Steven and Ian open with a quick conversation about fireworks and fireworks-adjacent emo music. Then they dive into the outcry from Lorde fans about the faulty "transparent" CD edition of her latest album, Virgin (3:36). Steven is excited to see CD discourse go mainstream, though he worries that this bad publicity might turn people off to the format.

After that, they discuss the AI band The Velvet Sundown, which has already racked up 500,000 monthly listeners on Spotify in just a few weeks (11:02). They also talk about the recent Glastonbury Festival and speculate on why European music festivals look so much more fun than American ones (22:11). Finally, they do the Q3 Fantasy Albums Draft, and talk about some of the most anticipated releases of the next three months (33:50).

New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 246 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.

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Steven and Ian begin with a conversation about Virgin, the new album by Lorde out today (2:20). Judging by the singles, it's not clear if this is going to be the comeback she needs. They also talked about Guitar, the new album just announced by Mac DeMarco, his first "proper" record of songs in years (15:15).

Then they pivoted to a conversation about the weird state of music in 2025 (24:14), which already seems like a weaker year than 2024, before they each listed their five favorite releases of the past six months (30:26).

New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 243 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Steven and Ian open this week's episode by hashing out the new trailer for Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, the upcoming film about the making of Nebraska starring Jeremy Allen White from The Bear. Does the movie look any good? Does Jeremy have the proper level of rasp? (1:19) The guys also talk about a (terrible) new song featuring three sons of The Beatles. (10:13) Then, after Steven officially concedes defeat in the latest Fantasy Albums Draft (15:43), they review new albums by Haim (18:18) and Hotline TNT (33:40).

In the mailbag, they contemplate the AI versions of themselves as determined by ChatGPT (43:08). In Recommendation Corner, Ian talks about the rave-inspired Real Lies and Steven goes for the Kentucky songwriter S.G. Goodman. (50:25)

New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 244 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week's Indiecast opens with a tribute to two fallen icons, Brian Wilson and Sly Stone, who both passed away at the age of 82 within a few days of one another (0:00). The guys discuss their respective legacies and the influence they have on modern music. They also discuss a recent article on dad rock and how the term now is used to describe any form of rock music (13:07). Then they check in on the Fantasy Albums Draft, which Ian is suddenly dominating (21:34). In the mailbag, they answer several emails -- topics include the utility of Metacritic, a yay-or-nay verdict on Title Fight, and "tennis-core" bands (28:07).

In Recommendation Corner, Ian talks about the SoCal emo band First Day Back and Steven recommends the Chicago indie group Beauty Saloon (51:17).

New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 243 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Steven and Ian open with a conversation about Miley Cyrus stans lobbying Metacritic to disregard negative reviews of her new album (0:00:. What could this mean for the future of the Fantasy Albums Draft? Speaking of the draft, it's coming down to the wire with reviews of new albums by Alan Sparhawk and Little Simz (8:10). From there, the guys talk about a new album announcement from Big Thief, as well as a new single (16:21). Then they review new albums by Turnstile (24:36) and Pulp (36:02).

In Recommendation Corner, Ian goes for the shoegaze band clairaudience and Steven talks up the Chicago indie trio Lifeguard (54:18).

New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 242 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Steven and Ian begin this week's episode by noting the returns of two indie-rock favorites from the 2000s — Grizzly Bear and Fiery Furnaces are both returning to the road later this year (0:42). (Given that Grizzly Bear's Shields was recently inducted in the Indiecast Hall Of Fame, could this be evidence of the vaunted Indiecast bump?)

The guys also talk about an upcoming fall tour from Modest Mouse and Built To Spill, and weigh the catalogs of these iconic bands against each other (7:32). Then they discuss the latest song by Alex G, a teaser for his upcoming RCA Records debut LP (19:05). In the mailbag, a listener asks whether being a music critic makes it harder to be a music fan (28:19). The guys also answer an email about Sleep Token, which makes this the second consecutive episode with Sleep Token discourse.

In Recommendation Corner, Ian talks about the latest from the UK band Caroline and Steven goes for the Chicago guitarist Eli Winter (53:35).

New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 241 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Steven and Ian begin with a short Sportscast about the tush push surviving a potential ban in the NFL (0:00). Then they talk about about the terrible commercial performance for Arcade Fire's latest album and where the band goes from here (6:43). They also listen to Sleep Token for the first time... and don't hate it (16:09)? After that, they discuss a disastrous turn for Steven's Fantasy Album Draft team, which forced him to pick a new album (25:12). In happier news, they discuss the great new Wednesday single and what it portends for a potential new album (30:30), and then the new Pavement movie and their feelings about the band (37:31).

In Recommendation Corner, Ian goes for the new album by Home Is Where and Steven stumps for the latest from Florry (54:11).

New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 240 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Steven and Ian begin with a Sportscast segment on recent NBA news, including conspiracy talk about the draft lottery and whether it's wrong to send an "lol" after a devastating sports injury (1:27). From there, they touch briefly on the Fantasy Albums Draft, which is looking very close (12:01), and recent mainstream rock releases by Sleep Token and Counting Crows (16:35). Then there's a discussion of the recent Arcade Fire record, which both Steven and Ian reviewed, and the band's future prospects (20:38). In the mailbag, they discuss criticism of the new André 3000 piano album from the jazz community (39:23).

In Recommendation Corner, Ian talks about the new album by punk veterans Mclusky and Steven recommends the latest from Philly country-rockers Friendship (52:01).

New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 239 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Steven and Ian open today with a quick TV-cast on the latest episode of The Rehearsal, which is some of the finest Evanescence-related content you will ever see. (0:13) (They also pivot briefly to a Movie-cast about Sinners.) (10:20) From there, they update the Fantasy Album Draft to talk about the great new album by Billy Woods, Golliwog, which is wowing critics. (14:00) They also briefly touch on the new Arcade Fire record, which Ian has not heard yet so the longer conversation is tabled for next week. (18:56) Then they pivot to a talk about two inside-baseball music criticism topics — a recent IG post by the band Tennis railing against the treatment of their records from critics, (26:31) and Steven's interview this week with top YouTube music critic Anthony Fantano. (40:13)

In Recommendation Corner, Ian talks about aughts-era band The Ponys upon the passing of drummer Nathan Jerde, and Steven stumps for the Portland band Alien Boy. (50:57)

New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 238 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Steven and Ian open this week with a conversation about financial woes at the LP subscription service Vinyl Me Please, and what this says about the "Big Vinyl" industry (1:16). They also talk about Steven's recent column on the most "CD album" albums, and why certain records work better on compact disc (9:38).

In the Fantasy Album Draft update, they talk about new records by Model/Actriz and Jenny Hval (22:13). Then they review The Scholars, the latest album by Car Seat Headrest, along with discussing the band's career (29:28). In the mailbag, a reader asks about albums made by comedians, including a recent effort by Kyle Mooney, as well as a "yay or nay" verdict on They Might Be Giants (44:08).

In Recommendation Corner, Ian talk about the new album by Club Night while Steven goes for the latest from The Convenience (56:17).

New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 237 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.