Ever since my unexpected induction into pop-music-enjoyer-dom a few years ago, I’ve been enjoying broadening my horizons in both directions—the more popular and the more obscure. I have ambitions to cover much more ground, genre-wise, but there’s plenty of incredible music I’ve found already. Here’s a list of five of my favorites from both categories, starting with the most mainstream and working our way down.

 

Happier Than Ever — Billie Eilish (monthly Spotify listeners: 67,221,951)

Billie’s second studio album has almost everything I could’ve asked for after becoming a fan of hers as soon as I heard “Bad Guy.” I have some complaints about the album, sure, but after listening to the latter half—“Therefore I Am” especially—it’s hard to feel like I have any real right to criticize Eilish or her work.

Highlight tracks:

“Billie Bossa Nova”

“Oxytocin”

“Halley’s Comet”

 

Superache — Conan Gray (monthly Spotify listeners: 27,501,592)

This album is sad. I wouldn’t really recommend listening to it if you aren’t prepared to tear up at least a handful of times. The highs on the album, in terms of emotional impact and in terms of artistry, are all lows, mood-wise, in one way or another. But dear god are they evocative. Also, I love the cover art.

Highlight tracks:

“Disaster”

“Best Friend”

“Astronomy”

 

Oh Wonder — Oh Wonder (monthly Spotify listeners: 7,287,400)

I started listening to Oh Wonder when they only had this first self-titled album, and it’s probably still my favorite of theirs. There’s a simple cohesion to the sound of all the tracks that you might think would make it sound same-y, but it doesn’t. Each song has its own charm, and I’ve never gotten sick of this duo’s smoothly layered vocals, even after years of listening.

Highlight Tracks:

“Livewire”

“Shark”

“Plans”

 

Port of Morrow — The Shins (monthly Spotify listeners: 4,470,928)

I recently got back into listening to the Shins, and I’ve been consequently wondering why I ever stopped in the first place. There are some real standout songs in both their earlier and later work, but this album comes together as a whole project the best, in my opinion. There’s something about this band’s distinctively quirky music that’s just irresistible to me.

Highlight Tracks:

“The Rifle’s Spiral”

“Bait and Switch”

“No Way Down”

 

The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess — Chapelle Roan (monthly Spotify listeners: 1,440,758)

This album is probably more “pop” in spirit than all the previous entries on the list thus far, and I like it for all the same reasons I suspect people most conventionally like pop music. It’s fun, it’s flirty, it’s reflective at times, and the songs are catchy as all hell. Aesthetically speaking, it doesn’t feel particularly me, which is part of the reason I wanted to put it on the list. It’s almost like I’m enjoying the music in spite of myself.

Highlight Tracks:

“Red Wine Supernova”

“HOT TO GO”

“Kaleidoscope”

 

WOMB — Purity Ring (monthly Spotify listeners: 558,625)

Against the backdrop of the rest of the albums on this list, WOMB is probably the most distinct in style, angling much further toward the synth- and electro- genre prefixes, whereas the other entries tend to skew acoustic. If you could ever call a band’s sound “ethereal” and “heavy” at the same time, it would be this one. Make sure to listen on stereo.

Highlight Tracks:

“femia”

“vehemence”

“stardew”

 

Birds Say — Darlingside (monthly Spotify listeners: 370,318)

I can’t say for certain if this album is as sad as I think it is, or if it’s just because I listened to it during an incredibly sad and formative time in my life. What I can say for certain is that either way it’s gorgeous, and that the harmonies sung by these beautiful boys are—to be a bit dramatic—etched into my soul.

Highlight Tracks:

“Clay & Cast Iron”

“My Gal, My Guy”

“Good for You”

 

Layers of Us — Mimicking Birds (monthly Spotify listeners: 29,381)

Before I knew that you could listen to the lyrics of songs and what they actually mean, I focused a lot more on the texture. I still do, of course, but I’ve developed an affinity for music where the lyrics serve as part of that texture, even more so than conveying meaning in the normal sense. Mimicking birds is a prime example of that, and this whole album consists of a mysterious-sounding full-textured goodness that, when it hits, hits just right.

Highlight Tracks:

“Dust Layers”

“Sunlight Daze”

“Island Shore”

 

Gap Years — The Gromble (monthly Spotify listeners: 7,150)

In 2022, all five of my top-listened songs came from The Gromble’s initial self-titled album. The rest of that album, combined with their second album, Jayus, created extremely high expectations for me when I saw the announcement of Gap Years. Thankfully, it delivers, exceptionally so, and if you’re looking to listen to some truly indie rock in the year 2024, this is where I would recommend you start.

Highlight Tracks:

“Cope”

“Thomas Guide”

“Alexis”

 

Foundry — Tigers on Trains (monthly Spotify listeners: 1,715)

I feel incredibly lucky to have stumbled across this band in my teen years, at a time when mellow, acoustic indie folk was basically the only thing I wanted to listen to. What’s surprising is how well this music holds up, years later, with songwriting and melodic lines that are easily as good as the stuff at the very top of this list.

Highlight Tracks:

“A Chain”

“Long Sleeves”

“Turquoise Mines”

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