“Rubberneckers” – Christian Lee Hudson

Los Angeles singer-songwriter Christian Lee Hudson released the first single for his album Quitters on Jan. 12. Hudson, known for his folk-pop roots, expanded his horizons to indie-rock with this track. With thumping guitar chords and a high-intensity drum machine the instrumental on this song pulls you the whole way through. The backing vocals on this track are done by indie-rock artist Phoebe Bridgers, who is also the producer of the album. However, Hudson’s talented songwriting is what puts this track over the top. The song begins with the depiction of a marriage proposal. We then find out that everything did not go as planned for the singer. At the start of the second verse we see the aftermath of that proposal with the lines, “We’ve got rubberneckers, broken records / Why-don’t-you-get-back-togethers.” Hudson then fills the chorus and outro with the tragic-yet-positive lines: 

If you tell a lie for long enough

Then it becomes the truth

I am gonna be okay someday

With or without you

With outstanding storytelling and talented minds mixing this track, it has made itself to be the singer-songwriter staple of the year.

“Uppercut” – Lou Roy

On Jan. 19. Los Angeles, now New York, based singer-songwriter Lou Roy released the second single for her album Pure Chaos which came out later in the year on April 29. Lou Roy doesn’t pull any punches on this track with rising synths, loud choruses and—fittingly—punchy drums. The highlight of the track is the fiery breakdown after the bridge that leads into the final chorus of the song. The lyrics of the song focus on the cycle of the inevitable good and bad times that come every now and then: “I swear it to you babe we’ll always have our fun / Even when we’re grinded into cosmic dust / And even when we’re back on earth as pond scum.” Lou Roy assures the listener that despite how bad life may get there will still always be opportunities for more great times, even after our lifespans.

“October Windfall” – Chase Petra 

Chase Petra is a band from Long Beach, California fronted by their singer and songwriter Hunter Allen. The band self describes their music as “quarter-life crisis pop rock.” On March 24, 2022, they released their EP 4 o’clock in the afternoon. In this melancholy acoustic track Allen sings about the beauty of losing something. The outro of the song features a layering of vocals showing off Allen’s impressive range and power with her singing in the background: “I am lucky / To have lost you / I am lucky to have loved you.” 

“landline” – Arlie

On May 11, Nashville based indie-rock band Arlie released “landline,” the last single for their first full-length LP BREAK THE CURSE. The track comes in with fast tempo piano chords that carry throughout the song. Nathaniel Banks sings about the downsides of being in contact with people 24/7, switching his cellphone out for a landline to break free of this burden. The lyrics come very tongue-in-cheek with lines, like “Yup, I got a landline, oh / All my trouble stays at home / Leave your drama at the tone,” but occasionally switch to being sweet and sincere: “You say I’m living in thе past, you don’t know what you’re missing / I’m not running from convention, I’m not being cool / You got all of my attention every time I’m with you.” This track added  to Arlie’s small yet strikingly high-quality discography, always leaving the listener asking for more.

“BUICK” – Raffaella

On June 1, Los Angeles Indie artist Raffaella released her breakup song “BUICK.” This track was then featured on her LIVE, RAFF, LOVE (Act I) EP which came out on Aug. 12. Raffaela Meloni’s lyrics—written with the help of Marshall Vore and Charlie Hickey—use bizarre wording to describe how she felt during the day with this person:

But wasn’t it sweet on the beach?

With our sunshine lobotomies

You make me feel just like ketamine

Not remembering anything

In an interview about the song Meloni said, “I was mad at someone I loved and I didn’t want to tell them because I didn’t want to hurt them. Bad move… until I did tell them and they didn’t want to listen. Avoidance turned to resentment, which was too hard to carry so that led to miscommunication, which ultimately ended in the anger that fuels this song. Full circle.” This track, full of talent, is a fun song any indie fan should be checking out before the end of the year.