Indiecast

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Has 2026 Been A Good Year For Music? Plus: New Albums by Death Cab For Cutie, Modest Mouse, and Deer Tick Jun 05, 2026

Show notes

This week's conversation begins with Steven telling a story about a very mean email he got from a publicist this week (2:00), followed by Ian talking about his trip to an historic studio down south (9:30). After that, they do an update of the fantasy albums draft (17:56) before assessing the state of music in 2026 so far, ahead of revealing their mid-year lists next week (23:09). Then they run down the week's new releases, including new releases by Modest Mouse, Converge, Deer Tick and Lizzo (31:05). They also discuss the new record by Death Cab for Cutie (41:06). In Recommendation Corner, Ian recommends Greg Mendez and Steven recommends Futurebirds (50:48).

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New Albums By Kurt Vile and Guided By Voices, the Return of Wild Pink, and "Indie Rock" Electronic Albums May 29, 2026

Show notes

The guys open with a Sportscast about the NBA playoffs, including talk about SGA flopping and the New York Knicks dominating (1:56). They then talk about a new album announcement by one of the show's "mascot" bands, Wild Pink (13:57). They also discuss the new Guided By Voices album, and Steven's recent ranking of all the band's many members (21:20). Then they delve deeper into the week's new releases, including albums by Iceage, Paul McCartney, and Turnover. (28:49). They also touch on the new Boards of Canada release, and subsequently discuss indie-adjacent electronic music (47:23). In Recommendation Corner, Ian recommends Crash Of Rhinos and Steven recommends a new archival John Prine live album (52:16).

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Car Seat Headrest Re-Records "Teens Of Denial," Ed O'Brien Goes Solo (Again), and We Assess a "Greatest Punk Albums" List May 22, 2026

Show notes

The guys start by talking about the newly announced anniversary tour for "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness," with Steven quizzing Ian on how many times "We Only Come Out At Night" has been played live (2:43). They then talk about Car Seat Headrest re-recording their 2016 indie classic "Teens Of Denial," for dubious reasons (10:50). Then they review the week's new releases, including new albums by Bleachers, Ed O'Brien of Radiohead and Future Islands (24:24). After that, they discuss a recent "Greatest Punk Albums" list, giving their own takes on the choices (38:01). In Recommendation Corner, Ian talks about The Field and Steven discusses Thomas Dollbaum (52:14).

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Phoebe Bridgers Returns! Tame Impala Has A Real Pop Hit! This Is Lorelei Signs Big! May 15, 2026

Show notes

This week's conversation begins with some recent discourse about whether rock is dead and whether it was killed by the CIA or liberal poptimists (2:34). The guys also briefly discuss the backlash against a "New York Times" video where the pop critics defended their recent greatest living American songwriters list (17:27). Then they look at a relatively light week for new releases, including albums by Kevin Morby, Rostam and Spencer Krug (22:41). After they pivot to news hinting at an apparent new Phoebe Bridgers album and her prospects for a comeback (29:03). They also discuss the recent Top 10 hit by Tame Impala from their critically panned 2025 album (39:27), and Nate Amos of This Is Lorelei signing to Matador (44:22). In Recommendation Corner, Ian talks about the electronic act Jump Scare and Steve talks about the L.A. band Gun Outfit (50:59).

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Broken Social Scene Returns, Greta Van Fleet Breaks Up (Almost), Ween vs. Tenacious D, and The Greatest Guitar Solos Of All Time May 08, 2026

Show notes

The guys open with Greta Van Fleet, who is not an indie band, possibly teasing their own breakup or possible new music this week (1:20). Then they offer an update on the Fantasy Albums Draft, discussing recent albums by Aldous Harding and Kneecap (8:15). This leads to a wider conversation about the week's new releases, including Broken Social Scene, Basement, Cola, Social Distortion, The Lemon Twigs, and more (19:24). After that they consider a recent list of the greatest guitar solos of all time, and offer up their picks (33:44). In the first mailbag of the Amazon era, they revisit Ian's negative album reviews for Pitchfork (43:23) and rule on whether Tenacious D ripped off Ween (48:32). In Recommendation Corner, Ian with indie EDM artist Ninajirachi and Steven goes with a recent book on heartland rock by Erin Osmon (56:44).

