a gorgeous-coloured video where Brooke presents her image and is supported with a very much ’90s-looking feel and the perfect setting for a post-modern pop ballad.
Echo In – Complicated Order
Echo In are a “music formation” hailing from Hamburg, Germany, who left a mark on us when “Complicated Order” stumbled on our doorstep. The song is part of their compilation trio of singles (or is it an EP?! We don’t know!) which, depending if you go on Spotify or Bandcamp, is either called “Complicated Order“ or “To Connect”.
“Complicated Order” is a song that heavily borrows elements from genres like krautrock and post-rock, mixing them with an indie rock sense of grandeur. The beat is pure motorik, incessantly driving us forward, while the wailing guitars scream romantic longing, reminding us of something Bloc Party achieved during their “Silent Alarm” days. The vocals just finish it off: you want to be right beside Echo In as you drive along a highway with no apparent destination.
Double Figure – To the Moon
Double Figure (AKA Elad Ciocler & Amir Miller) is a Tel Aviv-based electronic-rock duo: they play electric guitars and synths during the day and play turntables at night. Filled with hypnotic synth melodies and accompanied by spacey and deep atmospheres, Double Figure relies on its retro guitars to blend rave culture beats with a modern style.
“To The Moon” is their second release with a video clip and works as an invitation to travel from earth to beyond through the lens of the spaceship. “To The Moon” is also the first song they wrote and the one that inspired the whole EP concept.
Glom – I Wanted the Real Thing
Glom is a six-piece formed in Brooklyn, New York – as you do when in Brooklyn -, made up of several multi-instrumentalists. The group “started when childhood friends” Sean Dunnevant, Peter Beiser, Sahil Ansari, and Jonathan Harwood “got together in high school to play Beatles and Strokes covers”, and with now the added heavy machinery of Jordan Wolff and Jonathan Crandall at their disposal, Glom is a well-oiled engine running on all gears. Next up on their list of releases? “Pebble”, an EP, due early 2023, where “I Wanted the Real Thing” is the first single.
When Sean Dunnevant sings “I want to talk with god, I wanted the real thing” to open “I Wanted the Real Thing”, you’re immediately hit with a crunching sense of despair, the last gasp at attempting to make sense of the craziness of the post-modern world we seem to be entering. The crunch of the guitars that accompanies it just leaves it all on the plate -this is a fuzzy world, but at least we have Glom’s music to improve senses a tiny bit. It’s a great indie rock tune!
Glyy – Dior
Self-published and multi-instrumentalist band Glyy, hailing from Stockholm and Uppsala in Sweden, seeks to combine indie pop, string pop and a pastiche of afro genres to create unforgettable, never-before-heard pop tunes. They are all about that fine line between what is popular and brilliant and what is new and interesting.
Dior, is their debut track, a song that explores those boundaries sounding nice, light and with a fleeting tempo that ultimately feels great. Suitable for listening at any time of the day, we can safely label it as an all-rounder.
“With the Dior vocals, we wanted to go social media-level catchiness. We ended up with some tasteful, mildly R-rated lyrics representing a male perspective on desire between two lovers. We found that the sensuous topic made an excellent contrast to the somewhat quirky instrumentalization“
Hot as Sun – It Was Bananas
Hailing from Mississippi and NYC respectively, Jamie and Deborah began releasing music as Hot as Sun after meeting over a sound bath at the Integreton in Joshua tree. Being referenced by LA Times as sounding like “Kate Bush at her first fake-ID rave” they’ve opened for bands like Phantogram, Foster the People and Gotye. Two independently accomplished women in their own right, Jamie composes for film & TV and Deborah is a widely published writer, working on her second non-fiction book for Harper Collins about the rise of female, LQBTG and non-binary skateboarders, dropping Spring, 2024.
“It Was Bananas”, their latest single released yesterday is a jagged mashup of rebellious hooks and raw, tropical, dance-punk buzz. With Justin Meldal-Johnsen (Beck, St. Vincent, Nine Inch Nails) on bass and mixing duties, the new track was inspired by T.P. Orchestre Poly-Rythmo, “Night Bitch,” and the sights and sounds of lost summer nights.
Oh Bummer – The Right Thing
Oh Bummer! is the new solo endeavour of Seattle-born, Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter Tanner Houghton. His songs start with his casual, brash lyrics & listless vocals blended with trip-hop-inspired beats courtesy of veteran producer The KickDrums in order to craft “songs that are a conglomeration of my manic ADHD thoughts – the diary of an overthinker” according to Tanner. Combining laid-back Still Woozy-esque indie pop, Hobo Johnson’s unfiltered, rambling delivery, and the brash alt-rock vibe of Oliver Tree, Oh Bummer! reflects on his music as “songs for people who are trying their best made by someone who’s trying his best“
Teaming up with seasoned producer The KickDrums (50 Cent, Kid Cudi, Machine Gun Kelly) and featuring horns by Kelly Pratt (David Byrne, Arcade Fire, Beirut), Oh Bummer! keeps constant themes of vulnerability and humility in his music. His newest song, “The Right Thing” is, “a very human song about being very human. Trying to do the ‘right things’ even when nobody’s watching or cares. It’s about making amends, working hard on yourself, and moving forward for nobody else but you”.
This is the 3rd track we feature from Oh Bummer, you can read and listen the previous ones here and here.