TOP INDIE SONGS – WEEK 30

After the veritable shitshow that was this year's Republican National Convention, you're probably left feeling like you need an escape from the world. In which case, you're in the right place! For the next 30 minutes or so, I can promise you that there'll be no politics, drama or bullshit. As far as I'm concerned, this moment is all about you, me and the latest edition of Top Indie Songs. Simply turn down the volume on life and turn up the volume on the following music from Crystal Castles, Jamie T, GROUPLOVE and more.

-

CRYSTAL CASTLES – CHAR

Following the banging “Concrete,” Edith Frances continues to put her stamp on the Crystal Castles sound with “Char.” And honestly?! I'm loving it! Her voice is so pure, light and angelic, that it makes quite a welcome contrast to the Alice Glass years. Not to mention that I can actually understand the lyrics of a Crystal Castles track for once! Bring on Amnesty (I)!

LEAGUES – LIPSTICK COFFEE

Are you ready to get your groove on?! I hope so, because Nashville duo LEAGUES are here to enliven your mojo with the danceable “Lipstick Coffee,” from their forthcoming album Alone Together. Crunchy, bombastic and packed full of funk hooks (including a Robert Fripp-esque guitar solo), this is infectious indie pop goodness that deserves a whole lot of buzz.

SHY GIRLS – I AM ONLY A MAN

I'm an emotional wreck! One year after the release of 4WZ, Portland musician Dan Vidmar aka Shy Girls returns with “I Am Only A Man” and it. Is. Perfection! Featuring Vidmar's ever-angelic voice set against a backdrop of delicate piano keys and crashing percussion, Shy Girls tells The FADER that the track was inspired by a breakup: “There are brick walls we come up against in love, and it either brings people closer together or tears them apart. This song is about the latter.” :(

THE I.L.Y'S – STOP YELLING IN THE MUSEUM

And now for something completely different from Death Grips side-project The I.L.Y's! Buckle up as Zach Hill and Andy Morin take us on a wild ride on “Stop Yelling In The Museum,” from their latest album, Scum With Boundaries. Combining distorted guitars, blasts of brass and sing-along vocals, this high-octane hurtle down the highway sounds a bit like Andrew W.K. if he fronted a ska band, and for that reason alone is to be cranked at full volume. #NoFucksGiven

MIDDLE KIDS – EDGE OF TOWN (CURATOR ROBERT DUFFY)

What is it about Australia?! Even in the middle of winter, it exports some of the sunniest music around. “Edge Of Town,” the slide guitar-laden debut single from Sydney trio Middle Kids, is the hazy summer anthem that we never realized that we wanted. Put this blistering indie rock number on when you next have a lazy afternoon, and let vocalist Hannah Joy warm your bones with her apparently limitless range.

HINDS – WARTS (CURATOR ROBERT DUFFY)

This is fucking weird... I love it! Spanish girl group Hinds dress up in kimonos and turn relationship mentors in the video for Leave Me Alone cut “Warts.” Shot in the architectural masterpiece that is the Walden 7 in Barcelona, the Pedro Martin-Calero-directed clip kind of has the aesthetic appeal of a Vogue fashion editorial, only with added ping pong, levitation and murder.

JAMIE T – TINFOIL BOY (CURATOR ROBERT DUFFY)

Jamie T is back, but not as you remember him! The one-time cheeky chappy reveals his dark side on his latest single “Tinfoil Boy.” A brooding slab of noise rock (think Arctic Monkeys meets Rage Against The Machine), it comes accompanied by a disturbing Tom Beard-directed video that sees a selfie-obsessed young girl lure her best friends to their untimely deaths.

REFS – TURN AROUND

Finally! One year after impressing the blogosphere with their debut single “Pain Goes Away,” New York City duo Refs return this July with the absolutely delightful “Turn Around.” Featuring carefree vocals dancing atop uplifting synths, this infectious pop gem is pretty much an essential to any summer mixtape. “This song represents the importance of trusting your instinct and not letting the voices of others sway your priorities and decisions,” Refs tell Pigeons And Planes. On repeat!

GROUPLOVE – WELCOME TO YOUR LIFE

This is the song that I needed to hear today. Thank you GROUPLOVE! If you need a blast of positive vibes yourself this Monday morning, then “Welcome To Your Life” is for you. A truly euphoric grunge pop anthem about seizing the day (“Welcome to your life, yeah, yeah/It could be a fantasy, yeah, yeah/Welcome to your world, my girl/Let it be your fantasy, oh yeah”), it was apparently written for band members Hannah Hooper and Christian Zucconi's baby daughter Willa Payne. Right in the feels! <3

GIRL BAND – PEARS FOR LUNCH

Concluding this week in cacophonic style with Dublin noise rock quartet Girl Band, who have unveiled the borderline iconic video for Holding Hands With Jamie cut “Pears For Lunch.” Directed by Bob Gallagher, the clip tells the story of a man with a television set for a head as he starts a job, falls in love and gets married, all the while using advertisements, stock footage and band shots to express his emotions. Just...watch.

-

Thanks for listening! Until next time, why not check out our Indie Pop and Chill tabs for more music? x

“Photo” by Sergey Fediv is licensed under CC0 1.0 (cropped and resized).

About Jess Grant

When Jess Grant isn't writing on music, she can be found playing it – on her guitar, on her ukulele, and on her recently acquired mandolin. Playing it hideously, she ought to add. Jess also studies. She studies the English language, to be precise. Jess is currently on her way to a degree in the subject, and enjoys starting and never finishing novels, screenplays, and poetry in her spare time. She also likes dogs. Lots of dogs.