Hello, and welcome back to another year-end list. Is this year-end list any better or worse than any other year-end list? No, because they're all bullshit. It's just someone else's opinion about something that you could decide for yourself, had you made the increasingly difficult effort to try and discover new music on your own. Are these in any order? Yes, alphabetical,, by artist or band. Is this music all in the same genre? No, not at all, though my own tastes do lean toward shoegazey alternative rock and indie pop and folk, but then sometimes random funk and EDM. So yes, these are all releases from the 2023 calendar year that I thought were cool. That's the only commonality here. Was there other good music? Absolutely yes. Don't like my list? Go find another or make your own. You can do whatever you want. It's a wonderful world in that way.
bar italia
“yes i have eaten so many lemons yes i am so bitte”
Tracey Denim (Matador)
This London-based trio combines elements of Britpop, post-punk, and shoegaze. I like a lot of songs off their third album that was released in May. They have the vibe.
Bedridden
“Clara’s Mouth”
Amateur Heartthrob (Self-Released)
Bedridden is a sludgy shoegaze band based in Brooklyn, NY, and led by singer/songwriter/guitarist Jack Riley. Like a number of bands/artists on my list, this is a pretty much unknown band -- I have songs with many more plays and video views compared to them -- but I like their vibe a lot.
Bleary Eyed
“Wreck”
Bleary Eyed (Born Loser)
Fuzzy, chimey shoegaze out of Philly. What's not to like? The foursome was formed in 2015, and I enjoyed this self-titled EP quite a lot, with a special shoutout to both "Wreck" and "Upset" as my favorites.
Crumb & Melody's Echo Chamber
“Le Temple Volant”
Single (Crumb Records)
I've been a big fan of Brooklyn-based Crumb for several years. They live in a realm somewhere between indie rock, neo-psych, dream pop, and trip hop, and damn, Lila Ramani's guitar and voice are so, so good. In addition to releasing a couple of terrific singles in 2023 (my favorite being "Crushxd"), they also teamed up this year with another artist I enjoy... Melody's Echo Chamber (aka French musician Melody Prochet), for this beautifully baroque track.
dani mack
“Everybody's Watching”
Single (Future Gods)
Here's another case of a "small" artist whose talent absolutely merits her inclusion in my list. dani mack is the stage name of Baylee Barrett from Lubbock, Texas. In addition to the song I'm featuring, check out “Flea Bag” and “Nothing Better.”
Draag
“Mitsuwa”
Dark Fire Heresy (Self-Released)
I was fortunate to get the tip about Draag early on when they did their first release in 2018. Hailing from Sylmar, CA, Draag combines airy dream pop and sludgy shoegaze in a marvelous swirl of sound. I have never heard a song of theirs I didn't like immediately. Another to check out on their latest is “Good Era Doom.” Super esoteric note: this great-sounding album was mastered by Will Borza, a nice guy who I interviewed not long ago.
feeble little horse
“Tin Man”
Girl with Fish (Saddle Creek)
Straight outta Pittsburgh, PA, feeble little horse is probably my favorite new discovery of 2023. Side note: nearly everything released on Saddle Creek is pretty damn good, but I digress. feeble little horse is dreamy, they're noisy, and critics around the world took notice. You'll see Girl with Fish on a lot of year-end lists, and rightfully so. In addition to my featured track, it's worthwhile listening to “Slide,” “Sweet,” and “Freak.”
Flasher
“Eastern Ave”
In My Myth (Domino)
Ugh God, I love Flasher so much. Their 2022 full-length LP Love Is Yours was one of my favorites, and their new EP is every bit as good. This alt-rock band hails from Washington, D.C., and I can't say enough good things about them. Eager for whatever they do next.
Helena Deland
“Spring Bug”
Goodnight Summerland (Luminelle Recordings)
I found this excellent folky Canadian art pop artist a few years ago via her song "Lylz", and have been keeping an eye and an ear on her ever since. Her new album is full of great feelings; in addition to the featured track, I recommend “Bright Green Vibrant Gray,” “Drawbridge” and “Roadflower.” Of note: Goodnight Slumberland also features the audio engineering work of musician Sam Evian, whom I also enjoy, and was mastered by Heba Kadry, another person I've interviewed who tends to only work on albums that I end up loving.
Jana Horn
“Days Go By”
The Window Is the Dream (No Quarter)
This is another situation where I heard some early work of an artist, and then they delivered something that went way above and beyond my expectations for their follow-up. I probably recommended Jana Horn more in 2023 than any other artist. She's based in Austin, TX, and I'd say her music can be described as alt-folk or art pop, but she comes off as a poet who happens to use music as the vehicle for her words. Other essential tracks on this album include “The Dream,” “Energy Go,” and “Old Friend.”
