Deep in the shadows cast by lo-fi crunch, accessible, catchy indie rock songs morph into something much more sinister, something more emblematic of severe depression than of winter melancholia.

This week brought us more of what we love about underground dance music along with some complete surprises. Let’s take a look at what we found!

Montanera’s vocals emphasize the vast chasm between contemporary alternative pop airiness and the rapid dynamic and pitch shifts of Afro-Columbian group singing, skillfully uniting both sounds under an unlikely umbrella of minimal synths and electric organs.

With a heart-wrenching atmosphere and expressive lyrics portraying each victim’s final moments, this mournful release is a must-listen for fans of DSBM.

Songwriting from the garage rock revival and production from the lo-fi era join forces to create Busy with People by Zoos of Berlin, a deep, brooding indie record that stacks layers of distortion upon their pop sensibilities.

Seeing this subconscious rhythm externalized inspires us to listen even when the music stops, to find ways of remaining in tune with the world when there’s no drum in our ear to keep us in line.

Immediately, the infusion of indie rock songwriting sensibilities shakes the straightforward dance tropes out of the Darkwave sound, and from there the band introduces dashes of noise tones and jazz chords to encourage a further departure from the worlds of both indie and darkwave.

Expert sound design of this caliber means hours getting poured into each instrument, tirelessly ensuring that everything works well together and stands alone as a sonic object.

Jump into some of the most interesting popular musical releases of the week with us!

On paper, the NIMB and the Feedback Machine seem like the perfect tools to create impenetrable walls of harsh noise and heavy distortion, but Nakamura and Myers coax subdued tones and delicate melodies from their instruments.

These constant interruptions to the album’s flow follow the contours of Gardner’s father’s journal entries, capturing the paranoia of someone aware that they’re in danger but completely unable to comprehend why and to what degree.

Cinematic in scale, these tracks convey a sense of complex interiority and contemplation, setting a ritualistic atmosphere that is better suited to inducing flow states than letting loose on the dance floor.

Wringing out each idea to the maximum, Flemish School builds each rhythmic pattern into a full musical movement, resulting in these devastatingly heavy riffs that propel the esoteric, depressive lyrics forward.

With excerpts from famous writers, personal writing from the artist herself, ethnographic studies, voice memos, photography, and more, the project is a true experiment in sound collage.

The dark, angular, abrasive bones of post rock have once again surfaced after decades of being subdued by indie crescendocore, greeting our doomed moment in history with its off-putting embrace.

More importantly, however, Shiroishi allows ample space for us to sit in this garage with him in silent pauses, hearing the sound slowly dispel across the concrete as the player gradually takes another breath.

Where most dance music encourages you to lose yourself in the moment, Monument Zero implores us to remain vigilant at all times, always hyper aware of the ways we’ve been wronged and the ways we’ve been asked to wrong our neighbors.

We had some significant releases on the alternative side of pop music this week. Come check them out with us!

Overtones and restrained ornamentation build energy pleasantly, adding depth while the project hones in on GRETA’s gentle, reassuring vocals. Fans of GEORGIA will appreciate Portals’s pop-skewed Braindance that occasionally leans towards a new age Enya-esque sound.

As the weather gets colder and going to a sauna-like crowded club sounds more appealing, some new underground dance bangers are here to get us through the season.