Playlist: Best of 2019 - Indie Rock - Annotated

About Playlist

Indie rock has always been a nebulous and ever-evolving term. Since the beginning of the 2010s, when bands like Beach House and Grizzly Bear rubbed shoulders with mainstream embrace, the "independent" connotation was rendered moot. And throughout the last decade, as rock has been shouldered out of the pop zeitgeist, pretty much any guitar-based band that's not gunning for terrestrial radio could conceivably be labeled an "indie band." However, there's still a bonafide scene of artists who are making music in accordance with the idiom's general traits: clever, authentic, vulnerable, and palatable yet forward-thinking rock music.

In 2019, indie rock continued to thrive in the underground as it always has, and it even made a pleasant return to the mainstream. From burgeoning stars like Angel Olsen and Big Thief, emerging voices like Stella Donnelly and Sasami, and reliable pillars of the 2010s like (Sandy) Alex G, DIIV and Vampire Weekend, indie rock is more sonically diverse than ever before. Here are 30 songs from 15 essential artists that demonstrate what indie rock sounded like in 2019. © Eli Enis / Qobuz

Angel Olsen
On her fourth full-length All Mirrors, Angel Olsen made the leap from indie rock standout to songwriting classicist. The Ashville, North Carolina-based singer/songwriter leaned into the marquee-topping flash she hinted at on her ‘60s-gazing 2016 record My Woman, doubling down on her uncommon penchant for magnificent neo-noir overtures. Ostentatious strings, dazzling synth arrangements, and a theatrically cold vocal delivery are the bedrock of All Mirrors, and two of its best songs, the title track and "New Love Cassette," are perfect introductions to the formerly stark folk artist's newfound romance with maximalism.

Big Thief
Big Thief will likely be the first band people reference when they think back to what indie rock was like in 2019. The Brooklyn folk quartet put out two critically beloved albums this year, U.F.O.F. in May and Two Hands in October, that each show a different side of the band's distinct identity. The former features the emotionally lush and musically peppy "Cattails," which begins as a relatively quaint folk song before sprouting robust key speckles and thorny acoustic guitar strums. The Two Hands standout, "Not," is a whole different beast—a tense, spiraling mouthful of proclamatory indie rock that erupts into a sinewy guitar solo well before its six-minute end point. The tracks could be confused for two completely different bands, but both muster the intangible sense of wonder that's decidedly Big Thief.

Charly Bliss
Charly Bliss are a pillar for the side of indie rock that's melding saccharine power pop with crunchy pop-punk. The New York four-piece's sophomore record, Young Enough, is an ambitious step up from their excellent yet straightforwardly grunge-poppy debut, Guppy (2017). A song like "Chatroom" is a jaunty pop tune that has more in common with Carly Rae Jepsen than Hole, and the band are well-suited to make the jump. Structurally, "Bleach" is a comparatively "classic" Charly Bliss track (a punchy rhythm and vocalist Eva Hendricks' spitting confessionalism), but the band swapped synth leads for where they'd historically put a fuzzed-up guitar lick. It's a common and often undesired switch for indie rock bands to make, but Charly Bliss convince you they've always sounded this sleek.

DIIV
On DIIV's long-awaited third full-length, Deceiver, the band that was synonymous with Brooklyn indie rock in the early 2010s sound at odds with their scene's zeitgeist—in the best way possible. DIIV finally embraced shoegaze full on with this record, a style that suits their dark and murky songwriting aesthetic exceedingly well. "Horsehead" is an absolutely towering crusher in the same doomgaze camp as Cloakroom or Nothing but DIIV haven't completely abandoned the careening dream pop that defined their early material. "Blankenship" conflates a thumping post-punk rhythm with fuzzy guitar tones and a surprisingly chaotic, math-rock-like lead lick. It's a good look for DIIV and they sound fresher than ever.

