Tag: indie rock

Indie Vision Music to release Vol. 5 in the "Fighting From The Ground Up" series on October 23rd 2026. This digital compilation will be available through all digital networks as well as on Bandcamp. Featuring a varied cast of talent and characters sure to bring a smile to any face with plenty of finger points to the stage, solo room moshing, and unforgettable bed stage diving. Expect new and recent music from Brave Days, Protect Your Heart, Light The Way, Pipe Bomb, Too Bad Eugene, Splitcast, Chase Tremaine, Gametime, Sower, Nobody's Uncle, Dire, Feeble Attempt, bloke., Sam's The Hero, Humble Kings, The Caballerials, Cold Streets, XIII Minutes, and so many more plus a special unreleased Slow Coming Day song. Will you join with us? Let's make this the biggest FREE IVM Compilation release ever! Send a song link, YouTube link, etc to: compilation @ indievisionmusic.com All our band friends, if you are reading this and you have a new song to contribute, send us an email!

This unique father and son duo known collectively as "Willis & Son", just released their debut self titled album back at the end of May. The project features Glenn Wiley Willis of October Bird of Death, 2Minute Minor, xRedlinex, and The Blamed alongside his father Mike Willis. Other family members and friends contributed to the recording and recording/production was handled by the very talented Captive Portal Studio. The album is a very low key, laid back collection of songs that serves up a sunny disposition and hopeful yearning. It's like the perfect soundtrack for summer and those nightly campfires set up upon a sandy, beachside locale. There is plenty to enjoy in these simple yet profound songs. Stories about love, hope, understanding, and seeking answers in the dark with a certain youthful exuberance not broken by the daily cynicism that takes hold of our little music scene at times. The joining of two generations through the road weary eyes of two like minded travelers seeking truth in a world gone dark. If you find yourself alone on a Friday night pondering life's many mysteries, looking for a little cheer to brighten your day, then kick on the debut record of Willis & Son and just smile. Download and listen: https://willisandson.bandcamp.com/

Sam's The Hero have just dropped their incredible brand new song titled "In The Absence of Applause" through Small Step Records and it's available through all digital networks. This song is filled with big choruses, loads of those classic pop-punk harmonies the scene has become world renowned for, and some of the most uplifting lyrics I've heard recently. It's really exciting to find a band like Sam's The Hero still carrying the flag of Christian pop punk, proudly presenting honest, hopeful, and outstanding songs in the midst of such profound darkness in our world. These guys are the perfect combination of classic sounds found in groups like Fenix Tx, Home Grown, Blink-182, Autopilot Off, Yellowcard, Olivia The Band, Sick of Change and the lyrical output of individuals and groups like Reese Roper (Five Iron Frenzy/Brave Saint Saturn), Josh Kemble (Dogwood), Ghoti Hook, Hangnail, Slick Shoes, Watashi Wa, early Plankeye etc. Just a plain great summer jam with a deep heart tugging anthem of nostalgia and grace. Highly recommended and a solid 5 out of 5 from Brandon Jones/IVM.

A new band on the rise by the name of Natural State just dropped their killer new single titled "Losing It" featuring Disciple and it's so dang catchy that I find myself streaming it over and over again. It's a great song and if you've never heard the band before, a perfect introduction. Check out the music video and song, below ​👇🏻

Light The Way return with a new song today titled "Steez Machines" and it's everything you love about this band and so much more! Go listen on your favorite digital network and check out the music video right here on our website, below! It has real heart, tongue in cheek humor, anthemic choruses, and the hope this band has been conveying since day 1. It's the perfect tasty morsel of pop punk fun built for the summer of 26'. Instead of growing cynical with age these guys get brighter, more passionate, and as bold as ever proving that age is more than just a number. So hop on that skateboard, ditch the time stamp, and ride off into the sunset because pop-punk and Light The Way will never die!! Light The Way 2026.

Portland punks Teeth for Eyes (featuring ex-members of Crux, Government Hate Mail, Cicero, and Empty Tomb) have released a new live album. The 11-track album was recorded live at Kelly’s Olympian in downtown Portland earlier this year and features tracks from both of their albums, as well as a new song from a forthcoming split release with The Blamed. The album is available on CD or digital download, directly from the band at their Bandcamp page: https://teethforeyes.bandcamp.com/album/live-at-kellys… Continued →

This band signifies much of what was great about the mid-00s emo movement. The Last Broadcast’s sound drew from influences as diverse as punk, post-hardcore, lo-fi indie rock, and even baroque pop. I know very little about this band, unfortunately, but here’s what we do know. They released an independent CD (burned by the band members themselves) in 2003, consisting of 7 tracks. Then they released a 4-song EP entitled Matthew, through Lansing, Michigan-based Selah Records, who also put out releases from Anathallo, Bloodlined Calligraphy, and Anah Aevia.… Continued →

Indie Vision Music: For those who are uninitiated into the Nobody’s Uncle experience, tell us about the project. Where are you based, and how long have you been making music as Nobody’s Uncle? Nobody’s Uncle: Nobody’s Uncle is the pseudonym I use for this one-man, indie rock passion project of mine. My sole aim is to create gospel-centered alternative music that connects others with the Kingdom of God and magnifies the name of Jesus. I was born and raised in small-town Michigan where there was (and still is) plenty of time for melancholic rumination.… Continued →

