10 OF THE CATCHIEST INDIE SONGS OF 2013

Pigeons and Planes

Traditionally, indie music has been celebrated for reasons other than pure catchiness. Sure, there have always been catchy indie songs, and that's always a draw for some people, but there's also a stigma attached with huge hooks and songs so immediate that you're singing along by the end of the first chorus. Lately, though, it seems like indie pop is having something of a moment. Embracing the massive hooks and addicting melodies, indie artists are figuring out how to use production, style, and delivery to make even though most instantly gratifying songs interesting enough to maintain indie credibility and staying power. We're not complaining. Here are 10 of the catchiest indie songs of the year so far.

EvanIvan - The Distance EP - 2013

EvanIvan is a Canadian band that makes sweet, charming, and uplifting pop tunes that are sure to warm your heart and get your toe tapping.

Postscript is one of my favs… 

The latest 2 song ep… Pretty good tunes… 

Deluxe Top 100 Albums 2013

Dunbar Hunter - Act Your Age EP - 2013

bandcamp

Dunbar Hunter is the songwriting project of Jon Kriz and Ian Richards. EP now available for digital download.

This time out Dunbar Hunter's music has evolved so sweetly, I have enjoyed the sounds mucho. The music is subtle and clean, every gesture adding a nuance, pushing it slowly to it's ultimate sleepy climax... then quiet once more, as the build rests itself. The vocals are distant, much more lo-fi than the rest of the production, and the harmonies are wonderful, adding a real flow throughout the EP; 

reminds me of Califone meets Smile Smile.

Well done Dunbar Hunter, for another set of songs that will speak to the ever aging indie hearted dudes out there.

Pretty Much Amazing's Top 2013 Songs List

Rough Trade's Top 2013 Lists

Some really great selections.

Resident's Top 2013 List

Resident Booklet 2013

Here they come...

Hotel Cinema - 2013

bandcamp

Los Angeles based group Hotel Cinema was formed in 2012 by Mark Hadley & Keeley Bumford. With intricate orchestration of electronic and organic elements beneath alluring melodies, Hotel Cinema has crafted a unique cinematic sound that weaves in and out of reality. 

from BC - Michael Reilly; A great 6-track album with a stylish indie pop feel. The highlight for me is the mixing of Keeley Bumford's vocals with the lush orchestration, which elevates many of these songs beyond the norm. 
Favorite track: All You've Ever Known.

Dash - Into The Sounds - 2012

bandcamp

Catchy synth-pop out of Wilmington USA…

Timberhawk - Tears, Sweat and The Sea - 2012

bandcamp

A four piece rock/indie/folk outfit from Pensacola, FL., Timberhawk is a band that loves to mix the old with the new. The songs feature catchy melodies with beefy grooves and ballsy solos, and a vibe that goes back to the 1960s and punches it in the mouth. Imagine watching 'The Band' on crack.

Joanna Gruesome - Galaxie 500's Tugboat - 2013

I don't know if I'll ever come around on the name, but U.K. band Joanna Gruesome's cover of Galaxie 500's "Tugboat" is a nice, calming distraction this morning, and "I just wanna be your tugboat captain" strikes me as a very nice sentiment for most mornings. [Pitchfork]

Clearance - Greensleeve (7", 2013)

bandcamp

Mike here from Microluxe Recs in Chicago. Clearance - yr lo-fi lads from Chicago via Ann Arbor - have got a new 7" EP called "Greensleeve" coming out around the new year. This follows their debut 7", "Dixie Motel Two-Step," which won favorable comparisons to Pavement, Dinosaur Jr., Guided By Voices, and early Flying Nun (Clean/Chills/Bats, etc.) A recent review from Byron Coley in The Wire mag (UK) even swears "Julia Cafritz [Pussy Galore] would dig it."

A new track from the record, "Drive-Out!", can be streamed from their Bandcamp page now. It's also available for download with pre-orders for the upcoming 7".

The North - Broken - 2013

FB

Love these guys... new video just out - thanks for thinking of iibyw

Ings - Dog Physics EP - 2013

bandcamp

I'm feeling the love off of this release, absolute sweet indie pop

Fresh from the comfy confines of a bedroom demo, sole songwriter and ukulele player Inge Chiles culled together a band of guitar, bass, synth, piano, and drums to record Ing's debut EP. With a soft focus on her lyrical meanderings, this collection establishes a unique concord between intimacy and pop. 

Full-length debut coming in 2014.

Har-di-Har - more over forward - (single, 2013)

bandcamp

experimental dream-pop intricately composed and played the way three-legged contests are won

Melan! - Bless 40 - 2013

bandcamp

This is as simple as it gets; some might love this rustic recording of Renat Tuktarov [ Melan! ] private meanderings of folk sentimentality… Bare bones recording in a single room Russian room; And besides Russian singing folk songs in English is fuckin priceless.

