10) Childish Gambino – “Atavista” (2024)
Childish Gambino, aka Donald Glover, started his musical career in 2011 with his album “Camp”. He was known widely as a comedian who got his start as a writer for “30 Rock” before becoming an actor. Both of us on the music team were big fans of his work in the show “Community” as Troy Barnes.
His comedy background and musical inclination explain the silly nature of his earlier work. When Gambino shifted into a more serious tone while maintaining his whimsy, he really began to shine as a musician. A good example from this album is the track “Psilocybae”, a quirky chronicle of his first time trying magic mushrooms.
This week’s highlighted track, “Algorhythm” is dark and eerie, leaning into some machine-like sounds.
9) Pinback – “Blue Screen Life” (2001)
Pinback marks this week’s oldest release on the list with their 2001 album, “Blue Screen Life”. Hailing from San Diego, Armistead Burwell Smith IV and Rob Crow showcase the beachier side of life. The duo gets their name from Dan O’Bannon’s character in the movie “Dark Star”, a comedic sci-fi film from 1974.
This album holds the attention of Pinback fans for being their last project before signing with a record label. Many fans appreciate the intimate feel of the band making music as friends and this album draws upon that sound.
Our highlighted track, “Your Sickness” is a great example of the band’s intricate bass work and brooding lyrics.
8) The Greeting Committee – “Everyone’s Gone and I Know I’m The Cause” (2024)
The Greeting Committee’s latest project comes after a tumultuous year. Founding members Addie Sartino and Pierce Turcotte had to rebuild after two other original members chose to leave the group. This led to Noah Spencer joining the group for this latest album.
The group’s aim for this new set of songs was to create a feeling of community and a world where people can simply live in the moment rather than being burdened by life. A lot of this album draws on some staple features of indie rock with the soft bass and tambourine peppered throughout the album. What sets this group apart is the sentimental lyrics and tenderness throughout the tracks.
Our highlighted track this week, “Sex and Taxes” reflects themes of forgetting the seriousness of life and embracing love thanks to meeting someone new.
7) Rachel Chinouriri – “What A Devastating Turn of Events” (2024)
UK singer/songwriter, Rachel Chinouriri, released her debut album earlier this year. She’s been releasing music on SoundCloud since 2018 but really found her audience after gaining some traction on TikTok. Born in Zimbabwe to parents who didn’t know much about British pop culture, Chinouriri found curiosity in British music as a teenager. She was especially inspired by the music of Daughter and Lily Allen.
After her single, “So My Darling”, the singer gained notoriety for her bubble pop sounds and artistic music videos. With support from other celebrities collaborations with her. One includes the appearance of actress Florence Pugh in the music video for “Never Need Me” which debuted ahead of the release of “What A Devastating Turn of Events”. She also gained a following when it was announced that she would be a supporting leg of the European leg of Sabrina Carpenter’s upcoming “Short n’ Sweet” tour.
The Highlighted track, “All I Ever Asked” is a perfect mix of sweet and sentimental.
6) CURSIVE – “Devourer” (2024)
Hailing from Omaha, CURSIVE has been making music together for 3 decades. Fans have come to know them for singing about challenging topics that face society, the desire for a nuclear family and the constant pressure to be perfect and never slip up.
With a vibe similar to punk bands of the 2000s, this album draws on a time when anger was pervasive in pop rock. As the years have gone by, their message has remained consistent, which makes this new album interesting to compare against what the new problems facing our society may be.
The highlighted track this week, “The Avalanche of Our Demise” employs some sharp guitar words contrasted with some more gentle sitar later in the track.
5) Drahla – “angeltape” (2024)
Drahla, a 5-piece band from Leeds explores a lot of different emotions on their latest project. Expressing feelings of grief and love, this album spinning at KCSU reflects the change in the seasons to a more intense style of music than the pop-driven pieces of the summer.
Despite the somber subject matter, the album still comes across hard-hitting and is very easy to listen to. The lead vocals are full of attitude and backed up by some stylized guitar work to create a unique sound. Everything about this band’s aesthetics is something designed to set them apart. This album is a breath of fresh air in a time where a lot of indie rock tracks can start to sound like more of the same.
The highlighted track, “Default Parody” utilizes a mix of upbeat guitars reminiscent of a surf rock track, with an undeniable punk twist.
4) Clairo – “Charm” (2024)
Clairo got her start by posting her bedroom pop tracks to the internet back in 2017. Songs like “Pretty Girl” and “Flaming Hot Cheetos” garnered the singer/songwriter swarms of fans, eager to hear what she could do on a record. In 2019, she released her first full-length project, “Immunity” which kept all the soft qualities fans had come to love with some higher quality production and clarity. Tracks “Bags” and “Sofia” from this project remain popular among fans and casual listeners alike.
After no album release for 3 years, fans were enthralled when Clairo announced “Charm”. The lead single, “Sexy to Someone”, showed a new side of Clairo. The artist-led into a new style of instrumentation with piano and woodwinds heave in the mix. The release cycle also saw the artist’s first music video in 6 years, for the track “Juna”.
The highlighted track this week, “Juna” reminds me of some classic soul tracks, like Erykah Badu, but updated by Clairo for 2024.
3) Caleb Landry Jones – “Hey Gary, Hey Dawn” (2024)
Caleb Landry Jones began releasing music in 2020 with his debut album, “The Mother Stone”. Before this, he was mostly known for his acting. You may recognize Jones from his roles in “Breaking Bad”, “X-Men: First Class”, or “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, MIssouri”.
Despite a successful acting career, Jones couldn’t resist stepping into the world of music where he provides his take on experimental rock, while drawing inspiration from some of the giants of the past, including The Beatles.
Our highlighted track, “Spider in the Trees” is intriguing with its acoustic production styles and pointed vocals.
2) Khal!l – “HEART: Melodies of the Eternal Flame” (2024)
R&B artist Khal!l hails from Milwaukee, where he found his love of singing by participating in his church’s choir. This led to his passion for music inspiring him to learn how to play instruments and produce music.
Khal!l takes inspiration from artists like Blood Orange, Bon Iver, and Toro y Moi. These artists are known for different things like disting melodies, omnipresent vocals, and electronic production. Khal!l fuses all of these elements together to create this latest album.
The highlighted track this week is called “FALL OUT” is upbeat and funky to close out the first half of the album.
1) beabadoobee – “This Is How Tomorrow Moves” (2024)
British singer/songwriter beabadoobee comes from the Philippines and takes inspiration from Pinoy vocalists as well as indie rock artists like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Alex G. The singer first gained notoriety when placed on a list with other rising acts, like Billie Eilish, and led to beabadoobee touring with Clairo to support her Immunity tour.
Her song, “Coffee” was sampled for a TikTok song, “Death Bed” by Powfu, which is when the singer really made her way into the public spotlight. This last fall she performed at Tyler, the Creator’s music festival, Camp Flog Gnaw, at the event’s biggest stage drawing an audience excited to hear the musician’s live vocals as well as her bass skills.
The highlighted track this week, “California”, is a bright spot on the album. It expands on her established sound with a clear direction toward a rock vibe.