THE 10 TOP INDIE SONGS FOR YOUR SUMMER MIXTAPES

Photo by Jay Skyler on Unsplash

Can you believe we're almost midway through July? The days are going by too fast! Before we know it, we'll be back in our chunky sweaters and ordering Pumpkin Spice Lattes like nobody's business! But let's not get ahead of ourselves, eh? Summer is still in full swing, and we're serving some sizzlers to celebrate in the latest edition of We Are: The Guard's Top Indie Songs! Headphones at the ready, then, as it's time to enjoy the following cuts from Courtney Barnett, binki, Sipper, and seven other favorites!

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COURTNEY BARNETT – RAE STREET

Courtney Barnett is back, baby! Coinciding with the announcement of Things Take Time, Take Time — her third album and the follow-up to 2018's critically acclaimed Tell Me How You Really Feel — the Australian troubadour has shared "Rae Street." It's a jangly ramshackler that hears Courtney at her lyrical best, with the 33-year-old juxtaposing images of mundane pandemic domesticity with musings about the world at large: "Unless we see some change/I might change my sheets today."

BINKI – REVOLVE

This is absolutely electric! Having introduced himself to the blogosphere a couple of months ago with the genre-colliding "Clay Pigeon," binki returns this Monday with "Revolve." A fuzz-caked bassline is basically the only thing keeping this New York City-based upstart from taking off into the stratosphere on this ode to unstoppable attraction, with binki practically bouncing off the walls as he sing-raps with rapid-fire precision: "'Cause you're just like me/I say, ''cause you’re just like me.'"

SIPPER – HALF YOUNG

Just a few weeks on from sharing the anti-summer anthem "Fuck June," Sipper is back today with "Half Young." Like "Fuck June" before it, "Half Young" is an incredibly scintillant offering from this New York City outfit. Opening to a spread of sparkling acoustics, "Half Young" starts to properly gain momentum once some chunky synthesizers join the mix. It's after the gang vocals enter that "Half Young" really takes off, however, with the whole thing making for a deeply radiant sequel to "Fuck June."

JACKIE HAYES – HAVE FUN

The countdown to There's Always Going To Be Something – the new EP from Jackie Hayes – continues today with the release of "have fun." Produced by Billy Lemos, "have fun" is a scuzzy ode to anxiety. "My anxiety is very cyclical, and it's often about the same things over and over again. The whole song is me trying to calm my worries, but at the same time being frustrated that I'm not making enough of an effort to change," says Jackie of the cut, with Strokes-esque riffs backing her despondent vocal sighs.

HAYDEN THORPE – THE UNIVERSE IS ALWAYS RIGHT

If you're still recovering from the Wild Beasts split like I am, then fear not, as the British outfit's leading voice Hayden Thorpe is making his luscious return this Monday with "The Universe Is Always Right." The first single to be unveiled from his sophomore solo album Moondust for My Diamond – due out October 15th via Domino – finds Hayden meditating on the relationship between nature, science, and religion, with his piercing keen coming caught up in a Kate Bush-like swirl of sultry dreams.

SPENCER. – LONELY AS I EVER WAS

Spencer. goes in pursuit of unrequited love – no matter the consequences – on the groovy "Lonely as I Ever Was." "The theme of this one is basically from the song 'Next Lifetime' by Erykah Badu, and I even reference it in the lyrics. Kinda like being on the other side of her situation, begging someone in a relationship to consider a relationship with you," says Spencer. of the cut, with fluid, funky riffs and punchy percussion backing the 4AD act as his silky falsetto slips into quiet desperation.

REMY – SHOULD I GET MY EARS PIERCED?

He recently reached out to a lover with commitment issues on the legitimately caring "I Know Why You Stay Out," but We Are: The Guard favorite remy is turning his lens more inward on his latest single "Should I Get My Ears Pierced?" Written about the struggle to keep up with the styles of fellow artists, listen as the New York City-based artist slowly moves to a place of self-acceptance on the song, which pairs the emo nostalgia of The 1975 with a lighthearted pop sensibility entirely of remy's own creation.

OSCAR LANG – THANK YOU

Breakups don't always have to be bitter. Just ask British act Oscar Lang, whose maturity and levelheadedness are making for a refreshing difference on his latest single "Thank You." "Thank you so much/For giving me that somеthing, your love/I changed the way I act now because/You made me see that I could be enough," sings the We Are: The Guard favorite on the genuinely joyful, honest chugger, which is taken from Oscar's debut album Chewing the Scenery – due out August 13th via Dirty Hit.

FROOGLE – SWEETS

Froogle reminds us indie music doesn't have to be serious to be enjoyable on his latest single "Sweets." "'Sweets' is my love song to donuts and cookies, but specifically to Mexican sweet bread. This was pretty much a freestyle, and I decided to talk about the hard-hitting issues," says Froogle of the follow-up to the previously featured "Homegrown." A tribute to sugar addicts and carboholics everywhere, "Sweets" is a remarkably groovy listen that pairs elastic-band basslines with Froogle's chilled rasp.

SQUIRREL FLOWER – HURT A FLY

Squirrel Flower is making a bid for the Album of the Year with Planet (i), as heard on the potent highlight "Hurt a Fly." "'Hurt a Fly' is me embodying a persona of gaslighting, narcissistic, soft-boy-type shit. I wanted to see what it was like to be a character trying to skirt around accountability. It's an angry and unhinged song," says Ella Williams of the cut, with slow, deep riffs richly churning beneath Squirrel Flower as she calls out the sinister agenda behind "nice-guy syndrome."

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Why not follow We Are: The Guard's Weekly Chart for more summer sizzlers? xo

Jess Grant is a frustrated writer hailing from London, England. When she isn't tasked with disentangling her thoughts from her brain and putting them on paper, Jess can generally be found listening to The Beatles, or cooking vegetarian food.