These LITM Rock Picks showcase the best of indie rock – featuring Audio Lounge, Lawnmother, Future Mondays, and more!
1. Audio Lounge – Virginia’s Not for Lovers
A song that opens with drums and guitars as confident as the ones in Virginia’s Not for Lovers is one that promises to take you on a journey – and Audio Lounge’s latest single more than delivers. Exploring love from above, beneath, and around, this track blends energy and self-aware irony with a sincerity that gives the whole thing an edge. With lines like “How am I supposed to breathe when my lungs, they can’t catch the air / I haven’t seen you in a while, a thousand lonely miles hopin’ that you still care,” the band knows that romance is a lot more nuanced than just always being sunshine and roses – listen here!
2. Lawnmother – Medicine – Hit Parade Mix
Deep vocals form the foundation of Lawnmother’s Medicine – Hit Parade Mix, surrounded by guitars, drums, and backing vocals that give the whole song an atmospheric, expansive feel. Throughout this song’s runtime of over five minutes, there’s not a moment where anything feels familiar or boring – from an instrumental arrangement of which each element pulls back and rushes forward with precise intentionality, to a rhythm that settles in your body with no hesitation, everything is fresh yet comforting. There’s a sense of adventure and spontaneity that lies within the track’s layers, which doesn’t make itself obvious with just a cursory listen, instead inviting you to come find it. Check it out here!
3. Future Mondays – Faithlessly
Faithlessly is the kind of song that’d soundtrack a montage from a coming-of-age film – the one where everyone promises each other that they’re going to have the best summer of their lives just before a huge change. It’s absolutely upbeat and drenched in energy that makes you want to get up and do something different, but also has an undercurrent of sadness: you’re having a great time, but you know it’s not forever. Rolling drums and guitars that seem like they’re raring to go pair with unpolished, carefree vocals to create an atmosphere that encourages you to shed your worries for a few minutes. Listen to Faithlessly here!
4. The Race – Best Is Yet To Come
Flowing forward from its very first instant, The Race’s Best Is Yet To Come marks the return of a band formed in the 2000s from a hiatus of over fifteen years – one that hasn’t dulled their songwriting instinct in the slightest. Consistent with the band’s established “DIY indie” pop-rock identity, the track is covered in a layer of haze and distortion, with instruments that resonate and reverberate far beyond their actual reach. With lyrics like “When you pass through the deepest water, I will be with you,” the song is a reinforcement of togetherness and belonging, asserting unconditional support. This is a track that’ll have you coming back for more, encouraging you to believe that the best is, indeed, yet to come!
5. Robbie Mangiardi – Wayward Wind
“There is something in the air that makes me feel like we are losing our way here in the USA…”
Robbie Mangiardi asks for your time to reflect on the wayward winds pulling things off-course around us: a message that holds true not just for the USA, but across the world as well. With a soul that drips with Americana and country twang, the track chases the feeling that something’s not quite right with stunningly clear and cohesive instrumentals that serve as the bed for Mangiardi’s deep, comforting, yet unsettling vocal performance. With an accompanying music video that complements his message perfectly, this is a track that’ll leave a mark on you long after its last note!
Follow the playlist for all new artist updates!
If you would like to submit your music for playlist or review consideration, please submit here.