TOP INDIE SONGS - WEEK 47

I've got my eating pants and a bottle of TUMS® at the ready, which can only mean one thing, readers – THANKSGIVING IS ALMOST UPON US! Before I enter a mashed potato-induced food coma, I'm back this Monday with the latest edition of We Are: The Guard's Top Indie Songs to see you through the first event of the holiday season in style! Trust me – you're going to be beyond grateful for the following tracks from Broods, Crystal Fighters, The Kooks, and plenty of others when it comes to drowning out your racist uncle's pro-Trump monologues around the dinner table on Thursday! Feel free to thank me with more mashed potato later!

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LYVES – TELL ME THAT YOU FEEL IT TOO

Sometimes a breakup can loom over a relationship like storm clouds, and it's that exact feeling that Lyves evokes on her moody latest single. Listen as the London artist's powerhouse vocals stir and brood over a dramatic baroque pop backdrop on “Tell Me That You Feel It Too,” a positive tempest of emotion that was co-written by JNTHN STEIN and Will Night on the island of Corsica and forms part of Lyves' ongoing series Eight Rooms.

PARK HOTEL – NOTHING TO LOSE

If I were you, I'd strap on your dancing shoes before hitting play on this funky fresh latest single from London duo Park Hotel! With its tropical take on the disco genre combined with its infectious Talking Heads vibes, “Nothing to Lose” – which features on Park Hotel's forthcoming debut EP of the same name – is nothing short of a hip-shaking must-hear that's most definitely brightening up my Monday morning!

THE LEMON TWIGS – NEVER IN MY ARMS, ALWAYS IN MY HEART

The Lemon Twigs' Michael D'Addario showcases his moves like Jagger in this video for Go to School cut “Never in My Arms, Always in My Heart.” No, really – if you didn't think that this band were the saviors of rock and roll before, then you're sure to be convinced after watching this unexpectedly gut-wrenching clip, which was shot in a bar in the D'Addario brothers' native Hicksville and follows a couple through the trauma of a miscarriage.

ALLAN RAYMAN – CRUSH

Allan Rayman has the kind of voice that could move mountains. The enigmatic Toronto singer-songwriter combines it with downtrodden, distortion-caked blues to earth-shattering effects on his latest single “Crush,” a prowling, low-slung ode to a femme fatale that acts as a showcase for Allan's gritty rock star potential. Harry Hard-On is out now.

ROSE DROLL – BOY BRUISE

San Francisco's Rose Droll is the DIY queen that we've been waiting for. The Father/Daughter signee wears her handcrafted crown with pride on the kitchen-sink anthem “Boy Bruise,” a song assembled from a whole variety of found objects and finished off by Rose's dark spoken-word musings about the creative process: “Couldn't write without taking a hit/Couldn't sing without first getting lit/Couldn't cope with reviewing a track/Till I threw one or two or three back.”

MANSIONAIR – FALLING

There's no doubt that you'll be “Falling” head over heels for this latest single from Mansionair. The Sydney trio and long-time We Are: The Guard favorites are celebrating love in all of its various forms on this gloriously soaring piece of indie pop, which comes paired with a joyous video that's certain to warm even the coldest of hearts. BRB, going to call my boyfriend <3.

BROODS – EVERYTHING GOES (WOW)

If you're not yet counting down the days to Broods' Don't Feed the Pop Monster, then just wait until you hear “Everything Goes (Wow).” The song finds the Nelson, New Zealand duo building on the vibrant, high-energy sound of previous single “Peach,” with lead singer Georgia Nott giving “Everything Goes (Wow)” an added sense of weight with her lyrics about “accepting the mortality of everything and finding peace in that.” Listen.

CRYSTAL FIGHTERS (FEAT. BOMBA ESTÉREO) – GOIN' HARDER

You can always rely on Crystal Fighters to get the party started! Coinciding with the announcement of a European tour, the London, England-via-Navarre, Spain collective have shared “Goin' Harder.” As the song title suggests, the three-and-a-half-minute cut is the definition of bombastic, with Crystal Fighters taking it from 0 to 100 with their explosive breed of alternative dance, before Colombia's Bomba Estéreo enter to lend some Latin vibes to the mix. *Insert all of the fire emojis here!*

THE JAPANESE HOUSE – FOLLOW MY GIRL

Following on from the release of “Lilo,” her ode to her ex-girlfriend Marika Hackman, The Japanese House's Amber Bain has shared “Follow My Girl.” The second single to be unveiled from her forthcoming album Good at Falling was produced alongside BJ Burton and The 1975's George Daniel and hears Amber experimenting with beats and textures like never before, with the layers ultimately combining into an electro-organic pop groove that's as warm as the morning sun on an uncovered shoulder.

THE KOOKS – PAMELA

As much as I love the holiday season, sometimes I long for summer more than I care to admit. It's in these moments that I'm thankful for songs like “Pamela” by The Kooks. Featured on their recent album Let's Go Sunshine, this catchy three-and-a-half-minute bop, combined with its video shot at the British seaside, is instantly transporting me back to those warm, halcyon days spent licking ice cream by the beach and taking a dip in the rock pool.

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Happy Thanksgiving, readers! Don't forget to follow We Are: The Guard's Best Indie Daily! on Spotify for more! x

Photo by Luis Quintero on Unsplash

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.