Sit back and enjoy the music
Artist: Sigrid
Song: It Gets Dark
Genres: #indiepop #altpop
Location: Norway
Release date: March, 2022
Comment: Norwegian singer Sigrid got an international pop hit with Sucker Punch, from her eponymous debut album. That song was catchy and I did like it, but the young artist still managed to surprise me when I listened to It Gets Dark, a lead single off her brand new sophomore album: How To Let Go. This song is next level good. Check it out.
Featured on the following mixtapes:
Artist: Sasha Alex Sloan
Song: WTF
Genres: #indiepop #altpop
Location: Los Angeles, United States
Release date: March, 2022
Comment: WTF got some rather depressing lyrics but I fell in love with it anyway. As soon as Alexandra Artourovna Yatchenko, aka Sasha Alex Sloan (and formerly: Sasha Sloan), started singing: “Same shit, different year”, I was spellbound. One of the lead singles off Sasha’s sophomore album, I Blame The World (which is going to be released next week!), this honest track is definitely a #musicalcrush. Hopefully, there will be a few of those in the new album.
Featured on the following mixtapes:
Artist: Skinny Dippers
Song: Wedding Ring
Genres: #indiefolk
Location: Brooklyn, United States
Release date: February, 2022
Comment: When most people hear the words: indie music, they think of songs similar to Wedding Ring, such as New Slang by The Shins (which was also part of the famous Garden State Soundtrack discussed recently here), so when you hear the second single off NY-based indie project Skinny Dippers‘ upcoming debut album, that’s what you’re going to get: a perfectly fine example of #indiemusic. From the warm guitars to frontman Ryan Gross‘ gentle vocals, this clever song about realising a little too late that the person you have an affair with is wearing a wedding ring, will certainly leave you looking forward to The Town & The City, their debut album.
Featured on the following mixtapes:
Artist: Cassidy Mann
Song: Since I Met You
Genres: #indiefolk #singersongwriter
Location: Toronto, Canada
Release date: March, 2022
Comment: I’ve mentioned before that a certain song would have fit well in Garden State‘s award-winning soundtrack, but in Since I Met You’s case, that was absolutely what the songwriter intended. Talented artist Cassidy Mann wrote it after rewatching that movie and getting inspired to make something as magical as that soundtrack. She managed to do it, by the way, as this track is a beautiful indie song with a delicate electronic background that complements the acoustic brushes really well. Also, is it just me or does Cassidy sound a bit like Phoebe Bridgers‘?
Since I Met You is one of six songs tyou can find in If It’s Not Forever, Cassidy Mann’s debut EP. The sky’s the limit for her.
Featured on the following mixtapes:
Artist: Stumble Steady
Song: Transducer
Genres: #indiepop #alternativerock
Location: Florida, United States
Influences: Cage The Elephant, The 1975, Dayglow
Release date: March, 2022.
Comment: Talented musician Garrett Kealer has been featured on T.A.M. as Stumble Steady a couple of times before (here and here), and a lot has changed since the last time that happened (almost exactly one year ago). For starters, Stumble Steady is no longer a solo act, as you can see in the video below. Co-vocalist Cara Harpest debuts in the bands’ new single, Transducer, which is certainly their catchiest track so far. As usual, the song’s lyrics were inspired by Garrent’s experience with OCD, with the idea behind it being taking all the negative energy coming from dealing with that illness and transforming it into something positive. Well, that’s exactly what they achieved because there’s no room for negative emotions when yo listen to such an effervescent tune. Enjoy!
Featured on the following mixtapes:
Artist: Love You Later
Song: Keepintouch
Genres: #indiepop #indierock
Location: Nashville, United States
Release date: March, 2022.
Comment: Love You Later is the #altpop solo project of Lexi Aviles, a 23-year-old artist who has opened for the likes of OneRepublic and has won the attention of multiple tastemakers in the US. After listening to her effervescent new single, Keepintouch, it’s easy to understand why. The infectious earworm, inspired by Love You Later‘s discomfort with being alone, is one of those lighthearted songs sometimes you just can’t get enough of.
Featured on the following mixtapes:
Artist: Ryan Wright
Song: A Dream I’ll Forget
Genres: #indiepop #altpop
Location: Northern Virginia, United States
Influences: The Smiths, The 1975, Lana Del Rey
Release date: January, 2022
Comment: “A Dream I’ll Forget” is an ethereal and soothing indie pop song by Virginia-based artist: Ryan Wright. It is part of an eponymous EP released earlier this month, her first one. It is quite fitting that the song talks about a dream as it certainly feels like one. The lush synths complement Ryan’s vocals pretty well, which is why you don’t want this tune to end. Ah and she was born in 2002. The sky is really the limit for her.
Featured on the following mixtapes:
Artist: JOBIE
Song: Scorpio
Genres: #indiefolk #singersongwriter
Location: Boston, United States
Influences: Taylor Swift, Phoebe Bridgers, Tom Petty
Release date: November, 2021
Comment: Josie Arthur, aka JOBIE, is a young and talented indie folk singer-songwriter used to playing at house shows and bars in Boston. She has released three singles so far, and even though Scorpio is the latest one, it was actually the first song JOBIE ever recorded. Written about the universal experience of being infatuated with someone you don’t know at all, which happened to her when she started college, this honest and raw tune features just a guitar and Josie’s sweet vocals. Check it out!
Featured on the following mixtapes:
Artist: June Rosewell
Song: Apologies to an Empty Room
Genres: #indiefolk #singersongwriter
Location: Nashville, United States
Influences: Julia Jacklin, Faye Webster, Lucy Dacus
Release date: October, 2021
Comment: June Kolentus is a Vanderbilt University student with a passion for music. June Rosewell is her solo project and Apologies to an Empty Room is just the second single she’s released under that moniker. Inspired by the self-doubt she experienced. after a sad breakup, this sweet and soft song is a folksy track hypnotizes you with June’s heartfelt vocals, guitar strums and a lovely cello part (played by Doc. Henry). This tune would fit perfectly in the soundtrack of an indie movie. Don’t you think?
Featured on the following mixtapes:
Artist: Hatchie
Song: Quicksand
Genres: #indiepop #altpop
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Release date: January, 2022
Comment: Harriette Pilbeam, aka Hatchie, is a 28-year-old Australian #singersongwriter whose debut album, Keepsake (2019), was a huge success. She has announced a new album for April this year, for which she has released two singles already (This Enchanted and Quicksand) and they both sound even better than any of her previous songs. I particularly liked Quicksand, which she wrote after realizing that she will never be satisfied no matter what. There’s always something else to achieve.
Featured on the following mixtapes: