For all the pretentious music lovers who are constantly looking for new artists to add to their never-ending collections of playlists, you’re in luck. Whether you love the indie rock bands that grace our very own Heartwood Soundstage in Gainesville, dreamy bedroom pop, or a song you will inevitably have on repeat, I have recommendations.
Some of these artists are on the rise; others have been making music for years and deserve a place in more playlists. This isn’t a ranking of who’s newest or most underground. It’s a list of artists I love and think you might love, too.
The qualifications are very scientific: I think these artists are talented, and also very underrated. I only picked artists with currently fewer than a million monthly Spotify listeners. Consider this my very personal, completely biased list of recommendations.
1. Winyah
And what if I told you I’ve seen them live three times already? Winyah is electric. They make the kind of indie rock that makes you want to dance, scream into a crowd, and feel the lyrics surf through your body. I first saw them at Heartwood Soundstage a year ago, and I just saw them open for Flipturn and fell in love all over again. Feeling it all again, if you know, you know.
The South Carolina band released Lot to Learn in 2025, played festivals including Lollapalooza, and released Right Here, Right Now on September 18. If you get a chance to see them live, take it. (BroadwayWorld)
Start with: “Feel It All Again,” “Thread,” “Jaded,” “Lot to Learn,” “XO,” “Spinning,” and “Canopy.”
2. Jack Murnin
If you like Malcolm Todd and have been looking for someone else in that space between indie pop and alternative R&B, please let me put you on. Jack Murnin is one of my current obsessions.
His EPs Hillside and Fling came out in 2024 and 2025, respectively, so there’s already plenty to dig through. (Apple Music)
Start with: “Back N Forth,” “Toss and Turn,” “Violet,” “Terms,” and “Riled Up.”
3. Wild Nothing
Wild Nothing isn’t a new name, but I still think more people should know it. It’s the project of Jack Tatum, whose dream pop sounds like staring out a car window and pretending you’re in a coming-of-age movie. The project began in 2009 and has five studio albums, which means there is a lot of music waiting for you once one song clicks. (shorefire.com)
“Chinatown” is one of my favorites, but please don’t stop there.
Start with: “Chinatown,” “Nocturne,” “Golden Haze,” “Shadow,” “Paradise,” and “Summer Holiday.”
4. Molly Burch
I once posted a Molly Burch song on my Instagram story, and a friend swiped up to say, “Holy ball knowledge, I’ve never met someone that knows Molly Burch.” So, if you also want ball knowledge, here it is.
Her jazz-trained voice gives her indie pop songs a warmth that is beautifully unique. She has since stepped away from releasing music to focus on Picnic Studio, the nonprofit art space she co-founded for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. That makes me admire her even more. (stereogum.com)
Start with: “Please Be Mine,” “I Love You Still,” “Heart of Gold,” and “Emotion.”
5. Congress the Band
Congress the Band is high on my list of artists I need to see live. They’ve performed in Gainesville, and I had major FOMO watching everyone else’s videos afterward. Their songs are upbeat, their harmonies are beautiful, and there’s a little Southern twang that makes them stand out from the many indie bands fighting for a place in my playlists.
Start with: “Out the Door,” “Valerie,” “Modern Lady,” “Wasted While I’m Young,” and “Bay Street.”
6. Ella Walton
Ella Walton is one of my favorite recent discoveries. I found her through “Unrequited Love” and immediately fell for her dreamy, sultry sound. Her music is for the yearners, the people on the sidelines, and everyone who has ever felt slightly embarrassed by how deeply they feel things.
She writes, sings, produces, and makes visual art, and that creative world comes through in her music. “Wallflower” came out earlier this year, and it’s a particularly good place to start.
Start with: “Unrequited Love,” “Wallflower,” “Nonsense,” “Nothing By It,” and “Free.”
7. The Grogans
The Grogans make me want to be somewhere sunny with absolutely nowhere to be. The Australian band blends surf rock, garage rock, and blues into songs that feel made for a drive with the windows down. Even when I’m studying at my Lib West, I can briefly pretend otherwise.
Start with: “How Would You Know,” “Money Will Chase You,” and “Lemon to My Lime.”
8. The Bends
I saw The Bends open for Sun Room in Gainesville and walked away liking some of their songs even more than the ones I had paid to hear. No offense to Sun Room. I was just very pleasantly surprised.
The band came together at LSU, playing college bars and fraternity parties before their original song “Makeup” took off after Zach Bryan shared it. Their debut album, If You Insist, came out on September 18, and they’ve already shared bills with The Killers and Inhaler. I also got to hear them cover Oasis’s “Don’t Look Back in Anger,” which was the highlight of my night. (sacksco.com)
Start with: “Makeup,” “Smoking in Bed,” “Seasons Change,” “Lips,” and “Fair Weather.”
9. The Nancys
How could I make this list without Gainesville’s very own The Nancys? I’ve loved seeing them perform everywhere from the Plaza of the Americas to local shows, and “Sweet” was the song that made me stop and pay attention. Their harmonies are warm, their live energy is contagious, and I’m excited to see how far they go.
Start with: “Sweet,” “Know Me Too,” “Sucker,” “Walking Out,” and “Light, Again.”
10. Harvey Street
Apparently I have a type when it comes to bands: give me good guitars and the sense that everyone in the room is having the time of their life. Harvey Street fits right in. They’re an indie rock band from Raleigh, North Carolina, and they’ve spent the past few years touring across the U.S. and opening for artists including Flipturn and Winyah. (Raleigh Indie Rock Band Story)
Start with: “Irish Goodbye,” “Betty,” and “Down and Out.”
11. Pale Saints
I know, I know: a band from the late ’80s is stretching the definition of rising. Pale Saints are here because discovering an older artist for the first time can feel just as exciting as catching a new one early. They formed in Leeds in 1987, and their hazy mix of shoegaze and alternative rock is a unique one that I absolutely love. A lot of people are familiar with their hit song “Kinky Love,” and I had it in my playlist for the longest time, but I only recently began exploring their other songs as well, finding some gems in the process.
Start with: “Sight of You,” “Kinky Love,” “Throwing Back the Apple,” and “Fine Friend.”
12. The Rions
The Rions are four friends from Australia who formed their band in high school, which is such a cool origin story. Their songs have that big, emotional indie rock sound that makes you want to sing along even before you know the words. They released their debut album, Everything Every Single Day, last year. (Official Website)
Start with: “Anakin,” “Minivan,” “Talking to Walls,” and “Take What You Want.”
13. Stella Donnelly
Stella Donnelly is for anyone who loves a pretty melody that disguises surprisingly depressing and devastating lyrics. She is witty and sharp in her lyricism, while also possessing this poetic whimsy that is magnetizing. Her 2025 album Love and Fortune explores the pain of a friendship ending, which is a kind of heartbreak that isn’t always talked about, no less sung about.
Start with: “Tricks,” “Old Man,” “Mosquito,” and “Friends.”
14. Daily J
Daily J is the band I’d put on when I want a song to make an ordinary afternoon feel like the first scene of summer. Their music is bright and a little nostalgic, and “Left Me Like Summer” is exactly as replayable as its title suggests. They also released “Space Cowboy” this year.
Start with: “Left Me Like Summer,” “Space Cowboy,” and “Space.”
15. Rum Jungle
Ending with this artist, and yes, another Australian band. Rum Jungle’s indie rock is sunny and a little messy in the best way: the kind you play on the way to the beach, even if the beach is hours away. They released their debut album, Recency Bias, in 2025 after several EPs, so there’s plenty to explore. (en.wikipedia.org)
Start with: “Everything Is Easy,” “Crimson Sunset,” “No Hotels,” and “She Only Spoke Through Music.”
Anyways, if you read this article and find someone new that you didn’t know you liked, my mission has been accomplished. I love supporting smaller artists and seeing someone’s rise to fame is such a fun feeling to tag along on their success journey as their support behind the scenes. Some of these artists are just getting their foot in the door, while others no longer release music but stay someone to check out to re-alive their work. Nonetheless, I love music and how there is just so much out there waiting to find you.