The Best Independent Releases of 2023
Ten albums or tracks that come from the bold vision of independent artists featured on Bias Wrecker in 2023.
Rina Sawayama by Dusana Risovic for Lollapalooza
Personal, introspective records were my favorite this year, which might be surprising coming from a writer who started this blog to profile K-Pop.
But this year I expanded into writing about other genres of music with a goal to focus on independent musicians and along the way, met some of my new favorite artists. Many of these stories were an extremely collaborative process that gave the artists an opportunity to tell their stories in an intimately autobiographical way. I’m really proud of was published, and of the music I profiled.
I created this list so you can sample just how much incredible music is being made outside of the mainstream. The music that I’ve returned to the most this year comes from these artists. I don’t have a real system for who I choose to profile, but I won’t write about anyone whose music I don’t love. Everyone on this year-end list deserves all of the success that is headed their way, so I hope you’ll take a listen to support them!
So, in no specific order, here are some of my favorites of the year, along with links to their interviews or music reviews:
Roman Kayz, “the trilogy”
Long before I heard Roman Kayz’s trilogy, I was a fan of his music. But watching him find his voice as a talented singer-songwriter has been one of my favorite stories of the year. “I started to think more outside of the box,” he told me in May. “I wanted to say the most things by saying the least. I wanted to be more poetic and thought-provoking.” The result is three singles, “like you said you would”, “how do i make you stay?” and “i can’t afford to love you”, that have become his most sophisticated music to-date. As the year has progressed, they’ve stayed with me through long nights out to days I’m in bed journaling. Listen to them together and you’ll hear a singer reckoning with the end of his first love, and slowly, beginning to find his own self-worth.
Rina Sawayama by Dusana Risovic for Lollapalooza
Rina Sawayama, “Hold The Girl”, the album and concert
Released in late 2022, I’m including “Hold The Girl” on this year-end list because I was not prepared for what a force Rina would be when I saw her at Lollapalooza. This was probably the most impactful record of the year for me, and one that completely shifted what I thought I wanted to write about on Bias Wrecker. Fiercely honest, raw lyrics that explore generational trauma and the eventual return to self-love round out “Hold The Girl”. But as Lindsay Zoladz wrote in her New York Times review of the album, “If this sounds like heavy lifting, know that Sawayama has never stuck to light, conventional subjects.”
At Lollapalooza, she delivered the most high-caliber pop show of the year on a string budget, complete with clever costume changes and an imaginative bare bones set. On stage, she dared the audience to feel our collective rage and dance through the pain. “Your country seems to like telling everyone that they’re going to hell,” she sneered in an intro to “This Hell”. “But I think that sounds like a lot of fun!” If we’re going to hell, I’m happy for Rina to lead us there. She is not just a great pop star, she is a vital one, too.
Townewest, “before it’s too late”
I first heard “before it’s too late” in LA at Townewest’s mad scientist producer Jonum’s apartment. “Oh shit, I’m about to put you onnnn!” he shouted as he turned up the music. But I still wasn’t prepared for what a weird, cinematic album “before it’s too late” would be. Conceptually devised as an ode to the end of summer, Jonum and Bouquet’s “before it’s too late” details a classic coming of age story, when we first realize just how bad life can get, and how much we have to lose in living. “I wanna make shit that makes people realize we’re all humans,” Bouquet said in our interview. The result is a tragic, bittersweet, and ultimately, a one-of-a-kind body of work.
BNZA, “Selfish”
You’re likely not going to find a breezy R&B track quite as catchy as BNZA’s “Selfish”. Released in the spring, “Selfish” was the first in a run of singles that the Canadian singer-songwriter has been cooking in his Toronto studio. On “Selfish”, it’s his smooth voice that I’m most drawn to because it will melt you.
2023 was a year of firsts for the singer, too: From headlining his first show at Toronto’s Drake to opening for Jimmy Brown, the singer, as I wrote in my profile story, is poised for a breakthrough. “I want this work to be a little beacon of confidence for the next generation just to reassure them that this type of career is sustainable,” he said.
