Even in 2023, there is still a long way to go before gender justice in the world – structural forms of discrimination range from the gender pay gap and sexual harassment to female poverty in old age, which also has an impact on a higher mortality rate. The patriarchal differences are also clearly visible in the music world: Not only the charts, but also festival lineups and price categories confirm the inequality that still exists between cis-male and FLINTA+ artists: inside. March 8th is International Women’s Day, or Feminist Struggle Day – on this occasion we would like to introduce you to ten new female voices from two of the most male-dominated genres: indie and rock.
Here are seven newcomers to indie rock you should know about:
01. Gloria Walnut
The English term “nepo baby” was on everyone’s lips last year and refers to prominent people who were born to famous parents and therefore have more privileges, contacts and prejudices than children of unsuccessful parents. From these points of view, Gloria Nussbaum should actually be counted as a “nepo baby”: The singer-songwriter is the daughter of Jake White (no, not the Jack White, but the German music producer who wrote, among other things, “Self Control” for Laura Branigan and “I’ve Been Looking For Freedom” for David Hasselhoff). But Gloria Nussbaum has so far made her way relatively independently: After she was signed as a songwriter after an internship in Amsterdam, she went to London, where she worked with Dennis Neuer on her first EP. In their music, longing and melancholy meet, accompanied by wavy beats or post-punk guitars.
02. Ethel Cain
Ethel Cain has been through a lot. The 24-year-old singer-songwriter grew up as Hayden Silas Anhedönia in a Southern Baptist family, but realized early on that she was born in the wrong body. She tells of being abused by her own father as a child and being called a “satanic witch” by other children because of her queer identity. It’s mainly horror films and gothic culture that give her some stability during this time. After leaving the church when she was 16 and coming out as a trans woman when she was 20, she began working on her gritty alternative and dark wave pop. For her third EP “Inbred”, Cain locked herself in an empty church and produced all the songs herself. Critics described the music on the EP as “nightmarish, abysmal, dirty and final”. Her debut album Preacher’s Daughter was released in 2022.
03. Blondeshell
Blondshell has only released five songs – but success is already on the horizon: three tracks of her latest single “Joiner” have already broken the million mark on Spotify and critics are also enthusiastic about the alternative indie pop of the New York musician , whose real name is Sabrina Teitelbaum. Originally trained as a jazz musician, Teitelbaum decided shortly before the Corona pandemic not to be restricted by genres. The result is impressive: for her music she was inspired by Courtney Love, Patti Smith and Clare Sestanovich. Speaking of her new single “Veronica Mars,” the musician said, “I wanted it to feel like you’re watching HBO, where even when it’s heavy you still have a good time.”
04. Sir Chloe
Dana Foote was supposed to be writing her thesis at Bennington College – instead, the music composition student decided to put on a concert consisting entirely of music she had written herself. To realize this project, she founded an indie rock band called Sir Chloe together with her brother and close friends. They got their first hit – of course – through the magic of TikTok: the song “Michelle” went viral on the platform and today has more than 183 million views on Spotify. Her debut album “Party Favors” was released in 2020, her most recent single “Hooves” was released at the end of February.
05. Rachel Chinouriri
With Rachel Chinouriri you are always very close: her soft, almost ASMR-like voice is the focus of her calm lo-fi indie pop. The British-Zimbabwean singer-songwriter had a “traditional African upbringing,” as she said in an interview — which only intensified her curiosity about British pop culture. Her biggest musical role models as a teenager were Daughter and Lily Allen. After she started releasing her songs independently on various streaming platforms in 2018, she was quickly signed by Parlophone. So far, the 21-year-old has released two EPs and one album.
06. Sarah Kinsley
Sarah Kinsley had to experience first-hand how important it is for female artists to remain financially and creatively independent: According to her own statements, the American musician had to deal with “twisted” compliments after she was “only” a feature in a Song performed and otherwise had no influence on the production. When she then learned from a report by the University of Southern California that only 2 percent of all producers identify themselves as female, the 22-year-old decided to produce all her music herself from here on out. Her song “The King” went viral on TikTok in 2021, following which Kinsley released an EP of the same name, which was included in the NME’s Best Debut Projects list of 2021.
07. BROCKHOFF
In April, BROCKHOFF will be playing her first solo shows in Berlin and Hamburg – previously the 22-year-old musician drew attention to herself as the support act for Jeremias and Paolo Nutini. Musically, the Hamburg native moves in the area of the classic 90s indie sound, which leaves you in a more positive mood than before, although the lyrics go into depth. Her lilting guitar riffs and layered voice are at times reminiscent of the music of Phoebe Bridgers, Soccer Mommy and Ilgen Nur. BROCKHOFF’s first EP “Sharks” was released last summer and was positively received by the critics.