Joe Vann
“Leave That Town”
For Everyone (Self-Released)
I first heard Joe Vann in the midst of the pandemic with his 2021 release "Houseplants" and found myself intrigued. The new album from this California-based singer-songwriter is full of soft and sweet indie folk pop. It's a go-to album for a cloudy melancholy Sunday along with a cup of hot coffee. A bunch of great tracks here, but try out "Move On" in addition to my featured song below.
Lewis Coleman
“Offline”
Offline (Beloved Recordings)
The first thing that comes to mind with Lewis Coleman is, "What the actual fuck is this?" Then, next thing you know, you're transported via time machine to a dirty-ass bar in 1977. You'd probably swear Lewis is from someplace like Portland or Brooklyn, but no; he's from Melbourne, Australia, cranking out sounds that are simultaneously new and timeless. And yeah, the opening title track is over seven minutes long. If you get through that, try out “Courts” and “Indigo," and then sign up as a fan, because you'll be one.
Lutalo
“Hold My Head”
AGAIN (Winspear)
I honestly don't know shit about Lutalo Jones other than that his album AGAIN is full of amazing, very unique sounds that I like a lot. I know he's based in Vermont for some reason. I know other artists that I admire, like Adrianne Lenker and Andy Shauf, are fans of Lutalo as well. Every song off this album is good; in addition to my featured track, try out “PLPH,” “Push Back Baby,” “Strange Folk, ” and “Scraps.”
Matty
“breast”
Single (Self-Released)
Matty is Canadian musician/producer Matthew Tavares, who first got some attention as the founder of the highly-regarded instrumental band BADBADNOTGOOD, but this guy is an insanely talented songwriter whose work has been released by Wu-Tang Clan, Kendrick Lamar, Taylor Swift, Post Malone, and others. I got into his solo work a couple of years back, but his most recent stuff is terrific as usual. He's insanely prodigious; I think he's done three full-length albums this year alone while also producing other projects. It's to the point that I'm not even sure when or how "breast" was released, but it doesn't matter that much, I suppose. If you like this, try out his song "Taste".
PACKS
“Honey”
Melt the Honey (Fire Talk)
PACKS sounds like drugs, in a good way. Interestingly, Madeline Link knocked out two projects as PACKS in a 12-month period; Crispy Crunchy Nothing came out in March, while the official release date of Melt the Honey isn't until January 2024. Regardless, she's already released a couple of tracks off that, making them eligible for this year's list. If you like "Honey," try "HFCS" as well as "Not the Same."
pecq
“Left Behind”
Amnesia's Ritual (Self-Released)
Making a departure from my typical alt/shoegaze guitar-based tastes, I've been enjoying pecq for a couple of years. In 2023, they released their third EP, Amnesia's Ritual, and another single called “out loud" that I equally enjoyed. pecq ia delightfully kaleidoscopic alt pop created by multi-instrumentalist and producer duo Nikò O’Brien and Hannah Jacobs, and they deliver a standout blend of analog synth scapes, crunchy drums, found sounds and arresting vocals.
Queens of the Stone Age
“Emotion Sickness”
In Times New Roman... (Matador)
I always have high hopes when a new QOTSA album is released. The last one was Villains in 2017, and it didn't float my boat as much as most of their previous work. But ITNR is the band back on a level of rawness that hasn't been as present since Era Vulgaris in 2007, and there's not a track on there I don't enjoy. If you like "Emotion Sickness," maybe also try “Paper Machete” and “What The Peephole Say." Side note: I hardly consider QOTSA to be an indie music band at this stage; they've been playing arenas and stadiums for about two decades. But good music is good music.
Sea Lemon
“Cellar”
Stop at Nothing (Luminelle Recordings)
Sea Lemon is the Seattle-based dreampop solo project of musician Natalie Lew, and wow, this is just great stuff. Lush and light, it's great music for a cloudy day no matter where you live. If you like "Cellar," also try out “Breakdown” feat. Day Wave.
Unknown Mortal Orchestra
“Layla”
V (Jagjaguar)
Unlike most of the other bands on this list, I've been able to see UMO play live a number of times. Ruban Nielson kinda dribbled this album out -- the first song "Weekend Run" came out in Spring 2021 -- but as a whole it's absolutely some of his best work, with special kudos going out to the featured track here as well as “The Garden” and “In The Rear View”. Hats off to Ruban as well for incorporating some new and varied sonic influences on this collection of music.
U.S. Girls
“Tux (Your Body Fills Me, Boo)”
Bless This Mess (4AD)
Okay... this is fucking rad. The synth-based disco funk of this track isn't ironic; it's fucking real and sincere, and I love it. Bless This Mess is the eighth studio album by Toronto-based musician and producer Meghan Remy who does her solo work as U.S. Girls. Plus, it's a song sung from the perspective of an actual fucking tuxedo. Brilliant.
