Top Seven Indie Albums Halfway Through the Year
Reflecting on 2024's top seven indie albums and diverse debuts shaping the music scene.

2023 was a year of amazing music, but I came into 2024 looking forward to what my favorite artists had in store. Don’t get me wrong, music is timeless and cannot expire but new music is always welcome. This year has gotten off to a flying start and we’ve arrived at the first checkpoint. We’re halfway through the year and I think it’s a great time to take a breather and reflect on what a year it has been.

Here are my top seven indie albums halfway through the year…

Spin the Globe 2 by Connor Price

In 2023, Connor Price released Spin the Globe 1. It was an amazing compilation of songs he made by collaborating with artists from countries around the world and he randomly picked them by, you guessed it, spinning the globe. You’d never know it’s an indie album if you weren't told. It sounds like something any mainstream rapper would be proud to claim.

The first song, Ruby, clearly indicates that the project would be a musical masterpiece from lyrics to style and production. Price and his assembly of foreign artists combine to devastating effect.

Where We’ve Been, Where We Go From Here by Friko

Unlike Price's album, this one is indie right off the bat. It's as indie rock as you like it, with the first song starting slowly before building up into a roar of guitar. For Ella is slow from start to finish with a solemn feel, but the rest of the album is pretty much high energy.

Friko’s debut album is more than just a good time. According to Pitchfork, Where We've Been, Where We Go From Here is more than just an album. It's a sign that indie rock isn't going anywhere even with the new generation on the rise.

Micah by Micah Dailey White

Another pure indie rock album on the list, Micah is White's debut album. In his statement of arrival, White takes us back in time with a retro touch to his music. It's an innovative blend of different genres, but you'd think he's a veteran artist the way he does it.

Freaks is one of my favorite songs on the album. It starts with a bright and catchy melody before White's singing comes on. The lyrics are amazing. The pre-chorus is my favorite part.

Ooh, maybe it's 'cause our souls are bright

Yet we're so dark

For us, there is nowhere to hide

We shine like stars

To them, we're like forbidden fruit

The sweetest kind

And when they come and get a taste

They lose their minds.  (From Genius)

The forbidden fruit is usually the tastiest, isn't it? Micah is full of deep, poetic lyrics like this.

For the Rest of Your Life by Twikipedia

This one is for the emo/indietronica lovers. If you're one of them, you're welcome.

Steady and easy

Hang onto the threads 'cause you know that you need me

Fever dream, I see you in the ceiling

And if loving you is this fucking hard

I'll never love someone again

Love again.  (From Genius)

Sorrowful, deep, and thought-provoking. For the Rest of Your Life is an amazing work of art by Twikipedia. There isn't much to say about it except that when you start, it's hard not to get lost in it.

Twice Around the Sun by Ugly

Prelude to Ecstasy by The Last Dinner Party

This album literally starts with a prelude to ecstasy. The first song is entirely an instrumental that promises a good time ahead. As far as debut albums go, this was an excellent job by The Last Dinner Party. It's so good that some reviews are calling them the next big thing in indie music.

The next song makes you sit up to really listen. It paints a scary picture of toxic love. Burn Alive is the story of a woman who is so disappointed with who she has become that she's on a path of self-destruction. This is perhaps my second favorite album on this list after Connor Price's Spin the Globe 2.

Such is the speed and intensity of their emergence in the music industry that some fans have called them industry plants. Their only response is a polite nod and a hearty thank you.

Focus on Nature by The Bevis Frond

Many of the albums here are debut albums, but Focus on Nature is Bevis Frond’s 29th. The album starts with a short message and then dives straight into the synths and drums in true indie rock style. And at the end of the song, there's an amazing guitar solo as you would expect from a rock song in the “good old days”.

People always want to make

A mountain out of a molehill

They like a bit of drama

Yeah, but this little molehill

Went to market with a monster inside

And it ain't pink & fluffy.  (From Genius)

Of course, the album talks about keeping nature safe. I especially enjoyed this poetic description of global warming. It looks like people are making a big deal out of nothing, but something scary is cooking up behind the scenes.

If you enjoy rock music, this amazing compilation of 19 songs is definitely for you.

Midnight Butterflies by Sea Girls

Midnight Butterflies takes us on a journey of young love. The first song is all about how our main character can't take his mind off a girl. He likens her to “sex and rock and roll”. It's an indie rock album down to the bone, there are no winding innovative genre mixes here. Sea Girls just does what they do best.

I Want You to Know Me talks about the need for empathy and relatability in a relationship, while Come Back to Me deals with the aftermath of the first breakup. I won't talk about every song but you catch the drift. The whole album is a story of love. Amazing work.

Final Thoughts

There you have it, my top seven indie albums so far in 2024. I'm especially excited about this list because of the number of debuts. The indie music industry looks set for the next generation already. Innovative or purist, we're blessed with all of the above.

Have you been enjoying the music year? What are your favorite albums?