So many artists, so many songs, so little time. Each week we review a handful of new albums (of all genres), round up even more new music that we’d call “indie,” and talk about what metal is coming out. We post music news, track premieres, and more all day. We update a playlist weekly of some of our current favorite tracks. Here’s a daily roundup with a bunch of interesting, newly released songs in one place.
POPCAAN – “WE CAA DONE” (ft. DRAKE)
Dancehall star Popcaan has confirmed that his new album Great Is He arrives January 27 via Drake’s OVO Sound, and new single “We Caa Done” finds him teaming up with his label boss for some breezy dancehall/R&B crossover.
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SKRILLEX, PINKPANTHERESS & TRIPPIE REDD – “WAY BACK”
Just days after releasing a track with Fred again.. and Flowdan, Skrillex has unleashed another kinetic, genre-blurring new single.
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QUEEN NAIJA – “LET’S TALK ABOUT IT”
R&B great Queen Naija kicks off 2023 with an undeniable new single, “Let’s Talk About It.”
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HAIL THE SUN – “MIND RIDER”
The Sound of Animals Fighting’s tour with Hail the Sun starts tonight, and Hail the Sun have a new single for the occasion. “Mind Rider” finds their tech-y, proggy post-hardcore sounding as dizzying as ever.
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FAIM – “OPUS”
Denver hardcore band FAIM revealed that their second album Your Life and Nothing Else will be their last, and this new ripper addresses that. Vocalist Kat says, “When I moved to Washington State, we knew we couldn’t keep going with the band indefinitely. Being older, we really wanted to spend our time off work not just touring, and this band had started taking a lot of that personal time away. Putting an end date on the band has allowed us to give 100% to this band in a specific time frame. Plus, we know this is a scene for the youth, and we didn’t want to overstay our welcome. ‘Opus’ is about all of this. Did I make smart life choices? Can I let go of something that has been an integral part of my life for the past 6 years? Was it all a waste of time? It’s bittersweet saying goodbye to this band. I am grateful for the opportunities and friendships that have come out of it, but I am also ready to move on.”
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OCEANATOR – “A LONG DECEMBER” (COUNTING CROWS COVER)
Oceanator follows her 2022 album Nothing’s Ever Fine with a faithful cover of Counting Crows’ mid-90s hit “A Long December.” “Over the holidays my brother and I recorded this cover of a song I have loved for many years,” she writes.
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BABYTRON – “MR. HANKY”
Detroit rapper BabyTron will release Bin Reaper 3 New Testament, the companion to last year’s Bin Reaper 3 Old Testament, next week (1/13). It features Rico Nasty, Babyface Ray, Lil Yachty, Cordae, and more, and you can hear lead single “Mr. Hanky” now.
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ICE SPICE – “IN HA MOOD”
Ice Spice’s unofficial release of “In Ha Mood” in late 2022 made it her third consecutive viral song of 2022, and today it gets its official release.
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PALETTE KNIFE – “WEEKEND AT TONY’S
Ohio emo band Palette Knife’s upcoming LP New Game+ has had some very promising singles, and this one is no exception.
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STOREFRONT CHURCH – “PURE IMAGINATION” FT. CIRCUIT DES YEUX (WILLY WONKA & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY COVER)
Storefront Church is releasing a new EP of covers in March, featuring his recent rendition of Low’s “Words” with Phoebe Bridgers, and he’s shared another single from it, an orchestral version of Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory track “Pure Imagination” featuring Circuit Des Yeux. Frank describes the song as “so saturated with bright color and whimsy that it almost forces you to be suspicious of it. A man in a factory offering you as much candy as you can possibly eat, asking for nothing in return — people start dropping off like flies. Seems like Roald Dahl felt pretty certain that in the face of unchecked freedom, most of us gorge ourselves until we literally explode. Gene Wilder delivers an iconic, serene and effortless performance in the original version of the song by Anthony Newley, but I wanted to highlight the underlying edge to it in our cover, so I asked an artist I felt was born to sing this song, Haley Fohr of Circuit Des Yeux to step in. Our version exists in a parallel universe where David Lynch directed the film instead of Mel Stuart. As American culture becomes even more oversaturated with excess and despair, consuming itself until it explodes, the song resonates more than ever, both at face value as an invitation to escape into one’s own mind, and a chilling warning of the siren call of capitalism’s promise.”
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KAMAIYAH – “THRU THE WEEK”
West Coast rapper Kamaiyah stays pretty prolific, and she’s kicking off 2023 with another dose of her trademark catchy G-Funk revival.
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THE BROKEDOWNS – “OBEY THE FUMES”
Midwest punks The Brokedowns will release their new LP Maximum Khaki on January 20 via Red Scare, and here’s the gritty new anthem “Obey the Fumes.”
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SKULLPRESSER – “JUST A PIG”
Skullpresser, the new political hardcore band with members of The Wonder Years, Mannequin Pussy, and more, have shared the second single off their upcoming debut EP. If you’re into stuff like The Bronx and Refused, give this a spin and watch the video here.
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MOLLY – “BALLERINA”
Austrian dreampop duo Molly are set to release their second album, Picturesque, next week via Sonic Cathedral/ “Every time I go to a museum and I’m about to pass through the era of Romanticism I stop in awe,” says Lars of the enduring appeal of the 18th century artistic movement. “Whatever it is – stories, paintings, music – it triggers something deep within me, something profoundly human. It really hits a nerve, and it utterly immerses me to a point where I can’t move.” Here’s an early taste, a gorgeous song inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s The Steadfast Tin Soldier.
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EN ATTENDANT ANA – “PRINCIPIA”
Some French groups get stuck behind the language barrier with Francophilic listeners (not Indie Basement readers of course), but this is not a problem with Parisian band En Attendant Ana, whose brand of motorik janglepop is sung mostly in English. Principia is their third album and first in three years, and the title track is terrific:
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DON LETTS – “OUTTA SYNC” (DAVID HOLMES REMIX)
Filmmaker, DJ, and former Big Audio Dynamite member Don Letts is gearing up to release his solo debut, Outta Sync, in March and he’s handed over the title track to David Holmes for a dubby, dancey remix.
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J.T. IV – “THE LONER”
Drag City is releasing a posthumous compilation of previously unheard songs by outsider punk cult artist J.T. IV, titled The Future, which will be out January 20. “The Loner” plays like a statement of purpose.
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JW FRANCIS – “GOING HOME TO A PARTY”
Indefatigably affable singer-songwriter JW Francis releases his new album Dream House at the end of the month and he’s just shared the video for “Going Home to a Party” that drops him into a variety of PBS kids shows.
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WET LEG – “CHAISE LONGUE” (UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA)
It’s not even been a year since Wet Leg released their great debut album and we’re already anticipating its follow-up. While we wait, the duo are releasing a few remixes, and they’ve handed over their runaway 2021 hit “Chaise Longue” to Unknown Mortal Orchestra, who turn it into a skronky dancefloor banger. Wet Leg call the UMO remix “kinda wild and kinda amazing.”
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PETER GABRIEL – “PANOPTICOM”
Peter Gabriel has shared the first taste of his long-awaited album i/o, and you can read about it here.
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Looking for even more new songs? Browse the New Songs archive.
