After what could be described as a fairly chilly month of March for the most part, it is great to finally see the warmer months imminently on the horizon. With that in mind, what better time to discover some amazing new music from independent artists than now?
We had the pleasure of discovering another wide range of moods this year, with all of them being incredibly strong. Below are 9 of our favourite picks for this week’s release radar.
Track Of The Week
Erawan » Touch Me
Pairing an intimate atmosphere with that signature Erawan whimsicality, ‘Touch Me’ stands as an impeccably immersive musical experience.
INDIE TOP 39
After displaying her unique brand of folk-pop through her first two singles last year, Erawan is back with her first release of 2021. With the lyrical side of ‘Touch Me’ describing the experiences of desiring someone else while already in a relationship, Erawan compliments this perfectly with what is arguably her most intimate melody yet. Pairing this kind of atmosphere with that signature Erawan whimsicality, this track stands as an impeccably immersive musical experience; one that we found ourselves sinking into with ease. Perhaps the way we felt towards this track is a similar equivalent to the song’s subject matter, in which we have found ourselves completely bewitched by this track, after already loving her previous work.
Akso Heart » No More
What gives ‘No More’ a unique edge is its wonderful sense of chemistry, which does well to reflect Akso Heart’s scientific musical composition.
INDIE TOP 39
The debut single from electro-pop artist Akso Heart, it truly wowed us just how layered and well-crafted this single is, both in terms of its mesmerising and luminous production, and Akso’s bewitching vocals. Having recently emerged in the world of science, and concluding his studies of Chemistry as a PhD student, this debut track serves as our first taste of Akso Heart’s creative journey, and has no trouble when it comes to finding its place as an accessible and totally engaging tune. But what really gives ‘No More’ a unique edge is its wonderful sense of chemistry, which does well to reflect Akso’s almost scientific musical composition. ‘No More’ is a brilliantly impactful debut effort from this exciting new artist.
Brain Donation » Hopeless Shit
Contrary to the title of this tune, ‘Hopeless Shit’ has us feeling nothing but hopeful towards Brain Donation’s musical 2021.
INDIE TOP 39
In the lead-up to their first full-length record, titled The Movie, Dublin-based rock trio bless listeners with their first offering of 2021, with their brand new track ‘Hopeless Shit’. Much like how their upcoming debut album was inspired by Brighton-based psychedelic rock outfit The Wytches, we would say that this track gets that influence across very well, while also staying true to their own tongue-in-cheek aesthetic. The bouncing pace that ‘Hopeless Shit’ carries, really allowed the track to be instantaneously engaging, and we can imagine a track like this one going down an absolute treat live. Contrary to the title of this tune, ‘Hopeless Shit’ has us feeling nothing but hopeful towards Brain Donation’s musical 2021.
Colin And The Clouds » Last Time
‘Last Time’ offers listeners the best of everything; feeling both dynamically unique, and infectiously accessible.
INDIE TOP 39
The second release of 2021 from electro-pop duo Colin And The Clouds, as well as their fourth single overall, ‘Last Time’ goes even further, when it comes to the consistently growing sense of depth they have developed since they debuted in 2020. It also continues the more newfound implementation of rock-like elements that could be heard in their previous single ‘All I Am’. Putting all of this together, we arguably have the best of everything with ‘Last Time’, a single which feels both dynamically unique, and infectiously accessible, and even has some awesome vocals to tie everything together in one neat musical bow. If ‘Last Time’ is a heralding sign of things to come from this duo, we have a lot to be excited about.
DREUW » Nothing
Taking a more authentic departure from the subtle luminosity of his 2020 singles, ‘Nothing’ sees DREUW put his attention towards a fresh musical start.
