April 30, 2024 by Elias Prodger (‘26)
2024 has been a fairly fruitful year in the world of mainstream and underground music. In the mainstream, new records from Ariana Grande and Justin Timberlake represent the return of pop royalty along with a genre shift into country influences from Beyoncé. On the more experimental and underground side, indie rock and pop are alive and well partially thanks to explosions of old sounds and ideas on TikTok. New records from “Vampire Weekend” and “The Smile,” the side project of Radiohead visionaries Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood, excited all factions of the scene. This year has truly been a great year for music, and here are three records that I recommend you check out.
Adrienne Lenker- Bright Future
Big Thief’s frontwoman and every indie writer’s favorite singer songwriter Adrienne Lenker returns with yet another batch of consistently amazing songs. Lenker does not strive to reinvent the wheel or dramatically alter her sound, but continues to create consistently well written indie tinged Americana. The lead single “Sadness as a Gift” provides the album’s first taste of a perfectly bittersweet melody paired with a beautiful mix of strings. A more stripped back version of the Big Thief hit “Vampire Empire” with stripped back more lo-fi recording fits effortlessly into the track list. Lenker’s voice remains unique and heartbreaking in its emotional honesty and expression. This record is a 12-track airtight case on why Adrienne Lenker is the best indie singer songwriter out right now.
Friko- Where We’ve Been, Where We Go from Here
Chicago based indie rock and noise pop outfit Friko emerges with a debut album that adds a nice pillar into Chicago’s deep-rooted history of varied and explosive indie rock music. The band takes clear inspiration from the area’s indie staples such as Smashing Pumpkins and Wilco while also remaining fresh and inspired. The record frequently bounces between noisy fuzzed out guitar rock and more gentle acoustic chamber pop leaving room for dynamic contrast between songs amongst the record’s swift, 36-minute run time. The opener’s explosive build up, the youthful energy of “Get Numb It!” feels fresh and inspired. Any young band who can come through so quickly with such a statement and punch excites me and I cannot wait to hear what they have to do next.
Whitelands- Night-bound Eyes Are Blind To The Day
Thames Valley’s shoegaze and dream pop outfit Whitelands comes through with a sophomore record that strives to write great hooks while keeping their influences on their sleeve. The band’s sound is heavily indebted to the 90s bands of the “Shoegazing” genre such as My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive, but it fails to feel stale. The record is incredibly ethereal and dreamy with a heaviness and inherent melancholy in faint and unintelligible vocals. The band does not seek to innovate or deviate from the time-tested shoegaze formula, but all eight tracks on this album faithfully pay homage to this sound.