Indie Pop Playlist August 2021

Here’s our indie pop playlist for August 2021, featuring the best in independent pop and alt music:

As always, I have a few songs which I want to draw some extra attention to in this indie pop playlist for August 2021:

Into the Night (Carousel) – Carousel sadly is no more after vocalist Jackson Phillips left to begin the excellent Day Wave. If you swapped the emphasis from guitars in Day Wave to synthesizers, you get Carousel. The same vibes are there and they made some very catchy and chill synth infused pop. Into the Night is my favorite song from the project, and it’s perfect for a chill, relaxing summer day.

You’re Not Alone (The Wooden Sky) – You’re Not Alone is a very low-key, organ driven jam with a lot of soul in those vocals and an interesting instrumental solo bridge. All around great tune from The Wooden Sky.

Killing Me (Ofelia K) – A very simple beat and some orchestral plucking form a nice whimsical layer for Ofelia’s enchanting vocals to deliver their infectious melody in that chorus.

Day by Day (Perlo) – Perlo’s Day by Day is one of my favorite vocal duets I’ve heard in a long time. Whether it’s the back and forth vocals of the verses or the powerful mix on the chorus, this wistful soft-wave/dream folk tune is completely entrancing.

A Year in the Garden Shed (Tigers on Trains) – A beautiful acoustic and folk leaning track, the storytelling lyrics of A Year in the Garden Shed hit home and hard for me. I love anytime an artist can find a clever or in this case incredibly moving way to say something new on a well covered subject, so I have to call out the final repeated lines: “Death is not a curse, it’s the only thing that’s keeping us alive“.

Smoky Mountain Angel (of Doom) (Caleb Groh) – I love the composition of this track. The verse sets up a nice and interesting groove which grows as well as you’ll hear in any song, building with the lead vocal and transitioning artfully into the chorus with those wide harmony vocals, drums raising the intensity at just the right moment. It’s masterfully done.

Tinsel (Soy Christmas) – Modulated flutes, a lofi beat and feel, and effectual blended vocoder effects on a simple vocal all create a powerful, ethereal feel in this song from Soy Christmas. It’s impressive how so many synthetic elements can combine to elicit the level of emotions in the listener that they do.

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