BEST INDIE SONGS - WEEK 47

The news is an absolute sh*tshow at the moment. If you're looking for a break from the rolling coverage of the impeachment hearings, then you're in the right place. That's not to say that the music in this latest edition of We Are: The Guard's Best Indie Songs is necessarily politics-free (I'm looking at you, Neon Indian!), but hopefully these tracks will help you to channel your anger in a more positive way as opposed to throwing your remote at the television every time that Jim Jordan speaks. Check out the following songs from Beck, Grimes, Billie Eilish, The Naked and Famous, Glass Animals & Denzel Curry, and more!

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BECK – EVERLASTING NOTHING

Following on from the release of “Uneventful Days” and “Dark Places,” Beck is making it three out of three with “Everlasting Nothing.” It's a big, glowing country ballad, with Mr. Hansen's chunky, Morning Phase-esque songwriting chops coming embellished with sci-fi squeals and futuristic rattles courtesy of collaborator Pharrell Williams.

GRIMES – SO HEAVY I FELL THROUGH THE EARTH

Grimes has the weight of the world on her shoulders on the latest single to be unveiled from Miss Anthropocene. “So Heavy I Fell Through the Earth” is a subwoofer-destroying piece of droning doom-pop about a love so intense, it makes the ground fall out from beneath you, with Claire Boucher's heart bleeding beauty over leaden, thudding basslines.

NEON INDIAN – TOYOTA MAN

Neon Indian isn't one to make sweeping political statements, but that all changes today with the release of “Toyota Man.” It's a pro-immigrant anthem inspired by Alan Palomo's path to American citizenship, with Neon Indian singing in Spanish over a vibrant chillwave fiesta that references both “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “La Cucaracha.”

COBI – ISLAND IN MY MIND

Having taken time off to both care for his elderly father and raise his newborn daughter, Cobi makes his victorious return today with “Island in My Mind.” It's a Hozier-tier hymn that positions the Los Angeles crooner's raw vocals front and center, with a gospel choir uplifting Cobi as he sings about his search for freedom with soul-stirring tenacity.

BILLIE EILISH – EVERYTHING I WANTED

Billie Eilish meditates on her newfound fame on her latest single “everything i wanted.” It's a whisper-soft reverie that touches on the 17-year-old's struggles with mental health and suicide ideation, with Billie crystallizing her pain into something truly beautiful come the chorus, where she pays tribute to her brother FINNEAS for supporting her through it all.

MOSES SUMNEY – VIRILE

Coinciding with the announcement of his double album græ, Moses Sumney returns today with the exceptional “Virile.” It's an exploration of masculinity and its obsession with power and brutality, with a muddy swamp of doom-metal guitars gurgling beneath Moses as he delivers the most theatrical, remarkable vocal performance of his career. Listen.

THE NAKED AND FAMOUS – SUNSEEKER

It's not always easy to see the light in these dark times, but The Naked and Famous are here to show us the way with the glorious “Sunseeker.” Alisa Xayalith reveals that the song was inspired by her dog Ginger, with the sing-along vocals together with the electronic-pop production really tapping into the joy that pets bring to their owners' lives.

ELLIOT MOSS – JULY 4

Elliot Moss basks in the glow of a failing relationship on the potent “July 4.” “You and I/We're beautiful for a moment/And then we die/You and I/We're a couple of fireworks/Falling from the sky,” sings Elliot on the cathartic indietronica dirge, which turns that moment when the spark goes out between two lovers into an intoxicating piece of art.

GRANDSON & MOBY RICH – HAPPY PILL

Crank up the volume, as grandson and Moby Rich are teaming up today for the detonative “Happy Pill.” “I'm a gun, I'm a gun, won't you shoot me off?/Trigger finger will, 'til I get my happy pill,” sing the alternative double act over churning, chugging waves of distorted guitar on the cut, an eruptive ode to self-medicating that numbs you with noise.

GLASS ANIMALS & DENZEL CURRY – TOKYO DRIFTING

Glass Animals' Dave Bayley channels his inner “f*cked-up Sasha Fierce” on the follow-up to 2016's How to Be a Human Being. “Tokyo Drifting” is a self-affirming flex of sorts written from the perspective of a certain “Wavey Davey,” with the song's experimental trap beats eventually leading into a bombastic verse courtesy of Miami Gardens rapper Denzel Curry.

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Photo by Phuong Tran 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.