Read time: 7 min 23 secs
The GRAMMYs; a celebration of the year in music. If you’re anything like me, then you probably don’t feel that your library was included in the celebration. Below is a list of the top indie songs released in 2024 along with some musings. Check out the playlist and let me know what you’re digging, or what I missed.
100. Sam Evian – Stay – Sam Evian’s essence makes me nostalgic for an era that neither of us lived through
99. Maxband, A Beacon School – Recreate The Start – Hearing shades of Silversun Pickups on this dreamy song that transcends into organized guitar chaos
98. Mk.gee – DNM – “All the things that you said when you said them did you mean it” seems like a lot of syllables to jam into one line on a hook; but he delivers the question flawlessly
97. Eyedress – Occasional Stoner – I’m not sure if I’m cool enough to listen to Eyedress, but this song has been in heavy rotation
96. Empire Of The Sun – Changes – Sounds like it could be cut straight out of one of the mid-2000’s FIFA soundtracks that helped cement them in millennial men’s hearts
95. Parcels – Leaveyourlove – Parcels’ pleasant brand of pop rock is a beacon of light in an otherwise dark world
94. Emmett Kai – Hits From The Bong – FINALLY, someone made a song for the dude’s dudes that like to get stoned, pack Zyn’s, and drive home after a night at the bar
93. Real Estate – Water Underground – The lead single and the most enjoyable track from the indie surf legends’ new album
92. Men I Trust – Husk – The Canadian outfit has been picking up steam online all year, so it’s tough to believe this is the only song they released in 2024
91. Pink Skies – Feel It Coming – I actually had to check if Tame Impala started releasing music under a different moniker, and that is a compliment coming from me
90. Remi Wolfe – Cinderella – The horns, the whistles, this is just a fun song. Not to gatekeep (low key gatekeeping) but I was here before Mac DeMarco showed up in the music video
89. Night Tapes – to be free – The vocal pitch is unique on this hooky track tailor-made for a late-night drive
88. Teenage Priest – Best In Show – One of those songs you can keep on repeat for months without losing its luster… a harmless addiction
87. Brad stank – Don’t Go, Don’t Go – Reminds me of a mix between Yellow Days and Connan Mockasin
86. Still Woozy – Forwards – One of my favorite rips from Mr. Woozy’s Loveseat offering
85. Mild Orange – Mood – Not to reveal a Philly bias, but I am hearing a nice blend of Kurt Vile and War on Drugs in this one
84. FLEECE – Where’s My Beach Hat – Summer pop with a little soul
83. Kowloon, Louie Rubio – Your Name – Kowloon doesn’t need any help crafting good hooks, but Louie Rubio adds a nice touch to this one
82. French Cassettes – Medium Horny – Quirky and punchy, their approach to indie pop rock is refreshing
81. Clairo – Juna – I’m digging her pivot towards the swanky jazz lounge sound
80. Zimmer90 – Follow (I will never let you go) – Discovered this band on a random TikTok my girlfriend sent me and they have stayed in the mix ever since
79. tomy wyne – Anxious – They seemingly appeared out of thin air with infectious singles I’m in Luck and Too Right which became fixtures for me; but this release proved they have staying power
78. Justice, Tame Impala – Neverender – 2 legends teamed up to make one of the best dance songs of the year
77. Jermango Dreaming – City Lovin’ – After disappearing for 5 years, he didn’t disappoint in his funky return to the retro pop landscape
76. Foster The People – Take Me Back – They’re no strangers to dishing out funky pop music, but this one is served with a little more attitude
75. Mk.gee – I Want – A mellow, yet passionate love song with a startling 80’s explosion in the final third
74. Alice Phoebe Lou – Better – Her side project Strongboi was one of my favorite discoveries of the year, but she brought the groove on her solo channel as well
73. Mildlife – Yourself – Helping keep prog-rock alive, they’re not afraid to go more longform in an era of short attention spans
72. Magdalena Bay – Image – Their Spotify bio says it best, “Synth pop straight from the simulation”
71. Sea of Lettuce – Easy Loving – Easy to love this one from the consistent Calgarians
70. Homer, Hether – Forever and Ever and Ever and Ever – A nice ode to old soul music, it was good to hear from Hether after a quiet 2024
69. Matt Champion – Ash (feat. Deb Never) – The Brockhampton rapper continues to show some versatility trading verses on this catchy ballad
68. Magic City Hippies – Enemies – Perfect soundtrack for a night out in a warm city
67. Teenage Dads – Speedracer – Hear a lot of the mid-2000’s indie pop we grew up on in this one
66. Mk.gee – Lonely Fight – Downtempo and chock-full of delicious guitar noodling
65. Vaughn – Ordinary Games – Can’t find much about Vaughn online, but he is one smooth operator
64. Scotch Mist – qt pi – Their opening set for Undercover Dream Lovers in Brooklyn was my introduction, but their dreamy brand of retro pop has kept me hooked
63. Washed Out – Wait on You – Washed Out keeps it steady with the familiar ambient electronic sound we’ve been hearing since Feel It All Around
62. Local Natives – April – My favorite song off of these indie mainstay’s latest album But I’ll Wait For You
