The Catchiest Indie Songs in Current Rotation

Check out some of the catchiest indie music currently in rotation.

By Confusion & Constant Gardner

Traditionally, indie music has been celebrated for reasons other than pure catchiness. Sure, there have always been catchy indie songs, and that's always a draw for some people, but there's also a stigma attached with huge hooks and songs so immediate that you're singing along by the end of the first chorus. Lately, though, it seems like indie pop is having something of a moment. Embracing massive hooks and addictive melodies, indie artists (whether "indie" in relation to their style or label situation) are figuring out how to use production, style, and delivery to make even the most instantly gratifying songs interesting enough to maintain indie credibility and staying power.

We're not complaining. Here are some of the catchiest indie songs in current rotation.

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2. Woolfy - "City Lights"

Los Angeles producer Woolfy may be best known for a disco sound, but "City Lights" sounds like vintage, lo-fi Modest Mouse with a slight tropical vibe. It's a simple song that relies on repetition, and after one listen, it'll have you metaphorically swinging on a hammock and humming along.

3. Uzi - "Scene Girl"

Like Uzi’s videos, "Scene Girl" is an intentionally lo-fi affair, but it's overwhelmingly charming in its ways, driven by a simple melody and washed out, trap-tinged production. This isn't a fluke either. Uzi makes the kinds of songs that, on the surface, seem amateur-ish. They're also the kinds of songs that you'll end up being obsessed with.

Popping on the internet, smoking another cigarette/Feeling... like filming... is about to make us millions

4. Kill J - "Bullet"

"Catchy" doesn't always mean that you know all the words and sing along every time you listen. Kill J’s "Bullet" isn't a sing-along. Actually, you might only remember one word after you listen to the entire song. But it's the only word you need to know, and and it's so instantaneously infectious that one listen is never enough.

5. Shura - "Touch"

Without a huge overblown chorus, Shura’s "Touch" has that smooth, Dev Hynes kind of catchiness to it. If you sped it up a little it could be the perfect retro dancemove instigator. Instead, it's the best kind of catchy: the restrained kind.

6. Sylvan Esso - "Coffee"

If Garden State was made in 2014, Sylvan Esso’s "Coffee" would be perfect for it. It's that pretty, palatable variety of slightly moody indie, made even more dramatic by the beautiful video.

7. Hoodlem - "Old Friend"

Catchiest guitar riff since this? Maybe not, but the Melbourne duo's glitchy, stripped down production makes their U.S. debut a delicious introduction.

8. Little Dragon - "Klapp Klapp"

Little Dragon never sacrifices any of their experimental urges or playfulness in the search for a catchy hook, but they nonetheless regularly come up with offbeat electronic pop gems that have surprisingly catchy choruses. "Klapp Klapp," the first song from the band's new album, is another instance of this, combining at time frantic production with a chorus that is going to be an instant singalong when the band hit the road again.

9. Thief - "Closer"

Those Australians know how to make catchy music, word to Vance Joy and the massive "Riptide." Thief substitutes strings for cascading synths and full-bodied production, but "Closer" has the same amount of impact with a massive chorus and crisp sound.

On why he thinks Australia has such a strong music scene at the moment, Thief told us: “I think part of it is that we have great community radio support here in Australia. There’s a lot of ways to get your music heard and I think that gives artists the motivation to keep going and improving, the end result of which is a bunch of really great bands. I don’t really do much writing or anything with other Sydney acts, but it’s definitely a buzz seeing local bands doing well both at home and overseas."

10. Movement - "Like Lust"

Look, songs don't have to have a big bold chorus and clear, powerful vocals to be catchy. In fact, you don't even have to have vocals at all.

Just ask Sydney trio Movement, who obscure what would be a catchy R&B hook (and what was on their earlier song "Us") with a fuzzy layer of psychedelia, and then loop just one small snippet of the vocals, keeping it present throughout most of the song and in the process leaving it stuck bouncing round the inside of your head.

11. Jungle - "Busy Earnin'"

This shit from mysterious XL Recordings act Jungle isn't just catchy, it is mood-altering. Feeling down? Turn this on and try to keep your limbs from moving.

12. Just Friends - "Don't Tell Me"

At this point, it's pretty much fair to say that Nicolas Jaar is a genius, but when he teams up with vocalists—as in Just Friends with Sasha Spielberg—the results can be angelic. "Don't Tell Me" is catchy like a late '90s/early 2000's R&B song. It's catchy like an Aaliyah song, and what can be more of a compliment than that.

13. The Black Keys - "Fever"

The Black Keys' don't really seem like the kind of band to be too concerned specifically with making catchy hits, but "Fever," the first song we've heard from their new album Turn Blue, has not just a festival singalong ready hook, but, even better, an instantly memorable synth line that kicks things off. Black Keys and synths? Okay then.

14. Juice - "Sugar"

"Sugar" is the first song that Birmingham three-piece Juice ever released, and its beauty is that it could have been recorded any time in the past 20 years, and we can imagine that chorus being screamed by festival crowds in another 20 years time. A cacophony of pounding percussion and raw guitar is suddenly cut through by those first "Oooohs" around the one minute mark, and it's this songs anthemic chorus that give it almost endless replay value.

15. Lincoln Jesser - "Certainty"

Los Angeles producer/singer Lincoln Jesser’s "Certainty" kicks off like it might enter some murky, head-in-the-clouds pop territory. Even with that deep bass and those finger snaps, there's an element of spacey detachment. And then the chorus comes in.

16. Osca - "Blood"

Another impressive debut track, this time from London's Osca who have spent the last eight months locked away in the studio writing and rehearsing. The first fruit of that labor to be shared was "Blood," an expansive pop ballad that recalls early Coldplay in its slow build and eventual explosion into an emotionally charged chorus.

If you're in London, catch them live on April 2 here.

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