rolling indie-pop (lo-fi or otherwise) 2018

the genre I most regret not keeping up with last year

this EP is pretty great, particularly "Olive"

https://pillowqueens.bandcamp.com/releases

If non-brand new releases are fair game, this was one of my most listened to albums of last year (and I actually found it late).

Gurr's 'In My Head'

https://gurrband.bandcamp.com/album/in-my-head

Key track: "Moby Dick"

my pick of all the bands playing the various Picks of 2018 nights around London this week: Whenyoung.
And in particular their song Actor https://soundcloud.com/hate-hate-hate-records/whenyoung-actor
bit Alvvays-y but rougher around the edges

Late 2017 that I meant to post to the last thread:

https://therealpolyester.bandcamp.com/album/different-for-a-boy

Laconic trans* anthem from disco-yearning/Scando-inflected Aucklanders. I find the v.flat NZ accent charming but might be a dealbreaker for others. Hopefully an album in 2018.

(the v.young local ppl's indiepop seems to be either Drake or vaporwave inflected, FWIW)

does this belong here ? I dont know what belongs here, but i like this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mngtcfcaVrI

what's the story behind that getting 7 million views?

No idea tbh. I did catch it on some kind of new artists YouTube playlist

That is lush.

lush? really?

Young Marble Giants is more lush than this song.

As in synonym for good and soft.

i'll allow it

sorry if this is the wrong thread
but enjoying the latest offer from gwenno
http://thequietus.com/articles/23868-gwenno-tir-ha-mor-land-and-sea-video

context for the Clairo video, i guess:

https://pitchfork.com/features/rising/meet-clairo-the-youtube-star-turning-teenage-awkwardness-into-viral-gold/?mbid=homepage-more-latest-and-video

its all coming together 🧐🧐🧐 pic.twitter.com/9Zvz1HWtb9

— glock🐛 (@Glock__Lesnar) January 16, 2018

Sarah Records gig at the Lexington (London) 26th July:

Even As We Speak
Action Painting!
Boyracer
Secret Shine

fwiw it seems like Clairo is blowing up past just that song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f43ODtOUmBw

New Django Django is pretty good. Seems critics have no use for them now, but I like it. "Champagne" is great.

i'm a big fan; firing that up now.

That Polyester song is the best music I have heard for a while, thanks etc. What a sad gorgeous tune. Amongst others makes me think of Felt a bit. I am psyched for more.

Luby Sparks from Japan - this one's more crunchy than a lot of the album, which plays around in a bunch dreampoppy textures

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNRUh2sr00c

Revision: the album is about 1/3rd crunch, 1/3 jangle, and 1/3 dreampop, but many times colliding on the same songs. Works for me. :)

Thanks for that one. I love it!

Thanks for the Luby Sparks! It's taken over my listening for the last day.

That Clairo songs sound like music from Adventure Time or Steven Universe. Hard to hate but at the same time I feel like I should hate everything about them.

Luby Sparks is awesome.

New Lake Ruth sounding nice there!

totally mild's new record is great. what a voice elizabeth mitchell has.

Japan is killin it this year... this kinda reminds me of Suddenly, Tammy! in a way.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6K_QQ9i3aJY

Falsettos, "6"

this is an outstanding rolling thread!

this is good: https://saysueme.bandcamp.com/album/say-sue-me-where-we-were-together

That's great

Kero Kero Bonito’s “TOTEP” is an interesting new direction:

https://soundcloud.com/kerokerobonito/sets/totep

I think I’m more intrigued by the idea of them going “rock” than I am in love with the actual results (tho the songs are good). Looking forward to what they do next...

it's like they've made an EP of stuff that would have been really critically popular ten years ago, then mutilated it with glitch effects and screamed vocals to make it seem more interesting than it actually is

why even bother, eh

Yeah the glitch effects are not particularly helpful...

who said anything about helping

the guitar and the tune of "old town" by that south korean band, say sue me reminds me a lot of the field mice. the good old times...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ul-XYRIuvU&t=82s

Have been moderately enjoying the latest album ('Pinned') from C.A.R. (Chloé Raunet). Electronic post-punk pop songs, sometimes quite sparse as per the above track, sometimes a bit busier and funky. Same sort of ballpark as Lonelady and Kite Base maybe?

Dream Wife's debut LP is great fun

- https://dreamwife.bandcamp.com/album/dream-wife

(with bonus Icelandic)

yeah i love that record

new pillow queens EP (from a couple of weeks ago)

https://specialistsubject.bandcamp.com/album/state-of-the-state

been enjoying that Orielles record!

