Here’s our indie pop playlist for May 2021, featuring the best in independent pop and alt music:
This is the first monthly indie pop and alt playlist from Music Guy’s Music Discovery Online feature. Every month on the 1st, we will be sharing a brand new curated playlist with the best indie pop and alt music.
There are a ton of notable songs on this first playlist to highlight briefly (not to take anything away from the songs I don’t mention):
Hold on to Me (Mondo Cozmo) – We started our first playlist with a monster. A really interesting fusion of a lot of elements from the New Orleans sounding brass and those lofi synths and organs, it culminates into a beautiful cathartic chorus. And the video featuring Anna Faris is just as moving.
California (The Lagoons) – There’s a reason this is on our new (still growing) “Music to Drive To” compilation playlist. It’s hard to not picture yourself driving through Nappa Valley with the top down to this one.
Waiting on the Summer (VHS Collection) – The aptly named VHS Collection nails the retro vibes on all of their music. They bring out a nostalgic longing in this one which will have you wishing it were summer already.
Revelator Eyes (The Paper Kites) – The 80’s sounds of Revelator Eyes proved to be a really nice departure from The Paper Kites typical indie folk sound and paved the way for subsequent tunes from them. I heard this the first time while running on the treadmill at the gym. An odd choice compared to most of the stuff PFit plays, but a welcome one.
Crosseyed (Bad Veins) – Bad Veins’ Crosseyed has a really neat stumbling meets EPIC vibe to it. The strings/synths/choral sounds underneath that chorus melody sound massive on this one. It’s always been a wonderfully unique song to me.
Sour Grapes (John the Ghost) – Definitely the best song from The Maine’s John O’Callaghan’s side/solo project, John the Ghost. Sour Grapes hits such a nice pocket which will have you nodding your head as that chorus just keeps building and getting better as the song progresses.
Social Skills (Naps) – If you can get past the initial jarring sound effect, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to discover what Social Skills eases into at 6 seconds in. Another pick for our “afore-linked-to” driving playlist (just try not to crash the car on that intro).
Get You Out (Patternist) – Just a piece of solid, groove and hooked filled, clean and modern 80’s produced pop and some excellent vocals to boot. An excellent indie pop song in every sense.
Waiting on You (Sun Airway) – This is just one of my favorite songs of all time; for whatever reason I just really have a ton of affinity for this song. Sun Airway doesn’t get near enough love (perhaps a subject for an upcoming Underrated Artists feature). With some really lovely ambient sounds and a very effective unique chord progression, it’s a song which puts me in a specific time and place every time I hear it.
Islands (The Electric Sons) – A lot of bands attempt this sound nowadays, but The Electric Sons nailed it with Islands. Head to the beach, get a buzz going, and put this song on as you walk under the sun with an added swagger in your step. Thank me later.