INDIE TOP 39
While the debut single from alternative folk singer-songwriter DREUW arrived in 2020, the artist really began to take off last year, with a handful of haunting and atmospheric ballads that truly wowed us here at Indie Top 39. That being said, we were thrilled to discover the first 2021 single from DREUW, titled ‘Nothing’. Taking a more authentic departure from the subtle luminosity of his 2020 singles, ‘Nothing’ sees DREUW put his attention towards becoming more authentically folk-like, and uses strings to fill in that sense of depth. That being said, this approach is yet another one that DREUW undoubtedly champions. Successfully signifying a fresh start for the artist, it has us eager to know what’s on the horizon.
Hanwell » I Would
Not only does ‘I Would’ stand as a unique track amongst Hanwell’s discography; it also oozes with an awesome sense of warmth.
INDIE TOP 39
Only a week after Birmingham-based musician, songwriter, and producer Joe Jackson (a.k.a Hanwell) helped to produce one of the tracks on the New Music Sunday playlist we had compiled last week (that being Isabel Abbott’s ‘My Skin’), this week sees him arrive with his first solo release of 2021. But more than just that, this brand new single, titled ‘I Would’, takes a much more indie-rock departure from his older material, which leaned to more of a pop vein. So not only does ‘I Would’ stand as a unique track amongst the artist’s discography; it also oozes with an awesome sense of warmth that makes ‘I Would’ feel like it was released at the perfect time of year, with the warmer days of spring imminently on their way.
Jewelia » Is This World Mine
highlighting feelings of hopelessness in an ever-changing world, ‘Is This World Mine’ carries an indulgent yet bittersweet atmosphere with its relatable sentiment.
INDIE TOP 39
After releasing a whopping seven singles last year, we are thrilled to see that art pop artist Jewelia is keeping that musical ball rolling into 2021, with this week seeing her first single release of the year. We were pleasantly surprised to see that ‘Is This World Mine’ shows a further step forward in the refinery of Jewelia’s production. Furthermore, the artist’s unique sense of whimsicality is successfully injected into what feels like more of an accessible tune, with the beat of this track even veering a little closer towards R&B territory. With ‘Is This World Mine’ lyrically highlighting the feelings of hopelessness in an ever-changing world, this relatable sentiment is perfectly complemented by an indulgent yet bittersweet atmosphere.
Mia Madden & Lucía » Treat Me Like U Did
Mia Madden injects a deeply personal and reflective lyrical sentiment, into another wondrous and gorgeous addition to her discography.
indie top 39
After establishing her super cosmic brand of ambient electro-pop in 2020, Brooklyn-based artist Mia Madden continues to push forward in 2021, having already released two singles so far this year. The newest of these tracks is this week’s brand new song ‘Treat Me Like U Did’. With Madden writing about the horrors of a narcissist who she has since moved on from, this track, which Mia describes as a “happy sad song”, serves as a goodbye to her past self. And with the help of fellow artist Lucía, the lyrical sentiment of this track perfectly intertwined with the beautifully lustrous melody of ‘Treat me Like U Did’. It’s definitely safe to say that Mia Madden has added yet another wondrous and gorgeous addition to her discography.
Nana M. Rose » Sweet Honey
‘Sweet Honey’ feels like a perfectly-timed release for the spring months, with its light-hearted draminess that you can really dance to.
INDIE TOP 39
Following her acoustic covers of her two 2020 singles, Rotterdam-based singer-songwriter band Nana M. Rose swiftly takes the next step into a musical 2021, with their brand new single ‘Sweet Honey’ the light-hearted and dreamy atmosphere that this new single creates, stands as a slight departure from the vast and dramatic feel of her 2020 releases. As a result, Nana M. Rose, and us at Indie Top 39, can both agree that ‘Sweet Honey’ feels like a perfectly-timed release to accompany the growing warmth of the spring months. But on top of this, the rhythm that ‘Sweet Honey’ carries allows it to also feel highly festival-ready, and has it stand as the kind of light-hearted and dreamy track that you can really dance to.
New Music Sunday » 39 Best Songs Released This Week
This coverage was created in collaboration with Musosoup as part of the #SustainableCurator movement.