Wednesday
“Got Shocked”
Rat Saw God (Dead Oceans)
Here's one of those cases where I'm gonna be that asshole and mention how I found Wednesday when they had like three views of their videos, and they made my 2021 list as a result. Rat Saw God has now ended up on a bunch of the big critics' year-end lists this year, and rightfully so. This Asheville, NC band creates fucking phenomenal grungy indie rock shoegaze that occasionally also has alt-country elements... check out “Chosen to Deserve” for a sample. I like Wednesday so much that I've also become a fan of band member MJ Lenderman, who's done some solo stuff as well.
Wishy
“Donut”
Paradise (Winspear)
It seems that every year I find space for an entry in my list that's for some cute young band that's doing fun stuff, and this year that band is Wishy out of Indianapolis. I'm not sure if any of Wishy's members are old enough to actually remember the '90s, but someone exposed them to some post-grunge and the poppier end of shoegaze at some point, and they took it and ran with it. When you're done with "Donut," give “Too True” a spin.
Wombo
“Slab”
Slab (Fire Talk)
There are some cool bands on this year's list, but are they cooler than Wombo? I can't say that they are, and if you're in a three-piece indie rock band out of Louisville who kicks this much ass, you deserve the acknowledgement. I liked last year's Fairy Rust a lot, but their Slab EP this year is fucking angular and driving, and I've probably heard this song more than any other tune in 2023 because it's like a delicious but unexpectedly spicy snack, and you can't stop reaching in the bag to eat another.
Honorable Mentions
I should mention that I feature a song every single day of the year, so just getting this list of 365 down to the first cut of 128 and then down to 23 was a ridiculously hard task. Many of the artists/bands below were only reluctantly pulled from the final list, and you won't find anything that's not worthy of at least a listen on this entire page. Just wanted that to be clear. This is all good shit.
André 3000
“The Slang Word P (*) ssy Rolls Off The Tongue With Far Better Ease Than The Proper Word Vagina . Do You Agree?”
Andy Shauf
"Halloween Store”
"Sunset"
The Beatles
“Now and Then”
Berhana
“Gone (Abebe Bikila)”
Buzzy Lee
“When Can I”
Cherry Glazerr
“Ready For You”
“Soft Like a Flower”
Daneshevskaya
“Somewhere In The Middle”
Daniel Noah Miller
“Typical”
Deeper
“Build a Bridge”
Drauve
“Dry”
EVNTYD
“Gas Pump”
Enumclaw
“Fuck Love, I Just Bought a New Truck”
“Lost and Found”
Far Caspian
“Pet Architect”
“Pool”
Fatso Jetson
“Angels Flight”
"Night of the Living Amends”
Finnish Postcard
“Not Even for the Weekend”
Foo Fighters
“Show Me How”
Hand Habits
“Andy in Stereo”
Hank May
“I’m Just A Lover Now”
HONEYMOAN
“Sit Right”
Horsebeach
“In The Shadow Of Her”
Hotline TNT
“Protocol"
juicer
“Trickin”
koleżanka
"Canals of Our City"
Kevin Abstract
“BLANKET”
“My Friend”
“When The Rope Post 2 Break”
Kurt Vile
“Another good year for the roses”
Lana Del Rey
“A&W”
Laura Groves
“Any Day Now”
Laura Veirs
“Rocks of Time”
Laurel Halo
“Atlas”
Mad Honey
“Heavier Still”
Meagre Martin
“All My Thoughts”
Mega Bog
“Anthropocene”
Meltt
“The Fire”
Michael B Thomas
“The Moment”
Mini Trees
“Push and Pull”
Mirrorball
“Red Hot Dust”
NewDad
“Nightmares”
Night Hikes
“Ethereal Shore”
Night Tapes
“Silent Song”
Nightshifts
“Rover”
Oca Pine
“No Eye”
Mitski
“The Deal”
“Star"
Nation of Language
“Sightseer"
Parannoul
“개화”
Portraits Of Tracy
“The Afterparty”
PYNKIE
“Crushed out”
Rozi Plain
“Sore”
semiwestern
“condo”
“pose”
Shuttle
“One More Job”
Slow Pulp
"Gone 2"
Smelter
“Blue To You”
The Something Specials
“Aces”
Space Equator
“Once In”
spill tab
“fetish”
“Window”
SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE
“really happening”
Stephen Steinbrink
"Cruiser"
Sweeping Promises
“Eraser”
Teethe
“Moon”
Truth Club
“Siphon”
Tyler, The Creator
“WHAT A DAY”
Westerman
“A Lens Turning”
Wilco
“Levee”
Worthitpurchase
"Big Canada"
Video Age
“Away From The Castle”
yeule
“dazies”
“sulky baby”
Yves Tumor
“Lovely Sewer”
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