indie underrated

“Distant” is the gripping new indie-pop single from Massachusetts-based singer-songwriter Ava Valianti. The song is anchored by a heartland-inspired acoustic guitar track that supports an eventually full instrumental arrangement, complete with a steady rhythm section and atmospheric tones. The ultimate highlight of the track for us is Valianti’s vocal range. One moment she sounds deep and warm, the next fragile and airy. This gives the resulting song a consistently interesting and dynamic quality. We wouldn’t say it’s directly comparable to artists like Phoebe Bridgers and Lizzy McAlpine, for Valianti’s work has a rare uniqueness to it, but we do think fans of those two will find plenty to love in “Distant”!

“BOOM!” is an appropriately explosive new art-pop song off of Kat Koan‘s most recent EP release, The Night Circus. It’s characterized by a massive drum track, versatile vocals, horns, and a fair amount of eastern influence. We notice how Koan makes excellent use of quietness in “BOOM!”. The song’s more restrained moments give its louder moments an especially impactful punch, and this makes the song excitingly volatile. The instrumental eccentricities at play remind us a little of Fiona Apple’s most recent work, and that’s not a comparison we get the pleasure of making very often!

“Better Days” is the shimmering new single from indie-pop duo Wotts. This song begins with a melancholic piano track and quickly flourishes into a full, ethereal instrumental arrangement. The percussion is sharp and modern. The strings are cascading. And the vocal layers are deep and spacey. Most prominently, the melodies are so reliably catchy. This one is a sure thing for fans of artists like Tame Impala. And we understand that Wotts has an EP titled FLANK! on the horizon. We’ll be keeping an eye out for its release and we recommend that you do too!

Be sure to check out our All New Indie Pop playlist on Spotify!