indie underrated

HOL-Lipstick Muse

Hol has really caught our attention with her new single, Lipstick Muse. The track is a aggressive yet sweet alt rock jam. HOL’s vocals are soft and feminine with heavy use of vocal stacking that results in a unique sonic bed for the track. It really helps layer the track well with the guitars.

Production wise, the track consists mostly of layers upon layers of heavy guitars that contribute a floating, strummed atmosphere to the song. The drums are mostly acoustic but in the bridge, it switches to electronic, 808 drums. The arrangement certainly gives off an energy that can recall artists like The Smiths and The Smashing Pumpkins, while HOL’s vocals recall the lilted soprano of Phoebe Bridgers.

You can find HOL on Instagram here. You can check this song out on Spotify here and Apple here.

LUMARI-Starlit

For fans of The Neighborhood and Radiohead, Lumari’s new single Starlit is definitely a track to check out. The track is a meditative, spacey rocker about struggling to find a sense of who you are in the world. Lumari’s vocals are a soft alto that cut through the dense mix, with a timbre that can draw comparisons to Debbie Harry.

The production features gorgeous washes of guitars, with heavy use of chorus throughout. The deep thumping of the toms in the drum part feel almost like the heartbeat of the track and give the otherwise very atmospheric track some groove.

You can find Lumari on Instagram here. You can check out this song on Spotify here and Apple here.

Wind Mile-Alone

The last song we’ll be covering today, Wind Mile’s new single Alone, is a groovy, upbeat indie bop. The vocals are incredibly psychedelic and have almost a husky, rich quality to them that match the track well. At times the lyrics are almost incomprehensible but that just adds to the vibe of the track. This atmosphere is complimented brilliantly by the music video, which showcases the band performing the song live with gorgeous visuals.

The production is dark, dreary and atmospheric. The track mostly comprises of washed out, jangly guitars that recall the dream pop of 1980s bands like Cocteau Twins and the guitar work of Johnny Marr. The breakdown features synths that sound like a choir vocalizing and a guitar lead line that brings to mind the work of Blood Orange.

You can find Wind Mile on Instagram here. You can check this song out on Spotify here and Apple here.

You can listen to all of these tracks as well as the rest we cover on Indie Underrated’s Spotify playlist here.