TOP INDIE SONGS – WEEK 40

Summer is over, Autumn is here and today marks the start of Week 40. WEEK 40! Can you guys believe it? Before we know it, “Best of 2015” lists will be rife and we'll be turning our thoughts to 2016. 2016! Something tells me the bands, artists and producers featured in this column will have a very important role to play next year. But don't take my word for it – hear it for yourself! Put aside Ryan Adams' cover of Taylor Swift's 1989 (or Father John Misty's cover of Ryan Adams' cover of Taylor Swift's 1989!) and enjoy the following tracks from Aiden Grimshaw, Wolf Alice, Sky Ferreira and more!

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DRELLER – ONE NIGHT STAND – CURATOR DUFFSTER

When CHVRCHES aren't busy blessing us with their own music, they're blessing us with the likes of Dreller's. The London producer is the latest signing to the trio's label Goodbye Records, and it's safe to say he makes quite a statement with “One Night Stand”! Sounding like a mixture of Hot Chip, Daft Punk and Radiohead and accompanied by a NSFW video animated by Dreller himself, this hard-hitting groove might be one of the coolest debuts of the year so far!

AUDIODAMN! – LIGHTS OUT – CURATOR DUFFSTER

Maroon 5. Imagine Dragons. Awolnation. AudioDamn!? The German pop rock trio of Oli, Ali and Mudi (I refuse to believe they're their real names!) certainly sound as though they could fit comfortably alongside those guys going on their infectious debut “Lights Out”! Fusing frenetic guitars with soulful vocals, look out for these dapper Epic Records signees climbing a chart near you soon!

AIDEN GRIMSHAW – ANIMAL

After impressing us in August with “Virtually Married,” Aiden Grimshaw returns this September with “Animal.” The former The X Factor UK contestant (no really!) channels the likes of alt-J, Glass Animals and Chet Faker on the dance banger, which hears Aiden's breezy falsetto draped in brooding synths, throbbing beats and an assortment of Amazonian sound effects. GRRR!

WOLF ALICE – BABY AIN'T MADE OF CHINA

You know a week is going to be awesome when it kicks off with a brand new Wolf Alice track! The badass “Baby Ain't Made of China” is the B-side to “You're a Germ” and starts on a sombre note, with Ellie Roswell pouring her heart out atop chiming guitar chords. Once the chorus hits, however, the riffs are cranked up to 11, catapulting the song – which was recorded at Bad Robot, the studio owned by director/producer J.J. Abrams – into the grunge rock stratosphere!

SOPHIE LOWE – UNDERSTAND – CURATOR DUFFSTER

Sounding like the lovechild of Kate Bush and Banks, Sophie Lowe revealed herself to be a force to be reckoned with on “Understand.” Now the Sydney artist drives that message home in the song's accompanying video. Directed by Dean Francis and filmed at Redfern Gym, it sees Lowe throwing punches in a dimly-lit boxing ring while giving the camera some serious stink eye. A totally kickass listen/watch, it'll no doubt have her dark pop contemporaries quaking in their boots!

SKY FERREIRA (FEAT. COCO MORIER) – HALLUCINATION

A few years ago, songwriter-to-the-stars and all-round BitCandy favorite Coco Morier penned a stunning ballad for Sky Ferreira called “Hallucination.” Sky cut the track, but Coco ended up keeping it for herself, even going on to film this Lynchian video for it in 2013. Thanks to a Miami producer by the name of John Villalobos, however, we now get to live out our fantasy of hearing both versions alongside each other. The result is one of the most breathtaking collaborations that never was, but who knows? If you're reading this Sky or Coco, maybe you're inspired to record “Hallucination” together for real!

BASENJI – CAN'T GET ENOUGH

To quote SoundCloud user Grace Bullen: “Basenji bringing PC Music to the masses.” SO TRUE! If you find A. G. Cook and co's bubblegum pop too sugary to swallow, then Basenji's diet take on the genre is sure to satisfy your taste buds. By counteracting the cute vocals with more generic EDM elements such as horn lines, hand claps and piano stabs, “Can't Get Enough” is feel-good, but never nausea-inducing.

KHAI – INTO THE DARK

Having buttered us up with his oh-so-smooth debut “Do You Go Up,” Khai returns this September with his second offering. “Into the Dark” hears the Missouri crooner increase the tempo with cascading synths and stomping percussion, although it's his effortlessly soulful pipes that continue to steal the limelight. “This is a song about facing the darkness in your life” Khai explained. “Taking the leap of faith and believing in your ability to overcome it.”

SUN CLUB – TROPICOLLER LEASE

It may be autumn, but that isn't going to stop BitCandy soaking in the summer vibes! Sun Club are giving us all the Vitamin D we need this Monday morning with “Tropicoller Lease”! Pairing waves of tropical, reverb-drenched guitars with sing-along vocals and completed by a haze of bleached, lo-fi production, the song is a perfect introduction to the Baltimore band's unique blend of surf and punk!

DIVE IN – CHANGE IN THE WEATHER

Concluding with a song that seems to perfectly capture this time of year. Optimistic with a hint of melancholy, “Change in the Weather” by Glastonbury trio Dive In is the ultimate end-of-summer, start-of-autumn anthem. Combining driving bass, vibrant guitars and catchy vocals, I guarantee you'll be singing along to that chorus after only one listen too! “The song is anchored in the idea of hope and coming out of a darker place” Dive In told Consequence of Sound. “We've all found ourselves in rut – this song celebrates the moment in which something happens/clicks and you know you're back on course.”

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Thanks for listening you guys! See you next week for more! x

“-” by Nikolaus kim is licensed under CC BY 2.0 (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.