By Luke Essig, Sports Editor
Music is in a perfectly fine place, but it is not thanks to artists like Sombr and Taylor Swift. Indie music is the most underappreciated genre of music, and if you really look hard enough you will find some gems.
One thing I look for within a music genre is potential iconicness. Indie music has some of the most iconic guitarists ever.
The most iconic of them all is Mac DeMarco. His jangly and dreamy strings are recognizable by almost anybody. If you think you would not be able to recognize them, I beg to differ. With songs such as “Chamber of Reflection,” “Heart to Heart” and “For the First Time” going mega-viral on TikTok, DeMarco is the best example of an indie musician.
It is when you dig deeper, however, where you find the people who really give the name to indie music.
Malcom Todd, highly regarded as the “white Steve Lacy,” plays an electric guitar with more versatility than I have ever seen before. He writes deep, emotional songs like “Cheer Me On” and “Make Me a Better Man” that start off really slow and culminate in some of the greatest musical climaxes ever. These are the songs that will give you chills, and as someone who has seen Todd live twice, it is an ethereal experience. He uses a band consisting of two other guitarists, a drummer and occasionally a pianist on an electric keyboard.
Malcolm Todd creates impactful songs with his hard hitting lyrics while having an upbeat tempo.
Todd has originality that a lot of artists do not have. Along with his passionate songs, he likes to have fun with his music. As a 22-year-old college dropout, you can not expect him to be serious all the time. There is an elevated tempo in the songs “4Me 4Me,” “Roommates” and TikTok viral “Bleed” featuring Omar Apollo. He uses drums a lot in these songs to convey the fast cadence.
The last band that is reviving indie music is the Australian band Royel Otis. Most people from the United States might not have heard of them, but you have undoubtedly heard their viral covers of “Murder of the Dancefloor” by Sophie Ellis-Bextor or “Linger” by the Cranberries. Known more for their covers than their own songs, Royal Otis is well worth a listen.
Royel Otis uses a more traditional indie guitar, similar to that of Mac DeMarco. They have a faster tempo and a happier sound than most indie music, most notably on their hit song “Foam” from their 2024 album “Pratts and Pain.” Also from that album are songs “Adored” and “Fried Rice,” which sound like songs that could go over a car chase.
Their newest album “Hickey,” released in September, has made waves on social media. The most popular song off of it, “who’s your boyfriend,” had a lot of viewers of the hit Amazon Prime show “The Summer I Turned Pretty” because of its relatable lyrics to the show and the fact that actress Lola Tung, who plays Belly Conklin was featured in the music video.
Music has no shortage of starpower out there, it all depends on where you look. Opening yourself up to indie music will be one of the best decisions you make.