Bully, Melkbelly, and Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile lead with Best New Indie Albums
Nashville-based quartet Bully offers one of the best new indie albums in Losing. The band, composed of Alicia Bognanno, Stewart Copeland, Clayton Parker, and Reece Lazarus had their sophomore album released on Sub Pop Records in late October. With Losing, Bully further perfects their knack for combining lyrical freshness with musical grit - a juxtaposition that shines rather than clashes. Their use of low, resonant guitar hooks is strongly reminiscent of grunge, and yet is wholeheartedly peppered with the band’s unique stylistic approach. This achievement of innovative simplicity marks Losing as one of the best new indie albums. With its alluring resonance, Melkbelly’sNothing Valley joins the ranks among the best new indie albums. The album serves as the band’s debut LP, and was released via Wax Nine Records. It is worthy of being dubbed one of the best new albums because it embraces its own grit. The guitars are fuzzy, the drums are pounding, and the lyrics are raw - a formula that suits the band and the album as a whole. Prior to their first full-length release, Melkbelly (comprised of Liam Winters, Bart Winters, Miranda Winters, and James Wetzel) already had a reputation as being one of the most hard-hitting bands hailing from Chicago, and Nothing Valley only cemented this further - thus making it one of the best new indie albums. The merging of two brilliant solo artists definitely yields excellence - especially when the artists in question are Kurt Vile and Courtney Barnett. The duo released their collaborative album, Lotta Sea Lice, last month via Matador Records. The album masterfully merges the artistic skills Barnett and Vile contain as individuals, therefore creating an unstoppable entity through the intertwining of their innate talent. The strengths of Lotta Sea Lice lie within its subtleties, whether it be a delicate guitar riff or expertly blended vocal harmonies. Lyrically, the songs that make up Lotta Sea Lice are almost poetic in a sense, exuding an element of inherent grace while simultaneously putting the mind to work. Above all else, the album is a purely pleasant listen. It’s memorable without being overtly explosive, wielding a quiet power that lingers in the minds of the listeners long after the album has reached the entirety of its duration. For these reasons, Lotta Sea Lice is undeniably one of the best new indie albums.