(Credits: Far Out)
Sat 1 November 2025 9:21, UK
Another week done, another month over. 2025 seems to have passed by quick in a marching parade of great tunes, and October was no different, nor was its finale week. Ensuring that nothing great slips between the cracks of a busy Halloween weekend, the Big Indie Playlist puts the best tunes in one place.
I feel like I say this every week – but this was a big one. Rosalia made a return with a song that isn’t even a song, it’s a whole epic opera. Lankum also popped back up with something seasonal as they covered ‘Ghost Town’ to spooky event.
This week also saw the release of some hotly anticipated projects. Luvcat shared her debut album and delivered several new bangers, while Etta Marcus leaned into the darker sides of her influences. Florence and the Machine’s album also landed, so head there if you’re looking for something emotional and witchy, perfect for the time of year.Â
From indie pop to dark folk, opera to left-field picks from around the world, there is something for everything, and it’s all right here. All you have to do is hit play.Â
The best new music of the week:
Luvcat – ‘Alien’: Luvcat bagged our album of the week crown this week for her stellar debut album, featuring this new track ‘Alien’, which is the latest in a long line of bangers from the Liverpool starlet. [4/5]
Etta Marcus – ‘Slaughterhouse’: On her new EP, Etta Marcus has gone all in on heavier influences, turning up the volume on harsh guitars and rockier references with this track as a real standout. [4/5]
Rosalia, Bjork + Yves Tumor – ‘Berghain’: This isn’t a song, it’s a full opera, and it’s insane. Rosalia surprise returned with this completely and utterly mental track that is just staggeringly good. [4.5/5]
Orville Peck – ‘Drift Away’: Warning! This song will make you want to ditch your Halloween costume plans and go as a lonesome cowboy instead. [3/5]
Lankum – ‘Ghost Town’: Irish trad meets ska as Lankum shared a cover of The Specials’ classic ‘Ghost Town’, turning it into something haunting and gothic. [4/5]
(Credits: Sorcha Frances Ryder)
Sex Mask – ‘Cold’: If you haven’t got into Sex Mask yet, we implore you to. Each single they release is golden, and their cult is quickly growing. Get on board. [3.5/5]
Melody’s Echo Chamber – ‘Eyes Closed’: Spiralling from Melody’s signature dreamscapes into something cooler, funkier and more psychedelic, this may be the best she’s ever sounded. [3.5/5]
Dog Saints – ‘Wrestlevania’: Inspired by a failed GoFundMe attempting to get a vampire wrestling movie off the ground, this is the perfect oddball track to add something cooler to a Halloween party playlist. [3.5/5]
Magdalena Bay – ‘Unoriginal’: We’re so happy to have Magdalena Bay back delivering dreamy single after dreamy single, allowing us to happily stay in their colourful electronic world. [3/5]
Joyeria – ‘Stale Autumn’: Add Joyeria’s new EP to your to-listen list for this weekend, providing a perfect soundtrack to the darker evenings and chilly walks. [3/5]
Florence and the Machine – ‘Music By Men’: Obviously, the entirety of Florence and the Machine’s new album is amazing, but this side-B gem is a devastatingly beautiful tune as the singer muses on love and the loss of it, and the role her art plays in her emotional turmoil. [4.5/5]
Medium Built and Sydney Rose – ‘Sympathy Is A Knife’: Ever wondered what it would be like if two emotive indie folk artists took on Charli XCX’s Brat? Wonder no more! [3.5/5]
Snocaps – ‘Heathcliff’: The biggest surprise of the week came in the form of a collaborative album between Waxahatchee, her twin sister, Brad Cook and MJ Lenderman, calling themselves Snocaps and releasing indie-folk that’s as good as you’d expect it to be with those names attached. [3.5/5]
Off the beaten track – Left-field sounds, curated and written by Ben Forest:
Yīn Yīn – ‘Lecker Song’: On the second single released from their upcoming LP Yatta! The Dutch psych-quartet sinks deep into plush Middle Eastern grooves, existing somewhere between Barış Manço and the endlessly cool 1970s film scores of Ennio Morricone. [4.5/5]
Manny Corchado – ‘Chicken And Booze’: Madrid’s Vampisoul inject some much-needed Latin funk sunshine into the winter months, reissuing Corchado’s 1966 boogaloo classic backed with an equally compelling, hip-shaking version by salsa heroes Nelson y sus Estrellas. [4/5]
Bobbie Gentry – ‘Thunder In The Afternoon’: Yet another corker from Ace Records and their Measured Mile series, uncovering a lush, laid-back, and rather seductive soul-soaked Gentry effort from her fleeting Warner period back in the 1970s, available on shiny seven-inch vinyl for the very first time. [4/5]
Listen to the Big Indie Playlist:
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