Empath
It's been happening for a few years now, but at this point Philadelphia is practically the indie rock capital of the United States. And although an artist like (Sandy) Alex G (more on him later) is the most apparent face of the city's scene, Empath are the best representation of what the bubbling Philly underground actually sounds like. The quartet's debut record, Active Listening: Night on Earth, is rattling, lo-fi, psychedelic noise pop that forgoes bass for a second set of keys. A song like "Roses That Cry" is muffled and blown-out, and constantly feels like it's going to fall apart at the seams—but it's an indie pop earworm all the same. The record's intro track, "Soft Shape," begins with a thumping dance beat that transforms into a whistley, alien-like synth note that oscillates throughout the song's bizarre, marching rhythm. Empath make Animal Collective's early experimentalism sound tame by comparison.

Great Grandpa
Great Grandpa broke out with their 2017 record Plastic Cough, an album that skittered between slacker-ish power pop and five-minute indie rock sidewinders. Their new album Four of Arrows is equally varied (soft folk, alt-country, and power balladry make bold appearances) but the band hit their sweet spot on the first two tracks, "Dark Green Water" and "Digger." Both tracks begin with modest arrangements and brooding vocal hooks from Alex Menne, and by the end they've erupted (at least once) into stomping grunge and/or snarling, fierce indie rock. A lot of this year's indie rock borrowed little bits from other subgenres and styles, but "Digger" and "Dark Green Water" find the intersection between the broader genre's poppy, emotional, and bombastic lanes.

Jay Som
There are a lot of dream pop bands in the world right now and, like many subgenres that've been around for decades, innovation is sparse. Jay Som didn't necessarily turn the style on its head with Anak Ko, but the San Francisco multi-instrumentalist gave it a vital injection of power pop that feels incredibly fresh in the current landscape. "Superbike" has a trip-hop bounce throughout and a shoegaze headrush by its conclusion that makes it the perfect soundtrack for a summertime cruise. "Nighttime Drive" is what its title suggests—a woozy, half-stoned shuffle that melds girl group pop with a whispery vocal delivery that's brought up in the mix for a hilarious line like, "shoplifting at the Whole Foods." Both compositions are exuberant and joyful testaments to how marvelous a tired sound can be if the right person gets their hands on it.

Oso Oso
In 2019, emo became as much a part of indie rock's fabric as any other rock subgenre. The third LP from Long Island emo-pop-punkers Oso Oso earned a coveted "Best New Music" nod from Pitchfork, which may be arbitrary in the grand scheme, but is actually pretty significant, indoctrinating the band into the global indie rock canon. basking in the glow is an album full of warm, nasally indie rock with melodies and harmonies that truly do glow. "The View" and "Basking In The Glow" are the one-two punch up at the top of the record that can sell practically anyone on this sound, whether you consciously think of it as emo or just accept it as yet another iteration that rests nicely under the ever-expanding indie rock umbrella.

Palehound
Palehound is a Boston band fronted by Ellen Kempner who's been putting out records for a few years now. Their earlier material was known for knotty guitar leads and taut bass grooves, and a few of those do turn up on their 2019 release, Black Friday. However, this new album is marked by Kempner really finding her voice in slow, nodding ballads that are delivered with a devilishly intense mutter. "Killer" is a strikingly candid revenge fantasy song about killing people who abused Kempner's loved ones, and the song's instrumentation has a fitting neo-western twang to it. "Bullshit" is a devastating track about the pained hopelessness of trying to do good by someone who thinks you always have an ulterior motive. On Black Friday, Palehound's songs are musically placid but emotionally sharp, and Kempner thrives on that uneasy edge.

Purple Mountains
The first and, tragically, last Purple Mountains album is about as bittersweet as they come. After stowing away in musical hiding for over a decade, the Silver Jews mastermind David Berman finally emerged with a new name and seemingly refreshed perspective on songwriting. Songs like "All My Happiness Is Gone" and "She's Making Friends, I'm Turning Stranger" are catchier and more immediately gratifying than anything the indie rock poet laureate had ever penned—and without sacrificing an iota of his signature wit. Berman took his own life shortly after the superb album's release, and this collection of profoundly bleak observations about his own livelihood took on an eerily cry-for-help character. It's one of the best indie rock projects in recent memory and by that token a proper, yet depressingly premature, sendoff to one of the genre's godfathers.