I've been having a good time with the new Say Sue Me album. They are from South Korea and have some surf rock influence.

https://saysueme.bandcamp.com/album/say-sue-me-where-we-were-together

I'm very into the Child's Pose stuff right now:

https://childspose.bandcamp.com/album/s-t

anyone into No Middle Name? This song is my jam lately

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5whIeQNBORk

I'm very into the Child's Pose stuff right now:

https://childspose.bandcamp.com/album/s-t

I wouldn't call this indie-pop, but I like it!

Ha, yeah, I initially wrote more about why I chose to put it in this thread (not fierce enough for the punk thread, too melodic for some other places, associated acts are indiepop-adjacent, etc), but then I figured I waffle way too much most of the time so just posted the link!

yeh this childs pose ep is great
reminds me of erase errata

oh they have someone from sauna youth in!
those guys are so sweet

New band from London, Flirting.

reminds me of Life Without Buildings, dramatic vocals and explosive guitars.

Flirting. - Peppermint
https://soundcloud.com/flirtingband/peppermint-single-version

1/3rd crunch, 1/3 jangle, and 1/3 dreampop, but many times colliding on the same songs

brb getting this tattooed on my neck

Really enjoying the new Hector Collector's single 'Edgelords' with b-side 'Indie Pop Wedding':
https://thehectorcollectors.bandcamp.com/album/edgelords-single

xpost
Really loving that Child's Pose stuff. Thanks Emily!

The Hector Collector track is catchy. Vital Idles is another Glasgow band worth checking out: https://vitalidles.bandcamp.com/album/left-hand

it's 1993 all over again sunday records is back and going to release a new red sleeping beauty album and single. the question then becomes when do the death threats for albert sunday resume? indiepop ain't for sissies.

New band from London, Flirting.

very good stuff, thx

New Trust Fund is so great!

https://trustfund.bandcamp.com

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_11CVfRLbA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7d9e3pdsJJU

No idea if it fits best here, but A Beacon School (never heard of them before) are really good. They've got an LP out, 'Cola': beachy dream/samplepop. Think Air France, Beach House etc.

Not sure whether to post this in this thread, the rolling electronic music thread or the bleep bloops thread, but George Clanton (ex-ESPRIT) has a new one out, Slide, which is pure delicious electronica pop
https://open.spotify.com/album/5bBMiaWBlqdbq7eW5XCyz1?si=mpO2Iza2S5WjYTK_FVQTQQ

really enjoying that, thanks. i love this sort of post-vaporwave electronic dream pop

hehe george clanton

like it

reminds me of chad valley at times

If you like fuzzy dream pop "Our Girl" should be up your alley.
https://weareourgirl.bandcamp.com/album/stranger-today

already discussed on the Alvvays thread but I didn't want to keep cluttering it up - the Beths' Future Me Hates Me is my favorite indie-pop/power-pop album in a long time. Gives me the same sugar rush as the New Pornos' first two albums.

no mention of Anna Burch I can find, her album is really good - her voice reminds me of clear and lucid tone of Trish Keenan, but the music is more 90s jangly indie in the mould of Juliana Hatfield and Liz Phair

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9i4oavM__CQ

If you like fuzzy dream pop "Our Girl" should be up your alley.
https://weareourgirl.bandcamp.com/album/stranger-today

― Ich bin kein Berliner (alex in mainhattan), Tuesday, August 21,

Helium meets Sleeper

some jingle jangles from finland
love this
https://luovarecords.bandcamp.com/album/litku-klemetti-taika-tapahtuu

"Out of My Mind" by Brooke Bentham, it's the first '90s ripoff this year that I've liked :-) https://youtu.be/KI2dRYA52KU (You won't)

Her other stuff's good but quite different.

This has been my obsessive-repeat-listening favourite this past week or two. that melody!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6ubAA_I1T4

New album is out from Broncho, world’s most underrated power pop band.

"Out of My Mind" by Brooke Bentham, it's the first '90s ripoff this year that I've liked :-) https://youtu.be/KI2dRYA52KU (You won't)

Her other stuff's good but quite different.

I like the 2nd song ("I Need Your Body") a lot! Gonna check out more of her stuff. (The "'90s ripoff" song kinda sounds like a less distinctive Courtney Barnett to me.)

