this week’s best new indie albums

Tracks like ‘Keep Me Safe’ are well suited to an intense running session when extra energy is needed, which speaks to the broad scope of its rich components. It’s a record that will certainly bring Humanist to a wider audience. The sound and themes are destined for wider acclaim.

In another highlight this week, Canadian art collective Crack Cloud returns after two years with Red Mile. Its 2022 release, Tough Babywas one of the standout albums of the year, and with this new effort, they’ve continued to refine their post-punk formula, making it even more emphatic. The constant shift between darkness and light persists, but now there’s a heavier focus on melody, creating a deeper sonic structure. It seems like the band is aware that post-punk is on its way out and is exploring greener pastures.

Elsewhere, Sheffield’s Dearthorms produce a bold and unhinged effort in Woodpeckerthe latest instalment of our era’s wholesome weird rock scene, filled with surreal lyrics, dissonant guitars and menacing synths. Not to mention the week’s most pleasantly surprising release, Alex Izenberg’s full-band debut, Alex Izenberg and the Exiles. It’s a masterclass in pure composition, bringing American cosmic music back to the forefront and revamping it for the present.

See this week’s alternative albums chart below.

This week’s best new indie and alternative albums:

On the Edge of a Lost and Lonely World – Humanist – (4)

Rob Marshall’s debut musical project Humanist has been widely praised for its unique listening experience and cohesive sound—a seemingly impossible feat of incorporating the various styles of different musical artists into the mix, completely subverting pop. Most musicians strive to create music that touches on emotions more meaningful than words can describe. On the Edge of a Lost and Lonely World achieves this masterfully by blending diverse influences into a singular and evocative expression of vulnerability and introspection.

As HumanistMarshall’s second album blends the visions of his featured artists while creating unique spaces where different creative touches can thrive. Offering emotionally potent, guitar-driven music with a broader palette, Lost and Lonely World does well to integrate Marshall’s characteristic lighter and darker counterpoint components, exploring the dramatic and delicate beauty of life itself.

What this album really does best is provide fulfillment in a capacity that once felt long lost: Its substance is almost overwhelming, the material the kind of insatiable food you keep coming back for again and again, and not in the meaningless way that sentiment is often expressed. It’s utterly satisfying, but only because it reminds you how hungry you were for music that delivers on its promise to reflect real human experiences with the seriousness that big things like love and loss deserve.

(Words: Kelly Scanlon)

Alex Izenberg – Alex Izenberg and the Exiles – (4)

On their full-band debut album, Alex Izenberg & The ExilesThe titular singer-songwriter goes above and beyond to bring fans an all-encompassing experience that blends classical with contemporary, warm with cold, and rural with urban. The result is a musical experience that is at once familiar and highly original. Izenberg’s identity is forged in expansive orchestral movements that evoke romantic film scores that seamlessly merge with influences from the psychedelic rock wave and subsequent quirks of the progressive movement.

Across the 11 tracks, Izenberg brings crucial balance to the proceedings by introducing a variety of tempos and moods. Anthemic highlights like ‘The Gospel of Exiles’ and ‘United States (of Mind)’ are at odds with quieter moments like ‘Threaded Dances’ and the powerful closer, ‘As the Dawn Serenades the Dark’. If it’s a dance routine you’re after, look no further than the funky little number ‘Pareidolia’. Here’s hoping Izenberg can keep things just as elegant on a second volume with the Exiles.

(Words: Jordan Potter)

Red Mile – Crack Cloud – 4

Genre conventions and identification can often be limiting for artists, regularly limiting creativity and inspiring an endless deluge of uninspiring music. During such a saturated period in musical history, it’s refreshing to hear groups like Crack Cloud who pay little to no attention to genre conventions. Instead, the Vancouver, Canada-based musical collective offers a unique blend of seemingly disparate styles brought together by the artistry of the band members and the incredible chemistry between those members.

It’s been two years since the release of Crack Cloud’s previous album, 2022 Tough Baby – a standout album from that particular year. Apparently, though, those two years weren’t wasted on the band, as their latest effort, Red Mileis perhaps their most successful to date. Shifting unpredictably from soft piano tracks to heartfelt punk-inspired lyrics, the album manages to keep the audience constantly on their toes. While the mellow music of songs like opener ‘Crack of Life’ lulls listeners into a false sense of security, this relaxation is immediately contrasted by Zach Choy’s vocal stylings.

