Our Indie Kids playlist celebrates everything on the indie spectrum, whether that’s rock, folk or pop, because we firmly believe in taking a little walk off the beaten track every once in a while.
Evan Fong’s latest single ‘breathe’ is a serrated slice of alt-rock that trades his previous polished textures for something far more visceral. Released via Avant Garden, the track serves as a gritty manifesto for his upcoming 2026 album. Driven by jagged guitars and a restless pop-punk energy, ‘breathe’ balances a catchy exterior with a dark, suffocating undercurrent. Evan’s vocals feel raw and captivating, which reflects the harrowing honesty of the album’s creation. It’s a bold, unfiltered evolution that signals a songwriter no longer afraid to let the edges show. A powerful, necessary warning shot.
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‘Driftwood’ leans into atmospheric vulnerability, uniting the delicate indie-folk of Seafret with the weathered soul of James Morrison. Ahead of their upcoming album Fear of Emotion, this collaboration captures the quiet, haunting unraveling of a relationship through a slow-burning arrangement. The track excels in its restraint as Jack Sedman’s earnest delivery pairs beautifully with Jim’s warm, textured vocals. Blending modern alt-indie sensibilities with a timeless, retro-soul pulse, the song evolves from a sparse acoustic sound into an addictive, melodic swell. It’s a nostalgic yet high-energy landscape that lingers long after the final note.
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Ava Valianti continues to cement her status as a formidable voice in indie pop-rock with ‘Sophomore Slump’. Following the momentum of petunias, this latest single captures the weird in-between of dreaming big while feeling everything slip away. The track is a masterclass in quiet defiance, balancing Ava’s signature aching vulnerability with a bolder, more textured production. It’s a song about the embarrassment of public failure and the courage to keep moving anyway. Raw, lived-in, and sharp, ‘Sophomore Slump’ transforms teenage insecurity into a universal anthem of resilience.
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‘Jakobo’ is a stunning single from Die Twice, opening with a saloon piano that quickly dissolves into a cinematic, smoke-filled landscape. Produced by Ru Lemer, the track captures a telepathic chemistry between the band members, drifting through ethereal verses before collapsing into an explosive, thunderous chorus. Olly Bayton’s vocals, ranging from breathy whispers to primal howls, anchor a narrative of uncertainty and resistance. Drawing comparisons to Bends-era Radiohead, Die Twice rejects the doomscroll of modern music for a deliberate, luxuriant pace. It’s a masterful surge of intimacy and power that marks them as a definitive act to watch in 2026.
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‘Right Where You Want Me’ serves as the urgent, emotionally unguarded introduction to Shane Weisman’s debut album, Better Luck Tomorrow. Written during a concentrated six-week burst in Nashville, the track vibrates with the immediate energy of a clean slate. Blending heartland-rock scope with indie-folk intimacy, Weisman explores the fragile friction between doubt and stubborn hope. His Berklee-trained musicianship shines through a self-taught, multi-instrumental lens, creating a sound that feels both classic and fresh. It’s a concept-driven anthem for anyone navigating the storms of identity, marking Shane Weisman as a vital storyteller who believes tomorrow might finally be better.
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Austin trio Glass Mansions delivers a career-defining anthem with ‘Sunsetting’, a track that balances lush alt-pop shimmer with profound, visceral grief. Written in the wake of frontwoman Jayna Doyle’s sudden loss of her parents, the single transforms a pulsating soundscape into a metaphor for unfinished endings. Produced by Zack Odom and Kenneth Mount, the song’s kinetic percussion and heavy synths create a propulsive backdrop for Jayna’s sultry, honest vocals. It captures the raw urgency of an artist writing as if it were their last song, trading polished perfection for unfiltered connection. It’s a haunting, danceable reminder that the joy of creation persists even when the sun sets.
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Addressing the modern intersection of OCD and internet culture, ‘Big Amygdala’ is a frantic, brilliantly witty highlight from Kerrin Connolly’s conceptual 2026 album, Simpleton. The Greater Boston-based artist swaps their DIY origins for a more powerful, polished indie-rock sound. The track pulses with high-energy guitar licks and a nostalgic soundscape that feels both timeless and fresh. Kerrin’s signature home-cooked charm remains, but it’s now bolstered by a sophisticated production that captures the hyper-active anxiety of the digital age. It is a sincere, energetic piece of pop-rock that manages to make the modern hero’s journey feel deeply personal and irresistibly catchy.
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Released via Agent Anonyme Recordings, ‘CAN I GET UR NUMBER’ is a vibrant debut from Toronto-born, London-based artist Charlie Cello. The track distills thirteen years of romantic daydreams into a catchy, guitar-driven indie-pop anthem. Produced by Ali Tildesley, the single captures the messy, drunk and sloppy energy of Charlie’s favourite Toronto haunts. The backstory adds a layer of unintentional grit; the music video features both his ex and his best friend, who were secretly dating during filming. This blood, sweat, and tears authenticity transforms a sweet love song into a charged, resilient reintroduction to a promising new talent.
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Recorded in the stillness of the Portuguese countryside, ‘Air’ is a hauntingly beautiful indietronica meditation from Brooklyn-born duo Sasha & the Bear. Serving as a precursor to their Summer 2026 debut album, the track navigates the physical persistence of grief with remarkable restraint. Sasha’s intimate, atmospheric vocals drift over Dov’s skeletal, textured production, eschewing the cliché of closure for a more honest coexistence with loss. It is a song that captures a fragile, defiant peace. After years of nomadic recording, this single proves that their shared emotional language remains as potent and spacious as ever.
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poor rich skillfully navigates the quiet resilience of healing, blending raw, emotive vocals with a minimal production style that mirrors the song’s internal growth in ‘On the Mend’. This is a restorative alt-pop, which captures the fragile first steps of rebuilding after emotional burnout. The track’s experimental, garage-rock DNA peeks through its moody, atmospheric layers, slowly blossoming into a hopeful, cinematic lift. It’s a song that feels less like a performance and more like a gradual sense of release, offering a sanctuary for anyone currently mending. For fans of honest storytelling and chill, high-stakes vulnerability, this is a mandatory listen.
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PURPLE MELON 