The New Indie Playlist: Issue 03
In the third installment of the New Indie Playlist, we look at the new indie music which explores the trials and tribulations of modern life. Read on to check out the new releases from The Kooks, Marika Hackman, The Night Café and HONEYMOAN.
A tale of melancholy and affection: “So Good Looking” by The Kooks
The Kooks have graced the indie music scene since 2006. Before their brilliant gig at Community Festival, The Kooks released their new single “So Good Looking”. This upbeat track gives us summer vibes and an opportunity for reflection. As a song that looks back at the past and is uncertain about the future, “So Good Looking” wonderfully mixes melancholy and the reassurances that come with friends and loved ones. We may not know what’s round the corner, but with your loved ones around you, we may be just fine. That sense of making the most of the present gives the track’s elements of melancholy some comfort and sunshine. Musically, that strumming acoustic guitar of “So Good Looking” warmly reminds us of the classics Kooks sound we know and love. This timeless, sunny sound makes it perfect as a summer anthem. Watch the music video above for Popeye-inspired graphics!
“DJ going hard like your work week”: “Sweating Gold” by HONEYMOAN
Formed in 2017, HONEYMOAN are an indie pop band from Cape Town. With a wide variety of influences from Tame Impala to Drake, the band have a multifaceted sound. This is wonderfully heard in “Sweating Gold”, released as part of the band’s new EP Body. The track has a wide range of tempos and moods, allowing you to rush through the song’s musings on the joys and stirring strains of modern life. Along with the track’s psychedelic tropes, the guitar riffs are fuzzy and the drums help to drive this great indie pop song forward. Alison Rachel’s vocals are versatile and charming. All in all,”Sweating Gold” is a very stylish and catchy track.
“I will love and leave you”: “Finders Keepers” by The Night Café
The Night Café have released a new single! The Liverpool band deliver once again with chilled indie melodies with melancholic undertones. “Finders Keepers” explores a love gone wrong and the subsequent action of drifting apart, leaving one to opt for a life of loneliness. Musically, the track’s warm guitar riffs and melodic choruses make this track perfect for summer nights. The charmingly-shot music video shows the indie pop boys taking us on a house and neighborhood tour – cups of tea and sinister cat included!
The Night Café will release their debut album, 1051, on August 23rd. They’re also out on their biggest UK headline tour this autumn – which is set to be an absolute corker!
“I need to be adored”: “the one” by Marika Hackman
Finally, time for my favourite. “the one” is the second single from Marika Hackman‘s upcoming third album, Any Human Friend. What the Londoner regards as her “poppiest song”, “the one” possesses quite a Blondie-style gloss with its synths, contagious chorus and slick guitar riffs. However, what really sets Marika’s track apart from the majority is how unashamedly honest and direct it is. Her charming and cheeky vocals show the irresistability of her sense of humour. “Rub me’til my ego is raw” and “I’m a god sent gift” – it’s this “arrogant rock character” which dominates this indie track. The recently-released music video shows a bored Marika jumping into a photocopier and re-emerging as her egocentric alter-ago. One could suggest that the two opposites co-exist in a combination of what it is to be human. Any Human Friend will be released on the 9th August.
Thanks for reading! For the previous installment of the New Indie Playlist (including indie music by Blossoms, Hatchie, The Academic, Larkins and Fruit Bats), click here.
From Sophia with Love x