No idea if it fits best here, but A Beacon School (never heard of them before) are really good. They've got an LP out, 'Cola': beachy dream/samplepop. Think Air France, Beach House etc.
― lbi's life of limitless european glamour (Le Bateau Ivre), Monday, July 30, 2018 8:49 AM (two months ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Ordered this cd last week off the bandcamp page. "It's Late" cropped up after Still Corners' "The Trip" on a YouTube jaunt, and I played it a few times in a row, then listened to the whole album on bandcamp. It's the highlight for me, but the album's worthy as a whole.

Tim that's very nice

Frøkedal is great. Discovered them by way of Thea and The Wild, due to Thea being a part time member.

I've been enjoying Farao's second album Pure-O, which came out on Friday - see here: https://open.spotify.com/album/3DZ4iN0Rqw8iAK4w3hRGlg. She's Norwegian but lives in Berlin now and the new record is heavily influenced by Soviet disco (I understand she made a lot of it with Soviet-era synths) and kosmische. I hear Sundfør in goth-ABBA mode at times, though that could just be the accent. I'm most of all enamoured by the crashes of glitter that come in about two and a half minutes into "Lula Loves You", and the ascendant finale to "Marry Me".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pr6pTDutJs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYVp3AGShfw

this Farao is amazing stuff

The whole Farao album is a jawdropper.

STOVE
MOR kinda emo heavy guitar jamz, good drummer
https://open.spotify.com/track/4Ox0oeU8LjmhiZWKAP8Er4?si=jjmHxfLkRyaDLQp22aH7KQ

This group released my favorite album of the year and no one's talking about it. Listen! It's great.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0Ro3CHtILY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIEKmPL7ArM

This is heroically unfashionable. They have the swagger of Gorky's Zygotic Mynci

GZM are one of my favorite bands! What are the odds?

this strikes a good balance between dreamy and spiky

https://soundcloud.com/the-rungs/want-you-to-know

The new Stephen Steinbrink is great! Just saw him open for Advance Base, and it was just him, an acoustic, and an odd fellow who sang beautiful harmonies and held an unplugged bass in his arms the whole time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXaGPPqbnDE

This is great - Blades of Joy (S/T): https://meltersmusic.bandcamp.com/

Don't know if this thread is still operative, and this is more straightforward indie-rock than "indie-pop," but I like it:

Patio - Essentials
https://patio-bandcamp.bandcamp.com/

Please help me find more records that my partner will enjoy for home/coffee/crossword puzzle listening. The last big discovery (still in heavy rotation) was The Ophelias' album from last year, which is fantastic (produced by Yoni from Why?):
https://open.spotify.com/album/4H0S3BMWhtwjd5besGIBqN?si=y2uAllbVTFOg6L4ly4Fjow

Extremely tuneful, pretty/non-abrasive, nice vocals that are in tune and not nasally/whiny. Recommendations in this mode?

Recent records with vocals that she does not enjoy:
Big Thief
Why?
Faye Webster (although it may just have been the album cover that was a deal breaker)

try the new Bedouine, it's pretty good

maybe the dear nora album from last year? https://dearnora.bandcamp.com/album/skulls-example

Both great suggestions, thanks!

That Ophelia’s record has a great drum sound

Ya for sure. Indie bands have really mastered the muted snares + played quietly + heavily compressed sound.

Checked their twitter and they're recording a new album as we speak, so that's cool.

Jordan's partner, meet Joseph:

https://thebandjoseph.bandcamp.com/album/good-luck-kid

this ^ is the first single from their new album (just announced today). their last album is good, too:

https://thebandjoseph.bandcamp.com/album/im-alone-no-youre-not

I really like that Dear Nora record.

(it's passed the home test, except for the tracks that sound more '80s-influenced, and it was pointed out that the singer sounds a lot like the woman from The Waitresses)

cool. they have older albums that are good too ("mountain rock" is great)

Pauline en la Playa's album from last year is pretty great. they've been around for 20 years and their style is sort of a continuation of the bossa/folk/chamber-poppish indie that bands like La Buena Vida and Le Mans were putting out in the late '90s

https://paulineenlaplaya.bandcamp.com/releases

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSGv6CFNXRE

their last three albums have been completely amazing, I've always wanted to see them live!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-U14qVyWEk

yeah, that song is one of my favorites. I also love their debut EP (and spent ages trying to figure out which Softies song sounds exactly like Titubeas...apparently none). too bad they never seem to perform outside of Spain and haven't gotten the same level of international recognition as some of the bigger Spanish indiepop groups

The guitar line in Titubeas is something like Brighter's Inside Out, but overall that song makes me think of the Marine Girls!

Really been getting into the Tourist Activities EP lately.

post about it here!
Rolling Indiepop/Twee/Jangle 2020

ah, I see. thanks