Top Independent Music Releases Of The Week

The 13-song set was produced by Andrija Tokic & The Deslondes and was recorded at the Bombshelter in East Nashville, TN. Met with critical acclaim, No Depression said they are “one of the most consistent bands putting out music today,” while Glide Magazine called them “...both nostalgic yet evolving,” saying “Even back to its founding, the band has stretched the definition of Americana.” Saving Country Music said the band “feel just as much like a musical institution as they do a ‘band.’ Along with 15 years of history and four albums from the New Orleans-based outfit, they have been chief collaborators both separately and together in some of the best roots music over that period.” Roll It Out recaptures the crackling energy of the band’s early days but also reflects the new perspective of age and maturity. The band’s John James Tourville, one of their five songwriters and multi-instrumentalists, says, “It reminds me of back when we were starting out, before we were even the Deslondes—back when we were the Tumbleweeds. It’s like we’re moving forward to get to where we were.” To stream the album visit, Spotify, Tidal, Apple Music, or purchase on Bandcamp.

Vocalist Durand Bernarr has released his latest EP, Charlie Vettuno presents…Where in the World is Carmen Randiego?!, a collaboration with the rising producer and songwriter duo Charlie Vettuno. Following the release of his high-energy anthem “READY!” and building on the momentum from his eight-track visual EP En Route, this new project marks the second creative pit stop between Durand’s sophomore album Wanderlust and his next album. The EP is now available on all major streaming platforms. After discovering Charlie Vettuno’s track "Slow for Me" on Spotify, Durand was captivated by their unique sound and contacted them to explore a possible feature. This initial outreach quickly transformed into a full EP project, driven by their dynamic creative partnership. Drawing from the classic '90s Europop and house music of La Bouche, Haddaway, Amber, M.C. Sar & The Real McCoy’s “Another Night,” and Robin S.’s “Show Me Love,” the duo has crafted an energetic and dance-ready EP that fuses retro influences with a modern twist, all while highlighting Bernarr’s unique vocal acrobatic style. More than just a dance record, Charlie Vettuno Presents…Where in the World is Carmen Randiego?! delves into personal themes, with each track inspired by different aspects of Bernarr’s life. His experience as an only child, the influence of Black mothers, and the impact of his own mother are woven into the project. After a two-year break from releasing music, Durand Bernarr found a creative space filled with transparency and self-expression, which played a significant role in shaping this collaborative effort. To stream the album visit, Spotify, Tidal, and Apple Music, or Soundcloud.

Having spent two years on stage and on TV, Brighton, UK's The Heavy Heavy now draw listeners even deeper into their dreamworld with their long-awaited debut album, One Of A Kind. Written entirely by co-founders Georgie Fuller and William Turner, the album expands the sunshine psych-pop & folk sound of their 2022 debut EP. To stream the album visit, Spotify, Tidal, Apple Music, or purchase on Bandcamp.

Okay Kaya releases her independent fourth album, Oh My God - That’s So Me. The album is written, recorded, and produced entirely by Kaya outside Oslo, Norway. Oh My God - That’s So Me finds Kaya declaring, leaving statements without qualification; here, she’s not interrupting herself: she leaves her desires fully felt, her emotions experienced entirely. She lets herself fall back on comforting notions, and she’s just as at home in the minutiae. In the two years since SAP –– indeed, in the 6 years since Both –– Okay, Kaya has traveled a great distance; it’s taken her back to herself. To stream the album visit, Spotify, Tidal, Apple Music, or purchase on Bandcamp.

The trio of Ben Shemie, Joseph Yarmush, and Liam O’Neill leans more zealously than ever into their pop instincts. Yet remarkably enough, with that same dauntless abandon, SUUNS have mined a more extreme sonic palette this time around, one that stretches far beyond their core fundamentals as a band. The Breaks finds Shemie, O’Neill, and Yarmush gleefully experimenting with loops, synths, samples, and MIDI instruments like a post-millennial Tangerine Dream messing with downtempo triphop beats. O’Neill took point in the producer’s chair for The Breaks, arranging, structuring, and editing many of Shemie and Yarmush’s ideas from sporadic rehearsal sessions into Pro Tools, reimagining the songs over and over during a two-year time frame. To stream the album visit, Spotify, Tidal, Apple Music, or purchase on Bandcamp.

Hole Erth, Chaz Bear’s eighth full-length studio record as Toro y Moi, is the genre shapeshifter’s most unexpected and bold move to date, with Bear diving headlong into rap-rock, Soundcloud rap and Y2K emo. The album blitzes anthemic pop-punk next to autotuned, melancholic rap – two genres that inform one another now more than ever before — and packs in the most features ever on a Toro y Moi album. We get Don Toliver’s moody crooning on the anti-love song “Madonna.” We get Kevin Abstract and Lev’s breathy reflections on “Heaven.” We get emo king Benjamin Gibbard, the beating heart of millennial indie for crying out loud. Recorded in the span of a few months across late 2023 and early 2024, Hole Erth’s features built naturally over that short span, with Bear simply reaching out to long-time friends. The sum of Hole Erth’s parts is massive, and demonstrates Bear’s deft abilities as a producer, especially in hip-hop; his role in the culture has long been solidified from previous collaborations with some of rap's biggest trailblazers. It’s a daring left turn for Bear, but the feel is effortless, the make-it-look-easy of a master at work. All told, Bear pushes himself into new sonic ground for the TyM oeuvre while embracing the project’s celebrated, well-known electronic beginnings. Hole Erth is brand new, but somehow perfectly at home. To stream the album visit, Spotify, Tidal, Apple Music, or purchase on Bandcamp.

Writer, producer, and recording artist Ye Ali has crafted some of this era's most sensual love songs, both for himself and others. Now, the Grammy Award nominee is putting his bad boy bleeding heart on full display on his first fully self-produced album, THJ Radio Vol. 1. But he’s not alone in his pursuit of sexy. Across the project, Ye Ali pulled in special guest verses from the who’s who in the independent R&B music space, including Eric Bellinger, Dende, Byron Juane, Ballad, Reggie Becton, and more. To stream the album visit, Spotify, Tidal, and Apple Music].