If you’re anything like us, you’re probably overwhelmed by the sheer number of albums being released on a weekly basis.
Welcome to Popdust’s first Indie Roundup of 2021, the weekly column where we find the five best albums coming out each week so that you don’t have to. Every Friday, we’ll tell you what’s worth listening to that might not already be on your radar.
Viagra Boys, Welfare Jazz
Though they hail from Sweden, Viagra Boys’ off-kilter post-punk is taking the U.S. by storm. Their second album Welfare Jazz infuses standard guitar work with eerie distortion and classical instruments, making for a record that’s as thought-provoking as the topics of society they sing about.
Casper Clausen, Better Way
On his debut solo album, Efterklang frontman Casper Clausen swirls together elements of art pop, krautrock, and prog rock into a record that dares to push boundaries. “It’s a record about finding a better way, loving stronger, falling harder,” the Portuguese musician said in a statement, and Better Way reaches across the entire emotional spectrum.
Frozen Soul, Crypt of Ice
For those who delight in the bitter cold of winter, let Crypt of Ice make the season bright. The debut album from Texas band Frozen Soul is an exemplary odyssey of all of death metal’s most crucial pillars: Drilling bass drum hits, face-melting guitars, and vocals that sound like an exorcism. The result is not for the faint of heart, but for the ideal crowd, it’s a perfect catharsis.
AGGi DiX, SIMMER EP
Equal parts neo-soul and hip-hop, Danish singer-songwriter AGGi DiX is a promising rising artist. The 21-year-old’s new EP Simmer spotlights her featherlight flow atop glossy production, with a whimsical, carefree attitude indebted to ’90s R&B. Across the EP, AGGi DiX’s lyrics bear an optimistic sense of independence.
Devotion (Deluxe), Planet 1999
Since signing to PC Music — the record label that’s become heavily affiliated with the hyperpop genre — London band Planet 1999 are a fast-rising act that mixes glitchy beats and sugary melodies with the dreaminess of ’90s shoegaze. They solidified their place in the scene with last year’s Devotion; the deluxe issue of the record is out today, featuring remixes by Dinamarca, D.J. Lostboi, and of course, PC Music founder A.G. Cook.
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