Recently there has been a lot of focus online on ‘landfill indie. We couldn’t happen to notice that with all of these lists that there seems to be a huge absence of women. Surely there must be some ladies in the world of indie -rock or had Siouxsie Sioux and Debbie Harry failed to inspire a new generation? Would you believe it, turns out there is a plethora of women out there so let’s shed a spotlight on twenty of our favourite female-fronted indie artists of the 2000’s.
Natasha Khan has released five incredible albums since her debut album ‘Fur and Gold‘ way back in 2006. She has been nominated for the Mercury Prize and has been hailed as this generations’ Kate Bush.
The Canadian twins have spent the last 20 years slowly building up their career from acoustic led singer-songwriter indie to electronic pop queens. ‘I Hear Noises‘ is a reminder of the catchy indie-pop they used to write way before ‘Everything is Awesome’ was stuck inside your ears for months on end.
The Californian indie trio have been confusing many with their Nordic band name since their 2015 debut record. They have produced loads of summery soulful singles including the addictive ‘Seventeen‘.
Another Californian resident, Warpaint have been killing it over the past decade. Three critically acclaimed albums under their belts and have toured with Depeche Mode and Harry Styles .We are all hoping on a new album very soon.
One of the most important bands from New York this side of the millennium and part of the NYC garage rock scene of the early 00’s. Karen O is surely one of the coolest singers in indie and is certainly an icon for many.
The Welsh trio have been able to fuse the greatest rock genres of the 90’s and created their own sonic landscape. They never fail to be inventive and their video for ‘Last Thing On My Mind‘ mocks the constant need to show female nudity in music videos by showing a montage of naked men.
The London quartet have been doing serious business on both sides of the Atlantic including being nominated for a Grammy and winning 2018’s Mercury Prize. Ellie Rowsell ‘s blend of hushed and screaming vocals has really helped Wolf Alice become one of the stand out voices of the decade.
Metric have been one of Canada’s premium indie acts this side of the 90’s. For reasons unknown they have struggled to break the UK, though have gained a cult status aided by ‘Black Sheep‘ appearing on the soundtrack for ‘Scott Pilgrim Vs The World‘ .
There won’t be many reading this who are not already aware of Florence And The Machine, the hardest part is just selecting one track…
The Newcastle quintet have created some sublime singles over the years and ‘Through The Cellar Door‘ is an example of the drama they create. Good luck with the Mercury Prize nomination for ‘Spook The Herd‘.
Daughter are an international trio based in North London and are blessed to have the angelic vocals of Elena Tonra. Their subtle indie has reached critical acclaim and like Lanterns Of The Lake many have discovered their music from the game Life Is Strange.
Like Metric, The Jezabels can do no wrong in their native country (Australia) but have yet to catch fire over here. They create perfectly crafted melodic pop records and front woman Hayley Mary is often compared to embody Kate Bush and Chrissie Hynde .
Best Coast should be feeling more than just OK, Their surf-pop has reached millions of people across the world and we can look forward to their fourth album ‘Always Tomorrow‘ early next year.
The newest artist in the list Whenyoung are so fresh they haven’t even got a Wiki page yet. Unbelievable! What’s a lazy journalist to do? The Irish trio have been working non stop over the last few years and their debut ‘Reasons To Dream’ is a must listen.
The Norwegian made a big splash with her debut album ‘Fortress Round My Heart‘ in 2008 before vanishing from these shores. She has produced more albums in her native country and even auditioned to represent them at Eurovision.
Let’s be fair, many of us would struggle to name another track by the Brazilian CSS (Cansei de Ser Sexy), but hey, what a song! Is it time for a New Rave revival yet?
The Yorkshire five-piece sadly cut their career short after the illness to their main songwriter Dorien Cox. For a short while Kate Jackson was one of the coolest singers in the UK and their live shows would be packed out with teenage girls dressed up as their fashion idol.
Beth Ditto was everywhere in the mid to late 00’s and every indie disco across the world had to play this hit at least once a night (preferable the Soulwax remix). What a voice and what a riff.
The Baltimore duo have been creating their own brand of indie-folk for over a decade now, ‘Civilian‘ being stand-out single that opened the chapter to their ongoing story.
Yet another Mercury Prize nominated group, and like CSS from the ashes of the short lived New Rave phenomenon. NYPC have yet to top the success of their debut and hopefully will once again regroup to perform ‘Ice Cream’ one more time.
We could of course go on, but why not let us know of indie artists that you’d like to be on this playlist.