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Best New Indie: 10 songs you need to discover this week

What an amazing week for new music, indie fans!

This week, we’ve been gifted some amazing tunes from renowned acts like Fiona Apple, Lucy Dacus, Charlotte Cardin, MARINA, Born Ruffians, and a Rina Sawayama and Elton John collaboration.

Check out this week’s Best New Indie below.
 

Fiona Apple – “Love More (Sharon Van Etten cover)”

Fiona Apple has covered Sharon Van Etten’s “Love More” for epic Ten, Van Etten’s reissue of epic. Apple adds her own twist to the track, while still tapping into Van Etten’s quintessential sound. Where Van Etten’s original track is more meditative, Apple’s is playful and euphoric, as Apple delivers some of her distinctive howls.
 

Rina Sawayama – “Chosen Family (with Elton John)”

Rina Sawayama has shared a new piano-driven version of “Chosen Family,” which features none other than Sir Elton John. Dedicated to LGBTQ+ folks who have lost their family and friends by coming out, the delicate new version of Sawayama’s ballad offers up a new emotional level to the tune. The British singers each take turns delivering verses atop John’s soft piano lines until the duet on the chorus, with John singing lines like, “We don’t need to share genes or a surname/ You are, you are, my chosen family.”
 

Lucy Dacus – “Hot & Heavy”

Lucy Dacus has officially announced her forthcoming album, Home Video, which is set for release on June 25th via Matador. As part of the announcement she’s shared a video for her new track, “Hot & Heavy.” “Hot & Heavy” is a powerful, explosive new track that sees Dacus singing about growing up, and turning into new versions of herself. The accompanying self-directed video comes packed with nostalgic clips of Dacus going to the movies at Byrd Theatre in her hometown with a video camera in hand, interspersed with shots of her growing up.
 

Charlotte Cardin – “Sad Girl”

Charlotte Cardin is releasing her debut full-length album on April 23rd via Atlantic Records, and today she’s shared a video for her new single, “Sad Girl.” The catchy, R&B-tinged alt-pop track strays a bit from the previously released singles on the forthcoming album, taking more of a beat-driven approach. The captivating, gloomy new Norman Wong-directed clip sees Cardin singing beneath blue lights in the pouring rain. “‘Sad Girl’ is a revenge tale about a girl who has an infinite amount of tears and draws her power through sadness,” Cardin explains of the track. “She therefore seeks sorrow in order to grow and eliminate her enemies (AKA all her exes).”
 

Born Ruffians – “Checkin’ Out”

Born Ruffians are readying the release of their new album, PULP, this Friday, April 16th, and today they’ve shared a new single called “Checkin’ Out.” “‘Checkin’ Out’ is about opting out,” frontman Luke Lalonde explains of the track. “It’s about all kinds of ways you can remove yourself. From simply spacing out, to leaving news cycles behind, to deleting your social media accounts etc… It’s about those moments of ‘this is all too much’ and surrendering.”
 

MARINA – “Purge The Poison”

Marina (fka Marina and the Diamonds) has made her return with a video for a new track called “Purge the Poison.” Alongside the single, she’s also announced her forthcoming album, Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land, which is set for release on June 11th. The new track is almost like an Earth Day anthem, as Marina sings about the importance of protecting the planet, delivering lines like, “It’s a new world order, everything just falls away/ Our life as we knew it now belongs to yesterday.” Marina also sites some pop culture moments throughout the catchy tune, like Britney Spears shaving her head and the #MeToo movement.
 

Ralph – “Tommy”

Toronto pop artist RALPH has announced her new EP, GRADIENCE, and as part of the announcement she’s shared a perfectly kitschy video for her new track, “Tommy.” The catchy new track sees Ralph singing of missed connection, as she pines for someone who she has a brief encounter with before they diappear forever. The accompanying colourful video sees Ralph and friends in campy sky-high wigs and ruffles, as her hairdresser channeled a look described as “Marie Antoinette on a motorcycle.”
 

Shad – “Out Of touch (feat. Phoenix Pagliacci)”

Toronto-based rapper Shad has made his return with his new single, “Out of Touch (feat. Phoenix Pagliacci).” The bright new R&B-influenced tune marks the first single of forthcoming music, which is set to arrive this year on Secret City Records. With a driven beat and shimmering keys, Shad’s vocals take the lead, as he delivers lines like, “Each man is a brand, each night’s famine or feast/ So we quote ‘I sell, therefore I am’ in these streets.”
 

Dizzy – “The Bird Behind The Drapes (feat. Luna Li)”

Following the release of last year’s The Sun and Her Scorch, Dizzy have returned with a new single called “The Bird Behind The Drapes,” which features Luna Li. Alongside the release, they’ve announced a new EP, Separate Places. On Separate Places, with drops on June 11th via Royal Mountain Records and Communion Records, the Oshawa indie outfit will be collaborating with a different guest performing vocals on each track, as they reimagine some of the standout tunes from last year’s album.
 

No Joy – “Kidder (From Heaven)”

Jasamine White-Gluz has announced a new EP as No Joy called Can My Daughter See Me From Heaven, which will be made up of orchestral reimaginings of tracks from her 2020 album, Motherhood. To preview the collection, No Joy has shared a video for “Kidder (From Heaven),” a reworked version of “Kidder.” “Kidder (From Heaven)” is a stunning, dreamy rework that truly lets the album track be seen in a new light. The accompanying video, which is directed by a 7-year-old named Sloan, sees Sloan wanting “to imitate the sparkliness of a dream.”
 

Listen to our Best New Indie playlist below!
 

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