by By the end of each and every week, there will be hundreds of thousands of new songs on Spotify. You could spend the next few months trying to catch up on only the music released this week. Or, you could skip that and dive into some curated suggestions here on the Big Indie Playlist.
This week was a particularly golden one with some exciting comebacks. Dry Cleaning announced a new album with their most crowd-pleasing track yet, while ELLiS-D returned with a huge, high-octane number to get the blood pumping.
For something more angsty and cinematic, turn towards Witch Post, HighSchool or even John Cooper Clarke as he teams up with Luvcat for a spooky duet. Or if you’re looking to get some rage out, The Last Dinner Party delivered a track that’s half opera and half punk, but utterly perfect for a rager.
For something outside of the ordinary, Ben Forrest has curated the best off-the-beaten-track releases of the week, from neo-soul to cumbia. All put in one place, so nothing great slips between the cracks of a busy week, all you have to do is hit play.
Must-hear: Curated by University
Fresh from releasing a powerful EP, we called on University to share their own new music recommendations.
Sativa – ‘Mastadon’: “Our favourite band at the moment. Vocals are just insane and they just got the right idea. Such an ambitious song, it closes their new EP and rightfully so. We love this band, just go listen.”
Gooch Sweat – ‘ABCDEFG’: “I mean the vibes are just on, this the best track on their new album by far, we usually hate this kind of stuff so this was a nice find. Quite raw as well it was a nice find to stumble across.”
The Beatles – ‘Helter Skelter (Second version – Take 17)’: “We are all very excited for anthology 4. Love the Beatles. This was a no brainer. 2025 belongs to the Beatles.”
Ouch! – ‘Pedestal’: “We met these guys while they were recording this in their house. We can describe how loud it was! It was recorded mostly live, giving it a lo-fi feel. Reminds us of ‘Columbia’ by Oasis, sick tune.”
First Day Back – ‘Sure, Ok’: “First track to one of the best albums of the year. 1990s revival on smoke. Cap’n Jazz but a bit softer. Gonna be huge, trust.”
The best new releases of the week:
Luvcat and John Cooper Clarke – ‘He’s My Man’: To celebrate one year of ‘He’s My Man’ being out in the world, Luvcat’s talent has been co-signed by John Cooper Clarke on this cinematic and spooky new version of her murder ballad. [4/5]
ELLiS-D – ‘I Want To Be Everything You Desire’: We hype ELLiS-D up a lot here at Far Out, but the songs are just that good. Sharing a brand new one, the golden run continues with this electrifying, high-octane delivery. [4/5]
Emma Bradley – ‘This Is What Dreams Are Made Of’: Written and produced by Bradley across two feverish days stuck in her flat, this is a track made to soundtrack daydreams as you fall into them and get lost. [4/5]
The New Eves – ‘Red Bricks’: Fresh off the back of the release of their debut album, The New Eves shared two new tracks. This one comes with a big dose of angst and tension, led by a powerful drumline. [3.5/5]
Dry Cleaning – ‘Hit My Head All Day’: Back to announce a brand new album, Dry Cleaning delivered the first taster of what’s to come with this genre-melding track that feels like their most broadly appealing yet. [4/5]
Witch Post – ‘Changeling’: If you didn’t pay attention to Witch Post’s EP at the start of the year, now is the time to rectify that and point your ears over here. A perfect volume that helps their sound evolve already, there is clearly more greatness in the pipeline. [3/5]
HighSchool – ‘Sony Ericsson’: Angst upon angst upon angst. If you need a gloomy track to play in your headphones across this rainy weekend, here you go. [3/5]
Pebbledash – ‘Cell’: Ireland truly are leading the way with the music exports at the moment. Fresh off a tour with Cardinals, their fellow Cork unit, Pebbledash, shares this epic second teaser of their upcoming EP. [3.5/5]
The Last Dinner Party – ‘Second Best’: The Last Dinner Party have never been cooler than they are on this track, that is half theatrical opera production and half a growling punk song. [4.5/5]
Matt Maltese and Bello – ‘Cure For Emptiness’: Leave it up to Matt Maltese to take one of his most devastating songs and make it even more gut-wrenching. With Bello, AKA Bella Ramsey, adding delicate vocals there, it only becomes more poignant. [4/5]
Fred Again.. and Amyl and the Sniffers – ‘You’re A Star’: Remixing Amyl and the Sniffers’ track ‘Big Dreams’, Fred Again.. turns it into a heartbeat-raising club tune. Add it to your running playlist. [2.5/5]
Lianne La Havas – ‘Disarray’: Five years. That’s how long it has been since we last had new music from La Havas. And the second it returned to my headphones, I was wondering how on earth we’ve survived the gap without this beauty. [4/5]
Ellur – ‘Disintegrate’: Ellur is one of those artists who truly does get better with each and every release. Moving through her discography is like seeing maturity and development in real time, and this new one is the most intriguing and beautiful yet. [4/5]
Edan Umrigar – ‘Fun Is What You Wanted’: A perfectly strange and beautiful song to stumble across. Not overthought or overdone, but produced uniquely and texturally – hit play and sink into it. [3.5/5]
Off The Beaten Track – Left-field sounds, curated and written by Ben Forrest
Thee Marloes – ‘What’s On Your Mind’: Following on from the soulful psychedelia of their incredible debut album, Perak, released last year, the Indonesian outfit have unveiled a sneak peak at what’s next for Thee Marloes, in the form of the lush, laid-back neo-soul of ‘What’s On Your Mind’, released on seven-inch wax via Big Crown Records. [4.5/5]
Parlor Green – ‘Jolene’: How many times has Dolly Parton’s ‘Jolene’ being subjected to a cover version? Still, Ohio-based Parlor Green offer a completely new angle to the classic track, imbuing its iconic melodies with an old-school instrumental jazz-funk energy driven by the ever-beloved sounds of a Hammond organ. [4/5]
Zig-Zag Band – ‘Nyamutamba Nevambwe’: Ahead of Analog’s Africa’s hotly-anticipated anthology of the Zimbabwean Zig-Zag Band, the label has generously shared a second single from the record, and it perfectly captures the infectious rhythm and cumbia-tinged Afrobeat excellence of the cult outfit.
