Kris Delmhorst drops Damn Love Song like it just landed on the radio, and could use the attitude. It feels immediate, a little bruised, and exactly right for anyone pretending the season has not already turned.
The Wailin' Jennys land "One Voice" like a fresh-page rumor : three voices, one spine, no filler. If you want the kind of song that cuts through the back-to-school static and feels instantly important, this is it.
Amos Lee sounds like the kind of artist you find on a burned CD and immediately pretend you knew about first. “Keep It Loose, Keep It Tight” lands like a warm radio signal at dusk: plainspoken, sly, and impossible to overthink.
Patty Larkin and “Italian Shoes” land like the smart, sly song you suddenly need . It feels brand-new, but it carries the kind of seasoned confidence that makes a track stick after one spin.
David Berkeley and Fire Sign land like a late-September surprise: warm, a little weathered, and impossible to shake. this feels like the song everybody is about to pretend they found first.
The Greencards land "Time" like a sleeper hit you swear you somehow missed until now. it feels freshly relevant: smart, rootsy, and exactly the kind of song that turns an ordinary afternoon into a small event.
Bernadette Moley sounds like the secret everyone is trading and “All I Want Is You” fits the season perfectly. It lands like a clean escape from the end-of-summer blur: direct, melodic, and impossible to shake.
Jeffrey Foucault lands The Bluest Blade like a fresh cut from the stack: unhurried, sharp, and impossible to ignore. If you want one track that feels like it already belongs on every late-night mix and campus-radio playlist, this is it.
The Be Good Tanyas sound like they’ve just rolled into town on a cracked highway mix tape, and “It’s Not Happening” feels essential right now . It has the weary charm of a song that knows exactly how to survive a long week and a longer night.
Ray LaMontagne arrives with "Trouble" like he already knows what your fall sounds like. this feels less like a breakout and more like the record everyone somehow needs to hear right now.
Catie Curtis turns "100 Miles" into the kind of song that sneaks up and owns . It feels brand-new, but also like the one tune everybody somehow meant to tell you about first.
Sufjan Stevens and To Be Alone With You land like a fresh obsession: intimate, oddball, and somehow already ahead of the season. If you want one song that makes the early-fall air feel sharper, this is the one.
Josh Rouse drops “Laughter” like a secret handshake : warm, understated, and impossible to fake. It sounds brand-new, but it lands like the best record you almost missed this summer.
Tracy Chapman sounds like she has a brand-new single on the radio with Change. this feels essential: plainspoken, smart, and already wiser than half the year’s release pile.
Jack Johnson makes Better Together feel like the song everyone already knows, even if you just found it this week. it lands like the perfect late-summer singalong: easy, warm, and impossible to overthink.
My favorite Indie Rock songs from the past year.
Paid-only
Nick Drake and "Place To Be" feel like the kind of quiet breakthrough that sneaks up on you and suddenly owns the week. It is the sort of song that sounds newly unearthed, even as it sits on Pink Moon with zero wasted motion.
Beth Boucher sounds exactly like the kind of artist you brag about spotting before everybody else does, and Elusive Thing lands like a fresh single with zero patience for filler. It feels essential right now because it brings the kind of scrappy, radio-ready spark that makes a mailbox full of promo…
Evan Olson drops Not What I Wanted like it just hit the summer radio circuit, and it sounds exactly right . It has the kind of hook that makes a driveway feel like a stage and a bad day feel briefly negotiable.
Old Crow Medicine Show and "Wagon Wheel" arrive like they already belong on every porch, radio, and cracked car stereo . It sounds half-familiar and fully irresistible, which is exactly why it matters right now.
Blue Merle turns "Burning In The Sun" into the kind of tune that feels newly minted : bright, open, and ready for highway windows. If you want one song that sounds like summer is finally clocking in, this is it.
Flunk and “On My Balcony” land like a perfect secret: sunlit, a little wistful, and instantly replayable. If you want one track that makes the month feel longer in the best way, this is it.
Ben Lee’s “Into the Dark” feels like a fresh find, the kind of song that sneaks onto your summer mix and suddenly acts like it owns the place. With *Awake Is the New Sleep* still sounding new, this is the track for anyone who wants pop hooks with a little nerve.
Weekend Players and "Into The Sun" feel like the sort of beach-house signal that slips onto the radio and suddenly owns the afternoon. this sounds fresh, sunburned, and weirdly polished enough to matter now.