(Words: Ben Forrest)

Woodpecker – Earthworms – (3.5)

The weird rock music scene has never been healthier. All over the world, strange and dissonant interpretations of guitar music are capturing the imagination of multitudes of listeners, launching them into parallel universes. In their debut, WoodpeckerSheffield’s Dearthworms dive headfirst into the area and plant their flag firmly in the faded soil. A diverse and fun batch of songs, it’s a solid debut from supergroup Steel City.

A collection of nine varied tracks, Woodpecker is comprised of edgy Yorkshire dialect, surreal tales drawn from the spooky side of mundanity à la David Lynch’s liminal ways, swirling guitars, menacing synths and a touch of that dark humour native to ‘God’s Own Country’. While the band certainly has some discernible influences, there’s no doubt that the record is inventive and entertaining, with surprises around every corner.

If David Firth, Protomartyr and David Lynch started a band, it would probably sound a lot like Woodpecker, as crazy as this may be. Creating such strangeness is an impressive move for a debut. Such boldness may not come as much of a surprise on this occasion, but it certainly promises that with a touch more refinement, bright things are in store for Deathworms.

(Words: Arun Starkey)

For the ghosts – Cults – (3.5)

Cults have been quietly churning out hits for over a decade, with their bittersweet tale of devotion ‘Always Forever’ racking up over 500 million streams on Spotify. Their song ‘Bad Things’ was even sampled by J Cole on his hit ‘She Knows’, allowing the band to reach an even wider audience. Clearly, Cults’ dreamy indie pop songs are well-loved by fans, with each piece inviting listeners to fully immerse themselves in an atmosphere that’s half playful, half nostalgic.

His fifth album, For the ghostssees Cults maintain their classic sound while also experimenting more freely with their lyricism, which frontwoman Madeline Follin claims is largely the result of a stream-of-consciousness approach. There are plenty of catchy hits here that, while laced with a certain sweetness, never veer into saccharine territory.

Still, it seems like Cults could go a little further because, in a land saturated with too many indie pop artists, constant innovation is necessary to stand out. That said, the band has continued to hone their unmistakable sound, and For the ghosts features many future Cult Classics(s).

(Words: Aimee Ferrier)

Becoming an entity – The Doozers – (3)

It could be argued that sometimes art galleries are too big. While the first piece you see may be impressive, and the second and third, when you’re subjected to walls of work spanning multiple floors, the important meaning and craftsmanship that went into each piece can be lost. The messages overlap and twist to the point where it’s hard to tell one piece from the last. That’s how it feels when listening to The Doozers’ new indie album, Becoming an entity.

It’s worth starting by saying that this is a good album. The instrumentation is lovely, the lyricism is insightful, and the harmonies are beautifully arranged and well-executed. There’s not much to criticize. Granted, there are a few moments where some of the vocals are high-pitched or the melodies seem a little haphazard, but as a general rule, you can’t go far wrong with this record.

The problem comes in the form of a perceived hesitation that seems to haunt the band. It feels very much like they’ve found a style and sound that works, so they stick to it like glue. That style and sound is also reminiscent of a lot of indie music that has come before and will surely come after. The result is that while the album is an enjoyable listen, it doesn’t offer much that separates it from other records. Tracks like ‘Make It Tessellate’, ‘Ah Shellanté’ and ‘Filter Feed’ are fun indie bops, but that can be said about a lot of music.

(Words: Dale Maplethorpe)

Everything still worries me – Abbie Ozard – (2.5)

Introspective lyricism can be incredibly powerful. Some of the world’s greatest songs feel like bursts of emotion delivered with minimal editing for a raw, vulnerable result. Whether they’re a window into the soul or a snapshot of a specific, personal moment, there’s power in a diaristic approach to art. However, on her debut album, Everything still worries meAbbie Ozard can’t go beyond a more juvenile diary.

Instrumentally, the album lays the foundations to establish Manchester’s Ozard as the next big thing in indie-pop. It’s textured and dynamic, bringing together the strains and tensions of a wide range of sounds and genres, from electro accents and shoegaze-influenced melancholic moments to pure bubblegum pop. Moments of greatness are found when she really leans into it and uses the music as a genuine tool, working in harmony with her words.

But when a song’s construction isn’t big or bright enough, the focus on Ozard’s words leaves the album feeling weak and somewhat immature. There are times when her vocal performance feels detached when it’s at its weakest, as if she can’t keep up with the energy of her own track. At other times, the problem lies with her diary-like lyrics, as they start to sound like the musings of a clichéd teenager. Or better yet, sometimes it sounds like a first attempt at a song, as the rhythm schemes become a little too obvious and trite, as in lyrics like “Right now there’s a party for one and I feel free / to be whoever I want to be / when no one’s watching me.”

(Words: Lucy Harbron)

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