At the end of each year, I publish a list of my Top 100 Songs, representing my picks for what I think are the best songs – my favorites actually – for the entire year. This year, at the suggestion of John Gilbert, guitarist and lead vocalist of Missouri folk rock band Voodoo Planet, I’ve also compiled a list of my 100 favorite indie songs of 2024 (their song “Adrift” is included in this list). Because I follow, and am followed by, many indie musicians and bands on the various social media platforms, I want to highlight some of the really outstanding music being made by them that’s every bit as good as that from mainstream acts.

These are not “indie” songs in terms of genre (though there are many that fall into that overall category), but songs by independent or unsigned music acts. Some are in fact signed to music labels, but they’re usually small, independently owned labels. There are 89 acts represented in this list, the majority of which are from the U.S., Canada and the U.K., but also from Australia, Malaysia, Norway, Spain, Germany and Ukraine. Of course, I must make note of the fact that this list contains only songs I’m aware of, and that there are likely hundreds or even thousands of other songs that deserve to be here, except that I’ve never heard them.

Though they’re ranked from #1 to 100, it doesn’t mean that a song at #30 is better than one at #70. That said, the ones closer to the top are my very favorites. And though I’d love to write a narrative about each song and artist, given my limited time and energy, not to mention people’s short attention spans, I’ve decided against that. I’ve created playlists on both Spotify and YouTube, which are included after the list itself. Enjoy!

1. LIKE YOU DO – Talk in Waves
2. ALL I DIE FOR – SWiiMS
3. THE FAITHFUL HEART – Wons Phreely + The Horses
4. WINTER COWBOY – Frank Joshua
5. A FORETOLD ECSTASY – Mayflower Madame
6. ATTRACTION – Wild Horse
7. I’VE GOT LOVING FOR YOU – Bottlecap Mountain
8. KOOL AID BLUE – The Sylvia Platters
9. WHAT IF I FEEL LIKE THIS MY WHOLE LIFE? – HULLAH
10. FOR US ALL – Asgard Raven
11. DIAMOND AND THE MISSING SON – Unquiet Nights
12. YOU JUST PLAYED MY MIND – Oli Barton
13. BLUSH – Vazum
14. TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT – Dead Slow Hoot
15. FIND MY WAY – Ships Have Sailed
16. WAR – HEALER
17. GOLD – Caitlin Lavagna
18. HONEY – Mr Bewlay
19. MIND GAME (3:33) – Collette McLafferty & John Serrano
20. TOO MUCH OR NOT ENOUGH? – Candid
21. YOUR WORLD NOW – Marc Schuster
22. WAKING LIFE – Nicholas a. Milillo, Dee Wolf, Bobby Jasso & Gabrielle Marella & the voice of Tony Milillo
23. VICES – 5ilas & Shimmer Johnson
24. ADRIFT – Voodoo Planet & Mikey J
25. BICYCLE AWAY – Sam Rappaport
26. PERMANENT RECORD – GG Fearn
27. AUTUMN LEAVES – Secret Postal Society
28. HOLOGRAM – Raker
29. GOOD TIMES GO – The Kid and I
30. JUST WANNA SLEEP – Halfloves
31. IT’S OVER NOW – Oli Barton
32. DYING TO MEET YOU – Gooseberry
33. OH, WELL – John Serrano
34. SUBMARINE – Homeless Radio
35. BRAND NEW DAY – Ben Gorb
36. DOWNING STREET – Brain Ape
37. LOOSIE LUNA – Coppa Londra
38. TEMPTATION – Pylon Poets
39. WHY DO YOU CARE – The Muldoons
40. I AM AM I? – NAVE
41. THIS ALL ENDS HERE – Minus Cube & Natalie Lucie
42. NEW PONY – The Nanners
43. KEEPING SCORE – Snap Infraction
44. WAKE ME UP – HEALER
45. ODYSSEY – Josephine Pascoe
46. LIKE THE SUN – A.Wake
47. SMALL MERCIES – Brian Lambert & Marc Schuster
48. EASIER AND EASIER – Lyia Meta
49. VICTIM – Frank Joshua
50. SMUDGE – Mock Deer
51. THE LOST – The Ocean Beneath
52. INVISIBLE INK – Ships Have Sailed
53. BY DESIGN – Amongst Liars & Felin
54. LITTLE SELF-INDULGENT – Western Jaguar
55. PIECE OF CAKE – Bottlecap Mountain
56. COLLISION – The Zangwills
57. ROADS – HULLAH
58. GUYS LIKE YOU – Olivia Miceli
59. YOUTH – The 23’s
60. STATELINE – Nathan Ball
61. CHASING YOUR DREAMS – Asgard Raven
62. ELEVEN – Minus Cube & P’like
63. DREAM TONIGHT – The Ocean Beneath & Liz Mann
64. SELF CONTROL – John Laurant, Ron van den Beuken & Shimmer Johnson
65. THE BEST – Thunder Fox
66. NEW MOON – Morning Fuzz
67. REPOSSESS – Western Jaguar
68. YOU ARE NOT A SLAVE – Amongst Liars
69. CREATURE FEATURE – dwi
70. BAD LUCK – The Macrotones
71. WITCH TRAIN – The Blackburns
72. NOCTURNALLY YOURS – Scoopski
73. TANTALUS – John Serrano
74. REAL COLORS – The Nanners
75. DO YOU REALLY WANNA KNOW? – Set the Tone
76. PRETTY ALRIGHT – Caitlin Lavagna
77. LET’S RUN AWAY – Solar Eyes
78. ONE ROOM PAST WAITING – Chief Springs
79. ARE YOU REALLY FREE? – Alba
80. FIREBIRD – Josephine Pascoe
81. CHILDHOOD FRIENDS – naive nature
82. SPACE TRAVEL – Sandrom
83. MORE – Andrew Neil and Code Purple
84. SMALL TIME FISH (BIG TIME POND) – Sorry Ghost
85. THE VOID – Fuzzle
86. GREEN EYED MONSTER – Olivia Miceli
87. ALL I WANT – The Heroic Enthusiasts
88. WHY DON’T YOU LOVE ME – Tom Burton
89. COCK OF THE FIFTH YEAR – The Empty Page
90. NOT READY YET – Sean Magwire
91. GHOST – Grizzly Madams
92. ALWAYS DO – Melody Zenith
93. MISSED YOU – Mal Fantome
94. WOULD YOU WANT IT (IF YOU HAD IT) – The Barons
95. THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF WHAT IF – Eleanor Collides & Emily Gray
96. EVERYTHING FITS – Wons Phreely + The Horses
97. ANYWAY – The Crushing Violets
98. PUSH IT BACK – Kiffie
99. ALL THE SAME TO YOU – Quizboy & Marc Schuster
100. SHADE – Microfilm