Our scene has been the breeding ground of scores of quirky independent labels, each with its own personality, so to speak. Daniel Smith’s (of Danielson Famile) Sounds Familyre is a great one in which to put your goggles on and go on a deep dive of their full catalog. The Singing Mechanic is Vincent Voss, and we know don’t a ton about him, other than the obvious: he’s a mechanic who sings (literally). He also plays a mean piano. What? Piano-driven indie rock? You heard that right.… Continued →

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. -Isaiah 53:5

Sally Grayson, American post-punk meets alternative country artist who lives in Germany, has just released a brand new single. She said of the track, “Amidst all of the world’s sorrows, I’m releasing a beautiful love song at the beginning of spring to help people escape into a moment of beauty and remember the amazingness of human connection.” Check the song out at her website here: https://www.sallygrayson.com/to-be-loved-press… Continued →

Blenderhead was an indie rock/punk/post-hardcore/math rock band from the Pacific Northwest and active throughout the 1990s, disbanding in 2001. They were one of the coolest and hardest to peg bands to come out of the 90s Christian alternative scene. It was this innovation and genre-blending that made them unique, but also perhaps limited their fanbase, always being just slightly out of reach for the average listener. While much of Christian punk in the 90s was either in the pop-punk vein or moving towards hardcore, Blenderhead dabbled in a range of angular, dissonant sounds, all the while maintaining a sense of cohesion.… Continued →

Fans of indie popsters The Julies have good reason to celebrate. Lost in Ohio (who released Always & Always in 2023, and re-issued the much-loved Love Life on vinyl in 2020) has announced two new releases from the band, both set for February 27th of this year. A brand new full-length will emerge, entitled Cherisher, described as leaning “fully into reflection, memory, and meaning, delivering a deeply personal collection about holding on, on purpose . . . The album draws from shimmering post-punk urgency and ’90s shoegaze-influenced walls of sound, allowing Alex and Pat, both playing multi-instrumentalist these days, a chance to repurpose the past as well.”… Continued →

Midwest emo act Kerith Ravine formed around Akron, OH in 1997 and were active until 2001. In that short time they recorded 2 self-released CD EPs, released a split 7″ with fellow Ohioans Cpt. Nemo, and also released a full-length album through Bulletproof Music (Dear Ephesus, Aleixa, etc.) The band played a fun subset of Midwest emo which had them incorporating strings on one track and screaming on another, all the while holding subtle melodies close. After Kerith Ravine (name for the brook where OT prophet Elijah took refuge while hiding from Ahab) finished, some of the members then formed Lovedrug, which also contained former members of Eso-Charis.… Continued →

Chainstay are dropping their brand new single “The Art of Becoming a Ghost” on November 14th! I’m super pumped for this and you should be too. Head to their socials for a link to pre-save/pre-add the single to your favorite digital service.… Continued →

Forming first as Spud Puddle, this band from southern California changed their name just prior to the release of their second album. Partly due to confusion with punk band Spudgun, but more so due to a change in styles–away from the pop-punk of their debut, and into alternative/indie rock on the self-titled Quaylealbum, the old band name just didn’t fit anymore. With a sound that touched on alternative rock, power pop, and just a hint of emo, Quayle wowed listeners with a sound that was both raw and melodic at the same time.… Continued →

As a (ahem….) 40-something year old punk kid, listening to The Rocky Valentines new full-length “Music On The Shelf” takes me back to my high school and early college days. Back then, my Sony Discman would have been filled with the sounds of The Get Up Kids, Velocity Girl, New Order, Superchunk and Teenage Fanclub. I probably would’ve had a home-made mixtape with all those bands floating around on it. And The Rocky Valentines would’ve fit in comfortably. This record is pure nostalgia for me. It’s part lo-fi-ish guitar pop mixed with equal parts melody and post-punk melancholy.… Continued →

I recently caught up with Joby Harris of Christian indie/punk supergroup Crash Rickshaw, for what turned out to be a rather enlightening (and lengthy) interview. What’s the story behind their decade-long hiatus? And why reconvene now? IVM: It’s been 24 years since the Crash Rickshaw debut, and 9 years since any last recorded music (only 10 copies made of The Unknown Clarity). Why the long wait, and what prompted the return? JH: We made the first Crash album at a prime time of being young, highly creative, knee-deep in a great music scene in Southern California and big dreams of doing that kind of thing forever.… Continued →

This pop-punk duo comprises brothers Seth and Paul Hyde, who are separated by thousands of miles (North Carolina to Hawaii). Seth spearheads the project, with Paul adding the drums. However, Paul spearheads the independent (and non-profit) record label Small Step Records. While I’ve been aware of GLR from quite some time, I only recently dug into their sound, and incidentally only then discovered that my friend Paul (whom I met at Furnace Fest last year, but had corresponded with before that) was in the band. I had heard them described as pop-punk, which they certainly are, but it’s a different take on the genre.… Continued →