61. Sam Evian – Runaway – Hard not to sing along with those “ooou-ooou-ooouh’s”
60. Jeff Lamb – Playing Pretend – “I’m on some shit again, tell your friend,” this is the new age of chillwave
59. Justend, tomcbumpz – rollercoasting – Could serve as a reference point for the wave of artists trying to master that funk pop/hip-hop blend
58. Kowloon – So Long Ago – In an age where most artists drop singles to roll out an album, Kowloon seems to drop singles just because he made a good song and wants you to hear it
57. okaywill – I Think of You – I continue to play 2022’s Tomorrow on an endless loop, but this one helped me establish some variety in my okaywill collection
56. The Marias – No One Noticed – Been following them for years, but NPR’s Tiny Desk series brought me to this particular gem
55. STRFKR – Together Forever – These pysch-pop cornerstones have been at it since 2008 but they haven’t lost a step at all
54. Toro y Moi – CD-R – I respect the rap experimentation but love that he doesn’t ditch the funky synth sounds we’re used to
53. Mt. Joy – She Wants To Go Dancing – This upbeat dance number was a pleasant surprise from the folk rockers
52. Bay Ledges, The Undercover Dream Lovers – Setting Free (The Undercover Dream Lovers Remix) – The original song could have made the list in its own right, but I think the remix enhanced the vibes
51. Roosevelt – Automatic – For entry into your party playlists
50. Dr. Dog – Tell Your Friends – I thought they had announced their retirement, but no one will complain if they stick around
49. Goth Babe – Insides – A friend once said “Goth Babe can’t figure out if he wants to be a DJ or an indie band,” which may be accurate, but the music is good; boat music but it’s not yacht rock
48. Bay Ledges – Fool – Soundtrack for driving through a beach town on a summer afternoon
47. Parallelephants – I Don’t Care – One of the best kept secrets in the industry also releases music under the name Thomie
46. Rainbow Kitten Surprise – Lucky – This chameleon of a band has so many tricks up their sleeve, but this one is sticking with me at the moment
45. Brainstory – Nobody But You – The tastiest bite I took out of their Sounds Good album
44. Clairo – Slow Dance – Send my regards to the band for those breakdowns
43. Marlon Funaki – She Knows How To Say My Name – Intriguing contrast between the pain-rock vocals and the surfy guitar work
42. Daily J – Tastes Like Forever – Daily J has been consistently releasing solid sunny pop-rock for years now
41. Baby Rose, BADBADNOTGOOD – One Last Dance – Pleasant jazzy back drop for haunting, smoky vocals
40. PawPaw Rod – Rainy – The positivity he floods into the airwaves during the hook is contagious
39. Fazerdaze – Soft Power – Here’s one for the cool sk8r girls
38. Tim Atlas – Lighthouse – Tim Atlas has a penchant for making groovy, catchy music for us to dance along to
37. Vampire Weekend – Mary Boone – This isn’t the VW I remember, but I welcome the Moby-esque production
36. Tokyo Tea Room – Tell Me How – This song just oozes sex; come for the funky bass line, stay for the sexy guitar solo
35. Khruangbin – Pon Pón – Those little whispers sprinkled throughout didn’t stop me from adding this to my instrumental playlist
34. Fontaines D.C. – In The Modern World – The Irish indie/punk rockers have been making waves for a few years now, but I think they perfected their craft with 2024’s Romance
33. Empire Of The Sun – Music On The Radio – Challenge: Play this song and try not to dance along
32. Kowloon – No Good For You – Like I said earlier, Kowloon doesn’t need any help crafting good hooks
31. The American Dawn – Her – This is his only song on streaming platforms but he’s shooting 100%
30. Tim Atlas – Enchanté – Fun and groovy but elegant and refined; this is the soundtrack for a modern soirée
29. Tom Misch – Cinnamon Curls – A perfectly simple drum beat and bass line to let the funk guitar shine
28. Sam Evian – Freakz – Each instrument seems to layer in sequentially as this builds into a song that makes you want to hit the back arrow and run it again
27. Fonataines D.C. – Favourite – A beautiful melody and a salute to the 80’s Irish indie rock that paved the way for them
26. Matt Champion – Slug – He shows off his full vocal range in this indie banger with a little southern twang
25. Still Woozy – Run It Back – Some vintage Still Woozy sounds for the ‘Goodie Bag’ constituency
24. Dublon, Levi Hayes – Oyster Jam – Quintessential bottomless brunch background music
23. Clairo – Sexy to Someone – Effortless melody with a karaoke hook, this one was an instant earworm for me
22. Dominic Fike – misses – My only complaint about this song is that it ends too quickly; but it makes sense being featured on an album titled 14 minutes
21. Khruangbin – May Ninth – Khruangbin deserves some sort of recognition; but the GRAMMYs nominating them for Best NEW Artist was one of the funniest things to happen in music this year
20. Mk.gee – ROCKMAN – A feel good song you can play to trick your dad into thinking you’re getting into classic rock
19. Sam Evian – Rollin’ In – The catchiest, but also the most unassuming track off his album Plunge
18. Night Moves – Caroline Goodbye – Their Americana laden approach to indie pop has never been presented so smoothly