Devyn, “MOON”
Dreamy, atmospheric vibes melt into the music of Devyn, a Los Angeles-based musician who was once a model. Since teaming up with creative director Natalie Huyen, though, Devyn has found her voice. “I am such a strong advocate of being your unapologetic self and embracing all sides of who you are,” Devyn said in our interview. On the sublime single “MOON”, released in July, Devyn looked inward to find self-acceptance. “MOON” represents reality meeting a dream,” Devyn explained, finally aware that she is beginning to take flight.
Bobo.Xx featuring Tablo, “PAIN”
Bobo.XX
It’s not every day that you get to collaborate with your heroes but Bobo.Xx has made a career out of it. On “PAIN”, Epik High’s Tablo joins Bobo on a track that blisters with rage. It’s a career high for the rock star who just opened for The Rose at LA’s Kia Forum and is on a mission to show just how far Asian Americans like him to go. “There’s no one that represents me and I had such a problem with that. There’s just these people that I can’t relate to,” he said in my massive profile story from June. “I’m not one of those crazy smart Asians. I didn’t grow up rich.” He began to think, “Who’s representing me?” Then he decided to say fuck it, and be his own damn rockstar.
HOHYUN, “i can’t escape the rain”
After years of churning out music, HOHYUN hit viral success this year with “SUNSET BOULEVARD”, a track so smooth that it nearly glides. But HOHYUN hasn’t been content to simply ride on that success. Instead, he’s worked to give a voice to his anxieties and depression. On “i can’t escape the rain”, the singer tries to put words to the storm in his head. “Tell me why I feel this way,” he sings, “I’m spiraling/ I lost my mind”. The song struck a chord with listeners and has become one of his most-streamed songs of the year, proving that by sharing his darkest thoughts, listeners can find some light.
Juju B. Goode by Ashley Chang
Juju B. Goode, “Smile! You’re On Camera”
Juju B. Goode’s debut album “Smile! You’re On Camera” is one of my unexpected delightful finds of the year. I was introduced to the singer as he was putting the finishing touches on the album, and heard how he was incorporating the K-Pop from his childhood into a modern day interpretation. But “Smile!” is still funkier and more audacious than I was expecting. This likely comes from how long Juju spent preparing for this moment.
“Maybe I’m older in terms of debuting and starting my music career but I got to experience so much in life,” he said in our interview. “I understand the value of being able to pursue what I love and to talk about that and capture that energy in my music.”
XENZU, “TELL ME U WANT ME”
Meet XENZU, the baddest bitch from China, dripping with Shanghai glamor and LA bawdiness. She’s known for the kind of badass tracks like “Jelly” that ask if you’re jealous of what you see. But on “TELL ME U WANT ME”, the singer brings a new side into her music: her weakness for love. It’s a mid-tempo, synth-kissed track that becomes a highlight in her discography. “Being vulnerable is the most brave thing you can ever do for yourself,” she said in an interview last year. If this track represents a new direction, it’s welcomed.
The Rose, “DUAL”
“DUAL”, it could be argued, had been in The Rose’s system for years before they wrote their latest album. The result is a freewheeling record, much like the official After Show set I saw at Lollapalooza where the group cut a setlist in favor of requests. “DUAL” is probably the first sign of what an adventurous group The Rose is now that they are free of a K-Pop label.
“I think our music always did showcase both sides,” the group’s leader Sammy told Samantha Lui for GRAMMY a few weeks before the album’s release. “Whenever we wrote an album, I feel like we always had a dawn and a dusk side. We wanted to showcase that we are capable of both and this is where our music is headed.”
4BOUT, “Coward”
Somewhere in the past three years, 4ABOUT (formerly known as ABOUT) found the courage to be himself. As a Korean transplant living in New York City, he’s self-released several albums and EPs but none as impactful or as emotional as “Coward”. “I’m not a coward, I never was,” he declares in the chorus. It tracks: In our conversation, 4BOUT shared how he knew he was always different from others, but at some point he stopped giving a damn. “When you listen to my music, you don’t need to be happy. You don’t need to be sexy. You don’t need to be in a relationship or have a lover.” He encouraged, “Be too much with me in my music and with my lyrics. Do nothing. Daydream.”
