Top 20 Indie Albums of 2023 (Part II)

Hi Pal,

Genre classification these days is usually a fairly tedious affair as more artists work their creative muscles to create music that draws inspiration from various soundscapes. For this list, Indie describes albums that fall within the indie soundscapes including rock, pop, electronic and experimental interpretations. Streaming links are embedded in the titles.

Temple

Every year, I keep my eyes out for albums with dream pop sensibilities, and although this album is more than just that, it was effective in soothing my ache for songs with those sounds. Scott and Annie have distinctly different vocal styles and the songs they took the lead on are composed to bring out the best in their approaches.

Personal Recommendation: Saviour

Good Omens

I casually started listening to Mudhouse back in 2021 and I haven’t looked back since. October was my favourite release month of the year and Good Omens is one of the reasons why. It’s a really good album that blends indie rock and indie folk composition styles in interesting ways. It also helps that my most-played song of the year is on this album.

Personal Recommendation: Sinking Ship

Slow Renaissance

I’ve had an interesting relationship with Josh Gauton’s music over the years and I never thought Slow Renaissance would have such a firm grip on me when it was originally announced. Somehow, every song that came out in the build-up to the album release kept sounding better than the last and when the album finally dropped, I was floored. I was genuinely impressed by this one.

Personal Recommendation: Feather & Skin

Gardens

Another October release on this list that robbed me of words after my first listen. I never knew anything about Ivan Theva before this album, and now, I cannot wait to hear what he drops next because my only gripe with Gardens is that it is too short. There are a few sonic influences across this album and in some parts, it may have found a home on another list. It is just a dynamic work of art that deserves to be heard.

Personal Recommendation: I Need Somebody

Deep Magic

You’re probably tired of me talking about “October releases” but here we are. As soon as this album was announced, I knew it was going to be on this list. John Mark McMillan has a solid track record and has been one of my favourite artists on the scene even back in 2014 when I barely knew what Christian indie was. Deep Magic is more than just another good JMM album, I genuinely believe it is his best work in the past decade.

Personal Recommendation: Love With A Crown

Stay Close

Joseph Cutshall is a new addition to my library and a very welcome one. His music has so many interesting faces and Stay Close is an indie fusion rock album. I particularly enjoyed the songs that had Heartland rock sensibilities because it is a genre I love. When I listen to an album from start to finish and I feel complete, then I know it’s going to make it on my top list(s).

Personal Recommendation: South of West

Home Enough for Now

I listened to several emotional albums in 2023, but none of them made me bawl my eyes out the way this one did. Home Enough for Now is an album born from tragedy and although it is not pessimistic in its approach, it is still very visceral and honest. Beyond its emotional impact, it also contains some of the best songwriting and production that I have heard from a Benjamin Daniel album.

Personal Recommendation: 1999 Bridge Creek-Moore Tornado

TO THE SEARCHING, THE LOST AND FOUND

There aren’t many feelings that are as satisfying as an album living up to the hype. In Christian indie circles, RIDERS’ debut release was the most anticipated album of 2023 by a country mile. When an album has that much hype around it, I tend to be cautiously optimistic and worry about potential disappointment. Thankfully, TO THE SEARCHING, THE LOST AND FOUND was much better than I expected it to be.

Personal Recommendation: LETTER TO THE devil

No Creature Is Hidden

I spent months torn between this and the next album on this list about which should be first and which should be second. Although they are sonically different, they are both perfect examples of the quality and production standards that I have grown to respect on the Christian indie scene. No Creature Is Hidden is a brilliant indie rock album and is conceptually one of the best albums in the genre in the past few years. In a sense, I think it is underappreciated and we will come to value it more in years to come.

Personal Recommendation: Uncreated Light

Zechariah

When you find yourself obsessively listening to the songs on an album for most of the months in a calendar year, you have to admit that it is probably your album of the year. As I said earlier, in terms of quality and musicianship, there’s not a lot separating #1 and #2. Zechariah is a conceptual experimental indie album inspired by the book of the Bible of the same name and I could not get enough of it in 2023. Everything about it worked for me and it is rare for me to think that an album is near perfect, but this one is.

Personal Recommendation: Silver Pieces

That’s it for today.

Catch you soon!

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Delta Gatti

Update: 2024-12-02

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