Three outstanding new indie pop tracks at the intersection of pop and folk music

Sixten – “Living Comes With Dying”
-This might seem like a melancholy song at first listen, but trust me when I say there’s a lot of good vibes at the heart of it. While the focus is ostensibly on dying, the main message of the song is an encouragement to really live life. As someone in a stage of “middle age,” this song resonates in ways that I struggle to put into words. I appreciate the atmospheric indie pop elements as they dance delightfully with the folksy storytelling; once the full band and vocal harmonies enter on the chorus, this song goes from good to great. It’s a wonderful work of art.

Kris Allen – “Too Good for Too Long”
-We don’t really have a soul category on our site, but if we did that’s where I would put this song. Kris Allen continues to impress with his captivating vocal style and a timeless soulful energy. There’s a maturity to the song that shows that it’s more than “just” a pop song; there’s a groove, a snappiness in the production that really works. But the main focal point of the song is the vocal expression of what it’s like to ruin a good thing. It feels like a heartache song about how the protagonist messed up, but the truth is all he wants is for the relationship to work. As a man who has been married for 18 years, suffice it to say that I can relate to these lyrics big time. “I don’t wanna be right no more… I just wanna be yours.” Amen to that. Great, must-listen soulful music.

APRE – “No Sympathy”
-There’s a powerful dance energy at the heart of this track, but beneath the production layers there’s a quality narrative unfolding. It’s a song that is fundamentally about sorting ourselves out after a tumultuous relationship. We tend to hear either love songs or breakup songs; this is a track that highlights that middle ground where a relationship isn’t really working, but you can’t quite quit it. The danceable energy here exists in that dynamic energy; it’s a sound for people who like melodic, dancing music that carries some emotional weight.