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The Thrill Of American Football and The Agony Of "Michael" May 01, 2026

Show notes

Steven and Ian start with a Moviecast about the new Michael Jackson biopic, a huge blockbuster that Steven saw and Ian probably won't (3:16). From there they talk about the pros and cons of concert tourism (17:55) and Ian's recent experience seeing the cult emo band Everyone Asked About You (23:26). Then they talk about some of the week's new releases, including albums by Hiss Golden Messenger, Lip Critic, The Black Keys, and Tori Amos (32:15) before landing on an extended conversation about the band American Football and their new self-titled LP (41:58). Finally, in Recommendation Corner Ian discusses the band You're An Angel and Steven stumps for Mildred (56:26).

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A Rom-Com About An Indie Music Critic? Plus: New Albums By Nine Inch Noize and Friko Apr 24, 2026

Show notes

This week's episode opens with the first-ever Sportscast of the Amazon era (01:38) followed by a conversation about the week's new releases, touching on Foo Fighters, Failure, Metric, Noah Kahan and more (05:51). After that, the guys check in on the Fantasy Albums Draft (16:47), and then discuss new albums by the Chicago band Friko (21:38) and the Trent Reznor/Boys Noize collaboration Nine Inch Noize (28:54). Then they talk about the new romantic comedy "Mile End Kicks," a period piece about a young indie music critic living in Montreal in 2011 (35:32). Finally, they wrap with Ian recommending the latest New Pornographers album and Steven talking about the big essay in his newsletter on 2020s alt-country, with special shout-outs to recent albums by Brown Horse and Florry (54:34).

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A Geese Scandal? Plus: Live Nation Monopoly, Coachella, Angine De Poitrine, and My New Band Believe Apr 17, 2026

Show notes

A hashing-heavy episode opens with news of a big recent court ruling against Live Nation (1:15) and whether it might lead to cheaper concert tickets. The guys then talk about a digital marketing company linked to Geese and many other indie acts that pumps up social-media chatter (8:32). After that, they discuss their favorite highlights of the ongoing Coachella festival (28:00), do a "yay or nay" on the viral math-rock band Angine De Poitrine (37:45) and review the new album by My New Band Believe (45:59). In Recommendation Corner, Ian talks about the band Garden Ants while Steven stumps for The Delines (56:22).

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New Music From The Strokes and WU LYF, plus: The 2026 Q2 Fantasy Albums Draft Apr 10, 2026

Show notes

Our first episode since December of 2025 opens with a quick conversation about "Mad Men" star Christina Hendricks' viral indie-music DJ set in San Diego (1:09). The guys then talk about the return of the show (5:00) and muse on topics they missed while they were away (12:13). After that, they discuss the announcement of the first new Strokes album in six years (24:31) and review the first WU LYF record in 15 years (33:42). From there, they conduct a Fantasy Albums Draft for the year's Q2 (44:46). Finally, in Recommendation Corner they discuss new music from Underscores and Wendy Eisenberg (1:09:20).

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Indiecast Is Back! Starting Friday April 10! Apr 06, 2026

Show notes

Hello and welcome back to Indiecast! We are pleased to announce that the podcast we started back in 2020 and co-hosted through December of 2025 — when we were temporarily put on hold by our former producing partner — will return on Friday April 10. Same show, same day of the week, and even the same podcast feed. What’s different is our logo, which is a slightly different color. Also, we are now working with Amazon Music, who we are sure you have heard of. Otherwise, we’re picking up pretty much where we left off. And … just in time for a new WU LYF album? Seriously? Did Ian engineer this?

While Amazon Music is helping out with the show, Indiecast will remain on all the platforms where you used to hear it. And it will be free. However, there will be special “bonus” content in the weeks and months ahead, including artist interviews, available exclusively on Amazon Music’s streaming service. We’ll have more to share on that very soon, but for now, the most important news is this: We’re back. And we’re ready to hash out some trends.

If you want to learn more about how this happened, and what else lies ahead, please visit Steven's Substack.

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