Our seven favourite indie albums released in September 2024 - featuring Fat Dog, Jamie xx, The Dare 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.
September 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 September 2024.
Albums
Fat Dog - WOOF.
First up is a record I’d been excited about for some time: the debut album by South London-based indie-dance act Fat Dog - WOOF.
For those unaware, Fat Dog are fronted by singer Joe Love and produce a unique style of indie rock and dance music, combining a mix of punk, industrial, metal, techno and Eastern European dance sounds for an exhilarating and, quite frankly, bonkers sound!
Their debut has finally arrived to give us something more substantial than the handful of singles that previously sat alongside their name.
WOOF. itself is perhaps a little on the short side (9 songs over 33 minutes), and could’ve expanded things a little further (the best songs are easily the preview singles we’d already heard - ‘King of the Slugs’, ‘Wither’, ‘Running’), but when the album peaks, the excitement it causes is unrivalled. These guys are undoubtedly only going to get bigger and better. (Words by Matthew McLister)
Jamie xx - In Waves
With their debut album, The xx made the quintessential soundtrack to 3am on a Sunday morning. It was the sound of the dying embers of a night out at that point where you’re not ready to call it quits. Their three members have given us three albums from the group and various solo projects.
Which brings us to Jamie XX following up the seminal In Colour with In Waves. Straight away attention is drawn to ‘Waited All Night’ where he’s reunited with Romy and Oliver Sims from The xx. And while it’s joyful having the trio back together don’t let it over shadow the rest of the material on offer here.
‘Baddy On The Floor’ is an absolute cracker of a team up with Honey Dijon. ‘All You Children’ a collab with kindred spirits The Avalanches that lives up to the expectations you set it. ‘Treat Each Other Right’ is a proper old school call to arms destined to own dancefloors for years to come.
The rumoured comeback from The xx is still just that. In the meantime we’ve got In Waves to keep us entertained. Especially at 3am on a Sunday morning. (Words by Neil Renton)
DEADLETTER - Hysterical Strength
I have many theories. One of them is that in the right hands, songs can be improved with the aid of a saxophone. Probably the coolest instrument there is but also the most criminally underused.
Thankfully we’ve got DEADLETTER to get the most out of it. And that they do. After appearing on various BBC 6 playlists recently, their debut album Hysterical Strength arrives all guns blazing.
It’s quite hard to pin down much like the group themselves. Originally from Yorkshire but now based in London there’s a touch of post-punk and a sprinkling of indie pop. Part of it feels as it hasn’t read the rule books while the rest seems like they wrote it.
Then there’s Poppy Richler on saxophone, fusing the whole lot together. ‘Mere Mortal’ for instance could be a lot more sinister without her contribution.
Everyone else plays a blinder though. Big things are expected of the band especially when they’ve got the likes of ‘Auntie Christ’ and ‘Credit To Treason’ on their side.
DEADLETTER might be unconventional but they’re all the better for it. (Words by Neil Renton)
The Voidz - Like All Before You
Away from the more straightforward garage-rock style of The Strokes, Julian Casablancas has used The Voidz to indulge in the sort of experiments that wouldn’t light a fire under his main band. Not that everyone has been on board with this approach, however. When their debut Tyranny arrived in 2014, reviews were somewhat mixed — it was either unlistenable or refreshingly eclectic, depending on who you asked.
Ten years later, the LA-based five-piece have delivered Like All Before You, another Marmite record whose refusal to be boxed in is either a charm or a hindrance depending on your perspective.
Their third LP contains a melting pot of ideas largely borrowed from ‘80s electronica and rock, with 'Square Wave' beginning under the steam of The Cure-esque guitars, wonderfully merging a jangle-pop riff with robotic vocals.
The constant disregard for consistency on Like All Before You won’t be for everyone. But, for those who eventually find themselves on board, its unpredictability and creativity are very much part of the charm. (Word by Matthew McLister)
Snow Patrol – The Forest Is The Path
It’s purely a coincidence that Snow Patrol have released their first album in six years at pretty much the same time Coldplay sent Ticketmaster into meltdown with news of a massive series of shows.
There’s a lot of hatred for Chris Martin and the gang with the type of Big Anthems By Numbers not to everybody’s taste. Are Snow Patrol also tainted with the same brush?
It’s quite a harsh take. There’s nothing wrong with Snow Patrol and The Forest Is The Path acts as a perfect reminder.
The opening salvo of ‘All’, ‘The Beginning’ and ‘Everything’s Here and Nothing’s Lost’ are never bettered throughout the rest of the album but it’s not a bad thing as the trio of songs hit the type of heights that most indie rock bands aspire to.
There’s something comforting with Snow Patrol. A honest approach to their song writing with tunes that many of us will relate to which could be played at either a wedding or a funeral.
Maybe there is more to being a musical artist than selling out stadiums. Such as releasing albums like this. (Words by Neil Renton)
Maximo Park - Stream of Life
When Maxïmo Park emerged almost two decades ago their well-read indie-pop quickly pushed them to the top of a thriving British rock scene, with indie-disco ubiquity becoming a brief flirtation with mainstream celebrity. Given the shifting sands of the industry, the Newcastle band’s stock isn’t quite as high today but Stream of Life is performed as though they’re still in their mid-‘00s heyday.
Taking inspiration from a short story by Ukrainian-born Brazilian writer Clarice Lispector, the band’s eighth full length was recorded with returning producer Ben Allen between Atlanta and Athens, Georgia. It isn’t a million miles away from what you’d expect from a Maxïmo Park record, but their formula remains fresh thanks to its exploration of introspection and frontman Paul Smith’s observations on society.
Their trademark soaring guitars and singalong choruses dazzle on self-reflective opener 'Your Own Worst Enemy', but 'Favourite Songs’ poppy riffs and defiant lyrics combine for the record’s standout track. “My best years are behind me / but I’ll be damned if I’m giving up,” Smith sings.
Without breaking the mould sonically, Streams of Life maintains Maxïmo Park’s lofty standards. Carried, as ever, by the charisma of Smith, its unique charm, reflective spirit and uplifting nature makes for another winning experience. (Words by Matthew McLister)
The Dare - What’s Wrong With New York?
And finally, this one is a bit of a guilty pleasure. The Dare is the musical persona of producer Harrison Patrick Smith, an artist whose debut album plays out like a crazy night out of excess and debauchary in New York City. Almost like an episode of Succession where there's nothing at all redeemable about the main character (s), its hard to can’t take your eyes (or ears, in this case) off the car crash in front of you.
The record itself contains nostalgia for dirty “indie sleaze” dancefloors, one man’s quest to take us back to the mid-00s and he does a pretty great job in the process. A heavy LCD Soundsystem influence and a nod to the likes of CSS and early Calvin Harris (around 2007 when the Scottish DJs bangers were grittier and less polished).
The Dare’s debut also has a similar tackiness to contemporary Australian dance outfit Confidence Man. Horny, shallow and deliberately retro, What’s Wrong With New York? won't win any awards for its depth or substance, but its a heap of fun regardless. (Words by Matthew McLister)
For the best tunes of each month, listen to our Best indie songs of the month 2024 playlist below.
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