“Without music, life would be a mistake” ― Friedrich Nietzsche
In these difficult times, music has become a source of escape to a lot of people. So, we have curated a list of Indie bands that are revolutionising the music industry today.
Discovering new music is not as easy as it sounds. After all, all of us have occasionally found ourselves wandering on Spotify without any direction whatsoever.
In case you’re looking for some beautiful indie songs to add to your playlist, we think you’ve come to the right place.
- When Chai Met Toast
This band will give you a taste of India in their western inspired music. Aptly named When Chai Met Toast, they signify the union of Indian and western influences.
When Chai Met Toast is known for balancing their folk-pop roots with forays into Indie rock and alternative rock. They have multilingual lyrics (Hindi, Tamil, English) and it feels like they carry a little India within themselves.
Suggestions:
- Believe
- Khoj (Passing By)
- Ocean Tide
- Maybe I Can Fly
- When We Feel Young
2. The Local Train
The name of the band is synonymous to revolutionary music. The Local Train enjoys a huge fan following in its birth place – India. The Local Train is closely associated with the Indian Indie-rock music environment.
Both of their albums Aalas Ka Pedh and Vaaqif received immense success and accolades. After the success of their albums, they received a lot of invites for live shows. Since then, they have been doing a lot of live shows.
They are invited in universities during fest season and they do other independent shows too.
Suggestions:
- Dilnawaaz
- Aaftaab
- Aaoge Tum Kabhi
- Dil Mere
- Yeh Zindagi Hai
3. Parekh and Singh
A duo from Kolkata, India, Parekh and Singh bring some of the best Indie music in the scene.
Nischay Parekh sings and plays guitar, keyboard, and synths. Jivraj Singh plays drums. While Nischay is a born dreamer, Jivraj is a student of math and logic.
They complement each other perfectly which is visible in their music.
Suggestions:
- Ghost
- Ocean- Dream Levels
- Summer Skin
- Crystalline
- Me & You
4. Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys arrived in the indie-rock scene in 2005 with a blast. Since then, they haven’t looked back. They have consistently produced great music.
Just after debuting, they became a huge sensation in the UK. One of the reasons they are so widely loved is due to their maverick style and grasp on English Vernacular.
Nearly all of their albums have been a massive hit. They enjoy national and international praise from critics and the public alike.
Suggestions:
- Do I Wanna Know?
- R U Mine?
- Arabella
- Fluorescent Adolescent
- Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?
5. Florence+The Machine
Florence and The Machine are an Indie band formed in London in 2007. They are regarded as one of the most well-known voices of Indie music. They have received various accolades including the Brit Awards.
Their music is a combination of different genres but it’s mostly known for its dramatic and eccentric production.
Suggestions:
- You’ve Got the Love
- Shake It Out
- Never Let Me Go
- Hunger
- Big God
6. The 1975
Based in Manchester, the 1975 was formed in 2002 at a high school.
They go on various tours and a lot of their albums have consistently topped Billboard’s charts.
They are known for their relevant lyricism. The 1975 have branched into a lot of other genres as well like pop-rock, electronic music, shoegaze, R&B, Synthpop etc.
Suggestions:
- It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You)
- I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes)
- Love Me
- Be My Mistake
- Somebody Else
7. Kodaline
Ireland based band, Kodaline specialise in soaring, radio-ready guitar.
Kodaline has a huge following in Ireland and Britain alike and they have been nominated for a number of awards.
Originally known as 21 Demands, they changed their name to go well with the changing themes in their music. Kodaline’s music is peaceful, relaxing and deserves to be in everyone’s playlist.
Suggestions:
- All I Want
- High Hopes
- Wherever You Are
- Hide and Seek
- Worth It
8. The Neighbourhood
This California-based band is often termed as the gen-z favourite. Their single ‘Sweater Weather’ was a huge commercial success.
The band is popular for their catchy tunes and indie-rock elements. As mentioned earlier, their fanbase usually consists of gen-z people. This makes The Neighbourhood, a more youth centric band.
Suggestions:
- Sweater Weather
- Afraid
- Stargazing
- Wires
- No Grey
9. Cigarettes After Sex
This American Indie band is known for their soothing vocals and beautiful lyricism. The music of Cigarettes After Sex invokes some of the most deep rooted emotions.
Their music transports the reader into a new dimension; sometimes in a dream-like space. It’s intensely emotional, poignant, and thoroughly enrapturing.
Suggestions:
- Apocalypse
- Heavenly
- John Wayne
- Nothing’s Gonna Hurt You Baby
- You’re All I Want
We hope you got some new songs for your playlist from this article. Indie music keeps evolving, so explaining the whole Indie musical scene in one article is sort of an impossible task .
This article includes some of the well-known Indie bands. If you know some Indie-bands that are less known, feel free to comment their names down below.
Hope you have a nice musical experience!