Coyotes in the Room - Preach - 2013

bandcamp

Sweaty dark psychedelic music bubbling out of Kentucky.  

Nathaniel Rateliff - Nothing To Show For (Live, Sideshow Alley) - 2013

Nathaniel Rateliff is a superb song writer and this live roof top performance is evidence to the power of a true musician.

New Album:

Falling Faster Than You Can Run

If you want to see some more of these Sideshow Alley performances head on over to their TV channel to see some other great artists preform.

Playlists: For Ex-Lovers Only - 2013

YEAR: 2009

My Personal Compilations (Re-Up)

TRACKLIST:

01 - Champagne Riot - Scandinavian Warfare

02 - Girl Alliance - Jaded

03 - The Parallelograms - Dream On Daisy

04 - The School - I Want You Back

05 - The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Stay Alive

06 - Pocketbooks - I'm Not Going Out

07 - Celestial - Preston Park

08 - Thunder Power - Take A Hike

09 - Sexy Kids - Sisters Are Forever

10 - Tiac - It's Always The Same Anyway

11 - Crystal Stilts - Love Is A Wave

12 - Dum Dum Girls - Catholicked

13 - The Manhattan Love Suicides - Last Stand

14 - Fireflies - Butterscotch

15 - The Bridal Shop - Fragments

16 - Stars In Coma - Amelie

17 - Panache - Every Floor Is A Dance Floor

18 - Hari And Aino - Second Song

19 - (((S))) - Mesmerized

20 - The Airfields - Happy And Safe

YEAR: 2009

My Personal Compilations Re-Up

TRACKLIST:

01 - Liechtenstein - Reflections

02 - The Legends - Dancefloor

03 - Amida - Class Of 2000

04 - Memory Cassette - 50mph

05 - Camera Obscura - French Navy

06 - The Hermit Crabs - I Don't Know How

07 - Eux Autres - The City All To Himself

08 - The Morning Paper - Fingers Crossed

09 - Tartans - Cats Of Cameford

10 - Slow Down Tallahassee - Candy

11 - Balcony - Now Power

12 - Summer Cats - Wild Rice

13 - The April Skies - Rise And Rise Again

14 - The Tough Alliance - First Class Riot

15 - Twig - Please Don't Turn Me Into A Murderer

16 - Burning Hearts - Various Lives

17 - My Laundry Life - Sons & Guns

18 - Hiawata! - Fightz

19 - Boat Club - Warmer Climes

20 - Je Suis Animal - Secret Place

YEAR: 2009

My Personal Compilations Re-Up

TRACKLIST:

01 - JJ - My Life, My Swag

02 - The Drums - Let's Go Surfing

03 - Cor'delle - Summer 17

04 - Pants Yell! - Magenta And Green

05 - The Felt Tips - Boyfriend Devoted

06 - Strawberry Fair - I Can't Do Anything

07 - The Pale Corners - Steve Buscemi

08 - Cats On Fire - Letters From A Voyage To Sweden

09 - Japan Air - September

10 - Fitness Forever - Probabilmente

11 - Bubblegum Lemonade - Ten Years Younger

12 - Bye Bye Bicycle - Westside

13 - The Electric Pop Group - I Could See The Lights

14 - My Little Pony - Skipping Down The Street

15 - Ultrasport - Nothing Can Go Wrong

16 - Minisnap - Rehash

17 - Astrolab - The Deep Secret Of Clouds

18 - Montt Mardié - We're All The Pirate Bay

19 - The Radio Dept. - Freddie And The Trojan Horse

20 - The Crayon Fields - Potholes

YEAR: 2009

My Personal Compilations (Re-Up)

TRACKLIST:

01 - God Help The Girl - Come Monday Night

02 - The Sweet Serenades - Die Young

03 - The Finders Keepers - I'm Sure I'm Sure I'm Sure

04 - Silver Screen - Little More Each Day

05 - Dreamdate - How Low Are You?

06 - Butcher Boy - Clockwork

07 - Hello Saferide - Anna

08 - Annemarie - Apple (Suicide On Your Stereos Set)

09 - Knight School - Maggot

10 - Starflower - Dance Til Morning Light

11 - The Charade - My Song To You

12 - Vapnet - Brunflovägen

13 - The Lodger - The Conversation

14 - Pelle Carlberg - Nicknames

15 - The Boy Least Likely To - Be Gentle With Me

16 - The Little Hands Of Asphalt - The Future

17 - Tullycraft - Twee

18 - Days - The Simple Thing

19 - Matador José - Still It's There

20 - Klaus & Kinski - La Mano De Santa Teresa De Jesús

This blog posts the most excellent playlists... Heavy into Scandinavian pop, twee pop, jangle pop, chamber pop, shoegaze and the likes. I have been enjoying them immensely. They are a bit dated, but the author posts many personal playlists - go over and explore....

For Ex-Lovers Only