17. Royel Otis – Foam – This anthemic track will have ketamine fans doing the Leonardo DiCaprio pointing meme within the opening line
16. PawPaw Rod – Shadow – He embraced the funk and turned in one of the most addicting songs of the year
15. Wunderhorse – Midas – An absolute missile; the type of song that makes you head bang and mosh around while you’re in the house alone
14. Brad stank – In the Midst of You – This brooding piano ballad gradually progresses into something bright and optimistic with quirky guitar rips sprinkled throughout
13. Good Morning – Romance – This Australian duo became one of my favorite finds of the year with clever song writing and a hooky approach to folk music
12. Scott McMicken and THE EVER-EXPANDING – Flying Over Water – Dr. Dog staple went solo and made some beautiful music
11. berlioz – ode to rahsaan – A jazz house fixation wasn’t on my 2024 Bingo card, but after hearing this waterfall of sax I was locked in
10. Still Woozy – Lemon – He experimented with the vocal production but it meshed perfectly with the funky nature of the track. This was the song on his new album that I could not stop going back to; and that is high praise considering most of these songs stayed in rotation all year.
9. Stray Fossa, Jaguar Sun – In The Moon – The type of song you put on in the car and transport into a pensive state that makes you think about everything except driving. It doesn’t exemplify the typical elements of a catchy pop song but there is something about the dreamy vocals and whining guitars that have taken up real estate in my head for months.
8. Royel Otis – Nack Nostalgia – They blew up after their covers of ‘Linger’ and ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’ went viral on social media; but their original tracks deserve some shine too. Nack Nostalgia evokes fond memories of wandering around with your buddies after a night of drinking. You don’t know what’s next, but you know you want to keep hanging out. Royel Otis seems like a band that lets the good times roll, and this cut makes me want to grab a pint and join in.
7. Good Morning – Excalibur – This song is tailor-made for that scene towards the end of an indie coming-of-age movie where the main character has their optimistic realization that maybe life isn’t so bad after all. They have a distinctive way of blending Bob Dylan-esque verses, pleasant melodies and catchy hooks that has made them a fixture for me.
6. strongboi – magic – I have been in the Alice Phoebe Lou suburbs for years. People whose taste I trust like her, I have a few songs saved that pop up now and then, but I never quite dove in head first. That all changed when one of my favorite music media outlets posted this song from her side project strongboi. Imagine giving Joan Baez a synthesizer and an electric guitar.
5. Brad stank – Natty Wine – Most artists in the scene use “indie voice.” I can’t quite describe it, but I know it when I hear it, and I’m sure you do too. Brad Stank caught my attention this year with his deep bass crooning, and an emphasis on the piano. It may seem like I’m painting a picture of Tom Waits; but it’s also bubbly and catchy… a refreshing approach to the indie alt/pop universe.
4. Goth Babe – Bioluminescence – Lola is the type of album that you can just put on shuffle and enjoy whatever song comes up. You don’t have to do the typical ‘save 3 songs and ignore the rest’ as he found his pocket of enjoyable electronic pop and stayed there. While this song lives in that same vein; it feels bigger, it feels more emotional, it just feels a little more important than the rest.
3. Kowloon – Coasting – If someone asked me to pick a song to put in an audio dictionary next to the word Cool, it would be this. It makes me want to drive around town with the windows down and speakers on full tilt so everyone knows what I’m bumping. In the context of his catalogue, this song is distinctive with some of the vocal distortion and production work, but it still exists in the easygoing retro pop landscape he’s been building in his music for years.
2. Mk.gee – Alesis – His new album sounds like he took bites out of old Mk.gee, Jersey rock, 80s pop, neo-soul, lo-fi, and Dijon; chewed it all up, and spit it all out into a single microphone hanging in the middle of a dimly lit room. The music still has melodious foundations, but it’s crunchy and muddy and entirely in its own lane. Alesis is the tour de force. The snare heavy drum beat drives the song; but the lyrics are passionately delivered and I’ve been singing along at the top of my lungs all year.
1. STRFKR – Under Water / In Air – 2008’s Rawnald Gregory Erickson the Second is one of the most recognizable and iconic songs in the entire genre. With bands like this, the longer they keep going, the more I start to fear their downfall. Like a great TV show that drops one too many seasons and loses the plot. However, in their 17th year of activity, they are still on an upward trajectory. Parallel Realms is a great album, and Under Water / In Air is a near perfect song. It’s chill enough to be work/study background music, emotional enough to play during a moment of introspection, or upbeat enough to carry a party. Choose your own adventure with this one.
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