In case you don’t know, The Rumors Are True is a fantastic podcast extremely relevant to our scene. Past episodes have featured Bryan Gray of the The Blamed, Ted Cookerly of Every Day Life, Jeff Bellew of Stavesacre/The Crucified/so much more, and hundreds more. Rumors recently did a double-episode whammy on the band Bleach, an artist long-time IVMers will certainly be familiar with. Fortunately for fans, the band has recently reunited. They are playing Furnace Fest this October in Birmingham, AL and they’re even playing a show TONIGHT in Jacksonville, FL.… Continued →

While this artist is known as a sort of darling in the indie folk scene, his roots are in the Christian punk/emo scene of the Pacific NW in the 90s. With connections to Pedro the Lion, Roadside Monument, Poor Old Lu, etc. Jurado released some 7″ singles on the then-fledgling Christian label Tooth and Nail Records. Even his debut was a co-release with Tooth and Nail and SubPop, the latter a connection that came through his friend Jeremy Enigk of Sunny Day Real Estate. Apart from some of his early punk-leaning projects, Jurado has not been one to proclaim faith through his music, opting instead to tell stories both real and fictional.… Continued →

Rising indie artist Coqui will release a killer new EP titled “Living 2 Die” on September 5th via Dream Records. Check out the amazing new song “Only Idol” in music video format below this post.… Continued →

Everyone’s favorite nautically-themed hard rock band, Rusty Shipp, are set to release their latest marine-inspired offering, Capsized Empire to digital outlets this Friday (06/27). The album addresses the Problem of Evil from a philosophical standpoint–you know, standard, lightweight indie rock material (/sarcasm). In true Rusty Shipp form, the album follows a storyline, all of which will be included in the liner notes. Order from the band’s website here: rustyshipp.com… Continued →

Many of you will already be aware of the deep credentials held by Teeth for Eyes: members have played in Cicero, Empty Tomb, Godspeed, Crux, Government Hate Mail and many more. Naming these connections is both helpful and problematic. Sure, it tells us that the band members are seasoned veterans of the punk/indie scene, but how much does it tell us about the current music? While musically the band are still cranking out fast-paced punk rock with touches of both hardcore on the one hand and/or alternative/grunge on the other, they are somewhat of an anomaly in that they have a singer.… Continued →

There was a lot of anticipation about this band before they ever released one song. Founder/vocalist Brett Detar had been in Zao, playing on one of their most popular albums, Where Blood and Fire Bring Rest, as well as the unique and creative–and tragically underrated/unheard–emo-core band Pensive before that. With The Juliana Theory, Detar, along with bandmates Neil Hebrank (drums), Chad Alan (bass), Joshua Fiedler (guitars), and Joshua Kisker (guitars) took emo in a more accessible direction. The band released four full-length albums between 1999 and 2006, along with a few live recordings, EPs, and the seminal split release with Dawson High.… Continued →

Oh my! After a 20-year hiatus, post-punk/hardcore darlings Crash Rickshaw are back! The band, comprised of members of Project 86, Innermeans, Rainy Days, Starflyer 59, and more, will release a brand-new EP, entitled Big Sir. The new project will release via Velvet Blue Music on August 1st, and will be the label’s 250th release! In addition to digital downloads, physical media will include blue & yellow haze vinyl, and compact disc. Pre-orders are now live at Velvet Blue Music… Continued →

The Julies was a barely-known indie pop band from Pennsylvania who released one highly-regarded EP for Flying Tart Records in 1996 and then disappeared for roughly 27 years. I caught up with the band recently to discuss their origins, their revival, and their connection to the Christian indie scene. IVM: I’ve been a huge fan since Lovelife. It’s one of my favorite EPs. You guys had some clear influences, but at the same time didn’t sound like anyone in particular. You must have been pretty young when you recorded that.… Continued →

In completely unexpected news, Noise Ratchet have returned with a NEW (demo) song called “Who We Are” and it sounds darn near perfect song wise for 2025 but also rides on that classic 00’s emo/pop-punk train alongside other classic bands like Saosin, Thrice, Story of the Year, The Used, and Letter Kills. I hope more music like this is on the way soon. Welcome back! Listen to the song below.… Continued →

I recently had the chance to video chat with Rob Withem, of indie pop outfit Fine China. The band has been active since the late 90s, and recently released the beautiful, sophisticated, elaborate I Felt Called (available on Double LP and CD, as well as digital formats via www.velvetbluemusic.com. IVM: Let’s start on a light note. Cloud has informed me that you’re an aficionado of dad jokes . . . RW: You know, that’s funny. I think he’s making that up to be funny, because I don’t think I’ve ever told a dad joke in my life.… Continued →

I do not know much about this artist, but saw the song on a “Christian” publication of some sort online a few years back. My research has found it came out in 2013 and was a solo artist whose name was Maxwell Lee who also played shows with Blues Traveler. I added it to Youtube as the only version I could find was a live version. There are Bible verses listed on the artists’ Facebook page as well. And no, the Jessika spelling is deliberate as I have seen it listed as with the k and the c.… Continued →