THE BEST NEW INDIE POP SONGS TO KICK OFF NOVEMBER

11/5/21

Image by Jordan Whitt on Unsplash

Hello again, it’s Micah the WATG intern. It’s November!! The month of Thanksgiving! The foliage on the east coast is vibrant right now, and I just finished playing a few shows with my band in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Jersey. It was a super fun Halloweekend and I hope you had a great Halloween as well!

 

CHRISTIAN LEAVE - “DAYS LIKE LOST DOGS”

I discovered Christian Leave back in 2017 as I slowly began to realize how big Josh Ovalle’s online community actually was. The sheer talent that all of these So-Cal kids have is really impressive and the community of creatives they’ve built is wonderful. Christian Leave, in my opinion, is one of the many creatives in this community where his craft is maturing beyond his years and blossoming into a beautifully unique project that could live on for years to come. Born in Oklahoma and now stationed in California, Christian Leave takes a moody folk approach matched with hard hitting drums and tops it off with a catchy melody making some of the best indie pop I’ve heard in a while.

 

LUKE WILD - “PACK A PUNCH”

I first heard of Luke Wild through his song “PIE (Feat. Deb Never)” and while I was definitely vibing to it (I’m biased because I love Deb Never), I think that “Pack a Punch” is Luke Wild’s best work. “Pack a Punch” is a super chill indie pop song that ends with an extremely calming array of sounds. It begins with a guitar riff that sounds oddly familiar and remincensent of Cocteau Twins. Luke Wild is an artist, songwriter, and producer and is from Tampa Florida and has collaborated with artists such as The Neighbourhood and Sofia Valdes.

 

GIRLISH - “I’M GONE”

I just found this song and this band. They somewhat remind me of The 1975 in their production, and almost have a similar melodic inflection to The Japanese House. Their 80s influence is very apparent and the song “I’m Gone” has a lot of great moments. The indie pop duo is based in LA and they’ve been making music together for over a decade. The duo is composed of Kevin Moody and Alex Perdomo and they’re heavily influenced by The Beach Boys, which makes sense seeing as Girlish is like if The Beach Boys were an 80s pop duo.

 

FLOWERBOY - “1998”

Flowerboy is indie-pop’s newest sensation. His aesthetic reminds me of a Conan Gray, but a little darker and more moody. “1998” starts with a calm intro and then quickly transitions into a fast paced indie pop song. The Toronto independent artist takes rhythmic and melodic ideas and pushes them to their limits creating an fascinating sound that is the epitome of indie-pop. Not to mention, the production is minimalist but still provides a great foundation for the song.

 

CAMI PETYN - “CARE LESS”

Cami Petyn is paving the way for a new type of hard hitting indie-pop. “Care Less” has dark overtones and a direct message that gives the feeling of female empowerment. It also provides a great sense of owning one self and the anthemic nature of it feels like it would be very relatable to many people listening to the song. Hailing from San Diego, CA, Cami’s music is a direct extension of herself. It’s turning her pain into power and the music reflects that.

 

BEN DARWISH - “SLEEPWALKIN”

This song is so great. I’ve never heard of Ben Darwish until now and I’m obsessed. Ben is an LA based artist who is originally from Portland, Oregon and paving the way for a new wave of jazz influenced indie pop. On “Sleepwalkin,” the lush falsetto and that ear-worm chorus will make you feel warm and fuzzy inside. The vocal samples give it that classic indie pop feel, but this song has a notable nostalgic feeling to it that makes it stand out from other indie pop songs.

 

DOMINIQUE - “LA KROY”

I just discovered Dominique the other day. Her latest single, “La Kroy” reminds me of SOPHIE with a very witty lyrical sense. The production is very reminiscent of SOPHIE and Arca, but still has that indie pop feel in the verse. The chorus is completely different, but works super well with the rest of the song in a way that is unexpected, yet super enjoyable. At the age of 18, Dominique started creating music on GarageBand and then went on to study biology at NYU. That’s when she started to get really involved in the music community and began working on electronic music on Ableton. Within the past year, her song “Girls Can’t Produce” went viral on TikTok with over 3 million views. “La Kroy” is a witty commentary on many tropes of those who indulge in consumerism and participate in what they might think is politically correct or educational, but in reality is just a vessel of hidden misogyny and other typical unfortunate realities that many male college students engage in.

There you have it! My favorite indie pop songs as of lately! I hope you enjoyed and we’ll see you next week!

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Micah Rubin is an avid music connoisseur who loves to watch movies and spend time at dinner parties. He loves The Sopranos and playing shows with his band, The Brazen Youth. His dreams and goals include wanting to bring people together through music, striving to always create an efficient and safe space for others to work and create. He hopes to become an A&R or Music Supervisor one day.