Indie began as a statement about how music was made, not just how it sounded. Small labels, small budgets, and bands doing it their own way. The sound that grew out of it is easy to recognise: jangling guitars, lyrics that read like diary entries, and a refusal to polish off the rough edges.
New to it? Start with The Queen Is Dead. If you want something from this decade, make it Phoebe Bridgers’ Punisher.
It started with punk’s big idea, that anyone could make a record. By the end of the 70s, people were starting labels out of record shops and spare bedrooms. Rough Trade began as a shop in West London, and in 1983 it signed a Manchester band called The Smiths. Within a few years, they were proof that a tiny label could make one of the most important bands in Britain.
When Nirvana broke in the early 90s, the majors came looking for the next big thing and signed guitar bands by the dozen. Some of the best stayed small on purpose. Pavement recorded Slanted and Enchanted cheaply in their drummer’s home studio, and its wonky, half-finished charm sat in pointed contrast to the glossy rock on the radio.
Then the internet changed the rules again. The Strokes made guitars cool in 2001, and a few years later Arctic Monkeys built a following by giving their demos away at gigs and letting fans share them online. When Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not came out, it became the fastest-selling debut album in British chart history at the time. Around the same time, Justin Vernon retreated to a Wisconsin cabin after a breakup and a bad illness. He came back with For Emma, Forever Ago, released it himself, and became Bon Iver.
Perth knows that self-reliance well. In one of the most isolated cities on earth, bands have always had to make it themselves. Kevin Parker recorded most of Tame Impala’s Currents alone in his home studio in Fremantle and took it to festival main stages worldwide. Methyl Ethel and Spacey Jane came out of the same city. There’s more in our Australian collection.
Today indie is as much a sound as a business model, but the spirit hasn’t changed. Big Thief’s Capacity and MJ Lenderman’s Boat Songs still sound like people in a room, getting it right rather than getting it perfect. Every record in our indie vinyl collection is a new pressing, picked by hand rather than by algorithm.
Want it louder? Head to Alternative. Want it hazier? Try Shoegaze & Dream Pop. Want just a voice and a guitar? There’s our Songwriter mood.