(Sandy) Alex G
(Sandy) Alex G is the moniker of Philadelphian Alex Giannascoli, who came to indie prominence in the middle of the decade for unleashing bedroom-spun indie rock records on a yearly basis. House of Sugar is his third album for Domino and it's by far his most experimental and sonically wide-ranging yet. Alt-country, otherworldly psych-folk, dream-pop, slowcore, and the weirdest edges of electronic music are all sounds he pulls from frequently, so choosing one or two songs to define (Sandy) Alex G is really challenging. "Walk Away" and "Gretel" give a good idea of what you're in for, though. The former is a creepy, repetitive yet ever-growing spindle of thumping hell-folk, whereas the latter’s weirdness pauses in the middle for a positively divine acoustic guitar lick. House of Sugar hinges on that beautifully bizarre contrast.

Sasami
Sasami is a multi-instrumentalist / professional classical composer who studied french horn at the Eastman School of Music and toured for years with the L.A. garage pop group Cherry Glazerr. Earlier this year she decided to go solo and put out a fantastic debut under her own name that sounds nothing like what those previous ventures would imply. Songs like “Not The Time” and “Pacify My Heart” fold shoegaze, dream-pop and post-punk into indie rock to create a sound that’s at once balmy and shiveringly frigid.

Stella Donnelly
Stella Donnelly is by no means the only Australian indie artist this decade who's teetered between an unflinching deadpan and a bold candidness (see: Courtney Barnett, Camp Cope) but she's the only one doing it like this. Her arrangements are starkly minimalistic and bare, but her voice can absolutely belt. "Tricks" is a brisk and catchy folk-rocker that could get a whole room off their feet and laughing along to her wry taunts about shitty men. "Boys Will Be Boys," on the other hand, is a sharp ballad about sexual abusers that features Donnelly launching her voice during its hook and fiercely cooing a line like "Your father told you that you're innocent / Told ya women rape themselves," during the verse. The way she bounces between silliness and sobriety is acutely reminiscent of our social media era of constant emotional ping-ponging. And the songs are great.

Strange Ranger
Strange Ranger have changed styles a few times since releasing their debut under the name Sioux Falls 2016, which sounded like Built to Spill or Modest Mouse crossed with ragged emo. Their 2019 album Remembering The Rockets has more in common with Third Eye Blind and melodic trip-hop. Opener "Leona" is an instant sing-along with a head-bobbing beat, sparkling synths, and an explosive payoff. "Beneath The Lights" demonstrates the slower, more challenging side of the band. The track begins with choppy, overblown acoustic drums and chilly, overcast blankets of synths. Eventually, frontman Isaac Eiger's West Coast drawl is doused in Auto-Tune and the song sounds like Kanye's "Runaway" turned indie rock. The way Strange Ranger are pushing the genre forward while also harkening back is impressive.

Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend's status as an indie rock band is debatable at this point, as they've long been selling out arenas and are more likely to be heard in a Kia commercial than on the monitors of your local DIY gig. But 10 years ago Vampire Weekend was the poster child for what indie rock could accomplish if it hit the right ears (i.e. commercial radio play and major label deals). Therefore, it's interesting to see where the band is after their six-year hiatus and in an economic climate where all of the aforementioned artists are, despite their immense potential, unlikely to ever make it to their level of popularity. Father of the Bride's single, "Harmony Hall", has a pervasive, feel-good swing to it that brings to mind the band's earlier work, which felt at once kitschy and massively celebratory. "Big Blue" is the complete opposite: a sub two-minute minimalist pop nugget that features some woozy slide guitars, acoustic strums, and weirdly manipulated lead vocals. Although the words "major label indie rock return album" are absurd to read out loud, Vampire Weekend somehow did it while maintaining the pleasantly youthful sheen of their early work.