Our favourite indie albums and singles released in November 2024 - featuring Kim Deal, The Cure, Michael Kiwanuka and more.
Welcome to the latest edition of our monthly indie review blog. In this edition, we review the best new indie music released from the month that’s just been.
November itself was an absolute bumper month for new music giving us plenty to mull over! With contributions from Matthew McLister and Neil Renton, here's a review of the best albums from November 2024.
Albums
The Cure – Songs of a Lost World
First up is one that has been a long time coming. Sixteen years is a lifetime in a music industry constantly in a state of flux. Yet there’s an elite level of bands able to take this long between albums and not be forgotten. Take The Cure – a legendary band who’ve waited this number of years to deliver Songs of a Lost World, typically leaving a heavy trail of anticipation in its run up.
Now the record’s finally with us, lets cut to the chase and ask the all-important question: is album number 14 really worth the wait? Abso-bloody-lutely! They’ve delivered a late-career highlight of brooding elegance; heavy sonically and thematically.
Of course, The Cure have never been a band to do things by half measures. So, eight tracks over 46 minutes feels both a little reined (by their standards at least – 1989 classic Disintegration is an epic 72-minute listening experience) and also not considering almost half the tracks are over six minutes. Typically, the moody soundscapes develop effortlessly until they’re felt in the very depths of your soul.
Overall then, Songs of a Lost World exceeds all expectations. Robert Smith’s voice is ageless and wistful, and, as the song’s meander and embolden, each of the other member’s talent’s shine through into one unified, cohesive sound.
The Cure sure do sound like a band ageing like a fine wine on what is a brooding late-career masterpiece. (Words by Matthew McLister)
Primal Scream - Come Ahead
Dad joke alert. Where do you find a tortoise with no legs? Where you left it. Where do you find Primal Scream after an eight year break?
Grooving away in Studio 54 with David Holmes. That’s right. Bobby Gillespie and Andrew Innes have teamed up with one of the finest producers around to kick the absolute funk out of another genre. This time it’s disco.
It’s also very personal. The cover features a photo of Bobby’s late father looking cool and dapper. ‘False Flags’ and ‘Settlers Blues’ change gears from the rest of the album in which you could accuse of being self indulgent. But the rest of it more than makes up for it.
The gospel start of opening number ‘Ready To Go Home’ might have you thinking they’ve finally given us Screamdelica Mk II but it’s all a ruse. Wait til the big beat kicks in.
‘Love Insurrection’ is groovy and laid back while ‘’Love Ain’t Enough’ and ‘Circus Of Life’ keep the party moving on up. Unlike a legless reptile, The Scream Team are going places. Strap yourself in. (Words by Neil Renton)
Michael Kiwanuka - Small Changes
Just as Storm Bert unleashed all manners of elemental hell on the country, Kiwanuka released his first album in five years. And it’s far more appealing that icy showers and 70 miles per hours wind.
He’s said that the album has been inspired by anxiety over the state the world is in just now but it’s not a frenetic dash through a panic attack. Instead it’s a focused and measured collection of superior song writing that maintains his status as one of the most important acts we have. ‘Lowdown (part i)’ finds him pondering on what’s going on with the kind of production that evokes Marvin Gaye.
It’s almost a minute before his vocals kick in ‘One And Only’ but it’s well worth the wait as he stuns with words of support to a loved one who needs them. The album closes with ‘Four More Years’ and it instantly makes you want you to experience the whole thing again. It’s the full stop on a sentence of unrivalled beauty.
Don’t be surprised if Small Changes ends up raining accolades and awards in the near future. (Words by Neil Renton)
Kim Deal – Nobody Loves You More
Best known as the bassist for indie trailblazers Pixies and later frontwoman of cult outfit The Breeders, Kim Deal is regarded an alt-rock icon after nearly 40 years of musical productivity.
For this reason, it almost feels like a glitch in the matrix that the 63-year-old is only now releasing her debut solo album. Nobody Loves You More is well worth the wait: sonically adventurous and gorgeously mellow songs that reflect the natural maturing of an artist nearing retirement age.
The record’s creation was aided by a vast array of familiar characters over a 14-year period. Her late friend and legendary engineer Steve Albini steered the final recordings, with collaborators from members of Breeders, Savages’ Fay Milton and Ayse Hassan, and former RHCP guitarist Josh Klinghoffer.
The opening run of tracks leave quite the impression too. To start, ‘Nobody Loves You More’ matches luscious - and at times rusty - orchestrations with Deal’s heartfelt yet chilling crooning. ‘Coast’ - written about “revelatory levels of low self-esteem” of a friend’s wedding band – then thrills through breezy guitars and a marching band.
Kim Deal’s debut LP is often intriguing and rarely banal. An elegant showcase proving why her venture into solo artistry was necessary. (Words by Matthew McLister)
Check out my review of Nobody Loves You More on the Stereoboard website.
Father John Misty - Mahashmashana
Father John Misty has parlayed a distinctive sense of humour, unique vocal delivery and undeniable songs into a silken sound that’s always been undercut by a sense of restlessness. Josh Tillman’s music is hard to categorise, slipping seamlessly from pop to jazz and singer-songwriter fare to indie-folk, often covering multiple genres in one album. On his sixth LP this mix is as beguiling as ever, with Mahashmashana charting sounds both familiar and new for the chameleonic artist.
If you could bottle up Father John Misty’s sound into a single track, ‘I Guess Time Just Makes Fools of Us All’ would be it. At over eight minutes, it offers a melange of styles with a sax intro leading into something folky, capturing the breadth of his appeal and sense of scope.
Mahashmashana is another hypnotic album from an artist who is never content to stay in one lane, constantly reinventing his music but underpinning it with reliable wit and verve. It is highly ambitious but feels effortless, with Tillman delivering some of his best work across eight freewheeling cuts. (Words by Chris Connor)
Single: Findlay - ‘Juicy Fruit’
It’s been over a decade since Findlay gave us one of those songs that should have been far more loved than what it was. ‘Your Sister’ riffed on ‘Jean Geanie’ in a way that made you admire her audacity. She’s always been an artist I’ve looked out for. Now she’s back with indies premier chameleon Miles Kane for a nostalgia-shimming duet. Guitar licks, harmonies and a singalong chorus. It ends with the sound of applause which heralds the start of the accolades. (Words by Neil Renton)
Single: Housewife - Divorce
'Divorce’ is the latest single from Toronto-based artist Housewife (aka Brighid Fry). Containing mournful vocals, pensive grunge riffs and palpable pop hooks, Fry paints a vivid picture of someone whose entire universe has fallen apart due to a break-up. One so harsh it, in turn, feels like a divorce. The 21-year-old artist would explain that she “wrote it after experiencing really bad heartbreak that kind of blindsided me and completely uprooted me”, capturing a relatable sense of frustration that often follows such an event. The moody sonics later progress towards an explosive finale and an impactful ”I’m not the enemy” refrain. And as an ending, this leaves a lingering impression far beyond the song’s demise. (Words by Matthew McLister)
For the best tunes of each month, listen to our Best indie songs of the month 2024 playlist below.