by A week comes, a week goes, the world is forever changed.
With new happenings, new events, new news, new movies, new TV shows and more, each week brings in new things that have the potential to change everything, and here are the Big Indie Playlist, we capture all the best new music that could do the same.
We say this every week, but it’s a strong one once again. Across all genres, artists of all styles and scales have shared golden work, from exciting new duets between Oklou and FKA Twigs, and Blondshell and Gigi Perez, to another club banger from Fcukers.
The gold traverses lands too, as this playlist alone travels from London to LA to Turkey and beyond. Moving from indie to pop to jazz to Anatolian folk, there’s something for everyone, no matter how niche your tastes get.
This week, we checked in with Madi Diaz during her own album release week to see what songs have been getting her through this busy period, getting some recommendations for tracks, new and rediscovered.
All in one handy place, all you have to do is hit play.
Must-Hear: Curated by Madi Diaz
As Madi Diaz releases her own album, she gives us an insight into her on-repeat playlist and the new(ish) tracks she loves.
Tate McRae – ‘Sports Car’: “Well if this isn’t just the perfect cotton candy crack pop song to wear short shorts and a bralette around the house and motivate cosplay a burlesque dancer slash vacuum and get shit done or idk get on the stair climber and work on my butt or whatever roll the windows down and play it so loud I hope I offend someone.”
Anika Bennett – ‘A Cure’: This song is so perfect and so simple and so well put that I actually can’t listen too much cause I feel it too much and then get sad and then get mad that I didn’t write it. It’s insane.
Madison Cunningham – ‘My Full Name’: Madi and I share a lot of wonderfully strange similarities; the way we spell “Madi”, both being homeschooled, both born on the 14th, and we both really love when someone calls us by our full names. There’s something so profoundly sweet in the gesture. Like being completely called wholly mind, body, soul by someone. This song just pulls gently and directly on my heartstrings.
Cam – ‘Turns Out That I Am God’: Cam just amazes me. She raises the bar every time she lets something from her creative bunker out into the universe. She has a wholly unique way of using words and combinations that feel like poetry and music evolving and morphing in front of me. She’s a true wizard.
Cardi B feat. Megan Thee Stallion – ‘WAP’: OK, so maybe this is cheating, but this song did get rereleased with Megan Thee Stallion on Cardi’s new record, and what can I say, I am a huge Cardi stan. We need pop stars like her in this landscape. We never need guess how Cardi feels about anything and that’s just one of the many things I adore about her.
The best new releases of the week
Bleech 9:3 – ‘Ceiling’: For a first-ever single, this is a golden one. Already, Bleech 9:3 screams promise with this dark, grungy tune, reminiscent of Wunderhorse’s tensest moments. [4/5]
David Keenan – ‘We Live, We Learn, We Love’: David Keenan is an artist in a constant state of flux and evolution, but at every turn and change, his lyricism remains poignant and truly special. This track is no different as the message holds you. [4/5]
Blossom Caldarone – ‘Albert Road’: English Teacher touring member Blossom Caldarone was an obvious choice to invite to be a part of the band’s new remix record, where a bunch of artists have redone tracks from their debut. But this is something so interesting, taking the tune and making it jazzy. [3.5/5]
Matt Maltese – ‘Nearly Daffodils’: Sorry, we couldn’t pick just one from that album. Matt Maltese’s turn up to bat is equally as interesting as he takes the originally frantic ‘Nearly Daffodils’ and makes it luscious. [4/5]
Haim and Bon Iver – ‘Tie You Down’: I love when Haim go a little country, and they’re doing exactly that here with Bon Iver in tow to sprinkle his instant magic over the track, just as he does with everything he touches. [3/5]
Blondshell and Gigi Perez – ‘Arms’: This feels like Blondshell and Gigi Perez got in a room and asked the question, ‘how do we make people cry?’ This is the result as one of the most devastating songs from Blondshell’s new album gets even more emotionally impactful thanks to Perez’s unique and feeling-heavy vocals. [4/5]
Oklou and FKA Twigs – ‘Viscus’: It’s clearly been a huge week for collabs as in the work of strange alt-pop, two major players got together when Oklou and FKA Twigs got in the studio together and got gorgeously experimental. Following her album Choke Enough earlier this year, Oklou’s reign continues. [3.5/5]
Fcukers – ‘I Like It Like That’: Got a party this weekend? Fcukers just delivered the soundtrack with this big track that demands you go to the shop and buy a big bottle of spirit, maybe even some poppers, right now. [3.5/5]
Westside Cowboy – ‘Don’t Throw Rocks’: We’re thankful that Westside Cowboy are wasting no time at all in returning with new music. Announcing their second EP, this first taster track continues their evolution into indie’s ultimate rising stars. [4/5]
Bob Vylan – ‘Sick Sad World’: A brave voice amongst the scene, Bob Vylan are loud and proud on this one as they’re as political and rowdy as ever, scanning the current social landscape with sharp and critical eyes. [3.5/5]
Gretel – ‘Maybelline’: Placing women in one long lineage and considering the various ways we’re all connected, this new one from Gretel feels special. So incredibly lyrically powerful, it’s a song that doesn’t announce itself too loudly but holds so much power. [4/5]
Sorry – ‘Today Might Be The Hit’: Remember back in 2022 when it felt like everybody was obsessed with Sorry and their album Anywhere But Here? Yeah, we’re back there and we’re locked in again for this new era. [4/5]
Gia Ford – ‘God’: So rarely when we talk about David Bowie’s influence on a track are we talking about later eras like the theatre and assurance of Blackstar, but here we are. Unique, tense and cinematic, it’s a song that keeps taking you by surprise. [4/5]
Flip Top Head – ‘What I Really Want To Know’: Once again, we are screaming the praises of the Brighton scene, which continues to deliver not just great bands, but totally unique bands putting out unique and interesting music, like this one from Flip Top Head. [3.5/5]
Off The Beaten Track – Curated and written by Ben Forrest
Umut Adan & Zebânis – ‘Bogotà’: Turkish songwriter Umut Adan immerses audiences in the darkly psychedelic sounds of Anatolian folk, creating a twisting, turning sonic landscape with the aid of Italian outfit Zebânis, which seems to reveal something new upon every repeated listen – of which there are bound to be multiple. [4.5/5]
Adam’s Apple – ‘La Inflacion De Ofelia’: A Latin-soaked gem plucked from the depths of obscurity by Berlin’s Matasuna Records, this infectious slice of funk excellence from the Miami-based Adam’s Apple was originally released back in 1975, and it’s been long overdue for a resurgence. [4/5]
Kee’ahn – ‘Heavy’: If you’re after some pristine soulful vocals and gentle rhythms to get you through the week, why look anywhere other than Kee’ahn, the Queensland-based Aboriginal vocalist and Torres Strait islander. On the newly released ‘Heavy’, Kee’ahn beautifully demonstrates the emotive mastery of her voice, lulling the listener into a kind of neo-soul sound bath. [4/5]
