SoundCloud Indie

The new indie scene on SoundCloud might be guitar-led, but similarities to previous indie scenes are few and far between. Sonically, it’s lo-fi, with raw, heartfelt lyricism, but its musical diversity sets it apart, with artists inspired as much by Paramore as plugg. You also won’t see a single band line-up. This is indie rebuilt on the internet, and it’s become one of SoundCloud’s most vital emerging sounds, growing over 2.5 times in 2025 alone.

LA-based bunii is one of the scene’s foremost artists, and characterizes the scene as “a group of kids around my age, late teens… just trying to express their vulnerability and emotions in the way they deem most fit.” For New York-based indie artist kid moon, that manifests as heartfelt lyricism, harkening influences including Elliot Smith and Nick Drake.

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LISTEN TO A PLAYLIST SELECTED BY BUNII & KID MOON ON SOUNDCLOUD NOW

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More bedroom than basement, it’s normal for the scene’s artists to have learned production software before ever touching a traditional instrument. It’s “very DIY,” says kid moon. “Everyone’s doing it themselves — making the instrumentals, recording, writing.” 

Multi-hyphenate artist bunii (vocalist-guitarist-producer), uploaded his first track, “Mina,” to SoundCloud in mid-2024 at the age of 16, before working his way to becoming one of the community’s biggest names. Despite hitting exciting milestones, like being named a SoundCloud Ascending artist and going on to sign with Warner Records, he’s only changed his sound minimally, proud of the sound he cultivated as a bedroom artist learning production from online tutorials. 

Online communities have helped connect its far-flung creators and build momentum. “Though most people don’t realize it, we’ve practically grown up together,” says yiru, an R&B-leaning indie artist based in Minnesota. He’s part of an online community called Campfire Stories (or just camp) alongside other artists like bunii, crayon, kiheir, wildcard and ankle. Here, artists share work with fans and collaborate virtually, across timezones.

“The scene allows me to connect with other artists who are incredibly talented,” says bunii. “We all grow because we all inspire each other.”

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SoundCloud has also played an integral role. The burgeoning scene was identified early, earning a place in the Music Intelligence Report in early 2025. In that report, promising artists bunii, kid moon and crayon were highlighted, showcasing how SoundCloud’s data signals and support have remained consistent with the growth these artists have experienced since.

Into 2026, the scene continues to garner more breakout successes. Texas-based crayon joined SoundCloud’s Ascending class in March 2026 and he jumped into The Booth with his track “legs” shortly after, introducing him to a fast-growing fanbase. Meanwhile, s0rrow — yet to step out from behind his pencil-drawn avatar — has racked up millions of plays in just a few months. 

Discover the sound of the new indie scene with this collection of tracks from bunii and others leading the charge, such as the angelic-voiced revivle, the driving indie-meets-R&B of aeter, scene veterans overtonight and ayowitty, and many more.

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LISTEN TO THE SOUNDCLOUD INDIE PLAYLIST NOW ON SOUNDCLOUD

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bunii, “joey”
The LA-based indie scene leader just sold out his US tour, and centers his Filipino heritage in music videos for his March 2026 album ‘Virgilio’ — his first LP since joining Warner Records. The producer, singer and instrumentalist’s inspirations range from the J-rock of Susquatch to pop-punks NOFX to jazz guitar legend Wes Montgomery. His story began by uploading his debut track “Mina” to SoundCloud at just 16, and he’s kept his bedroom-crafted sound largely intact throughout his career. Listen to bunii’s curated playlist gathering some of his key sonic influences here.

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overtonight, “ghost party”
Best known for his bleakly upbeat viral breakout “mirrors demo,” released July 2025, the Boston-based artist is taking his headphone-ready alternative rock to bigger stages. He’s announced his Ghostland Forever tour for September 2026. His latest track “ghost party” heads in a more electronic direction, as teased on his 2025 EP, ‘gingerbread.’

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crayon, “235”
Named as one to watch in SoundCloud's Music Intelligence Reports for both 2025 and 2026, Texas-based crayon joined the Ascending class in March 2026, stepping into The Booth shortly after. His latest April 2026 album, ‘The Majestic,’ continues his rise as one of the scene’s most hotly tipped names. The high energy, jazz-tinged track “235” features a guitar solo from fellow Campfire Stories member bunii.

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kid moon, “Simple Attraction”
One of the scene’s most difficult artists to pigeonhole, kid moon ranges freely across hip-hop, heavy rock and folk, reflecting influences from Nirvana to Nick Drake. More recently, his February 2026 album ‘The Fool’ put forward his folkier side, but his May 2026 single “Simple Attraction” has a pop-R&B sheen. Check out his playlist of inspirations co-curated with bunii. 

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ayowitty, “shadow of my doubt”
One of the originators of the new indie wave, ayowitty shows the diversity of sound that listeners can expect from this community. Moving between R&B, folk, hip-hop, digicore and videogame music — sometimes in a single track — he continues to lay the foundation for a reimagined indie music for a new, hyper-online generation. One of his biggest tracks to date is his frenetic team-up with bunii, “___ i just wanted to be yours” released November 2025. His ‘HOT HEAD’ EP with Atlanta rapper SKYTE, due out July 2026, is as eclectic as ever.

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soyrica, “emotionz”
Chicago-based soyrica has consistently evolved her sound, from the shoegaze melancholy of “IDONTNEEDSAVING” to math-rock infused “SOLITARY.” She’s even lent her atmospheric ASMR vocals to INORI / Broke Records labelmate zemult for the hip-hop/R&B track “PRETTY GIRLS WEAR HALOS.” Her latest track “emotionz” takes her into indie electronic territory, evoking Snow Strippers.

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s0rrow, “say goodbye”
s0rrow is an anonymous newcomer from California who, like bunii before his face reveal, presents only as a pencil-drawn avatar. Since his December 2025 debut, ‘very sorrow days,’ he’s had enormous breakout success with tracks “unhappy” and “stalk ur socials,” earning millions of streams each with their relatable, heart-on-sleeve angst and memorable melodies.

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reiko, “gotmeout”
UK indie artist reiko shows off the genre fluidity of the scene. She first gained recognition with “wantmetoo (demo),” a stripped-back vocal and guitar arrangement, before experimenting with electronic production on the garage-influenced “metronome.” Her latest, “gotmeout,” leans into twinkly synth arps and hyperpop hues. Fittingly, reiko’s next show is in London this July with hyperpop artist kiyu.

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revivle, “fly away”
Inspired by anime and unicorns, NYC artist revivle brings a different energy, incorporating acoustic and folk influences with her dreamy, half-whispered vocal style. She’s also a prolific collaborator in the scene, working with scenemates sopp on “idiot” and sphynx on “light,” among others. Her May 2026 track “fly away” continues her experimentation, drifting into ambient soundscapes.

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i wanna be jack-o-lantern, “pangea”
The solo project of London-based singer-producer Oskar Kozie, who uses the alias i wanna be a jack-o-lantern, spans fuzzy, pop-punk/garage rock, lethargic indie alternative rock, and jangly, summery guitar-led bops — often with a pitched-up vocal dropped in without warning. His latest album ‘summertime slaughter’ dropped on 10K Projects / Atlantic Records in March 2026.

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yiru, “rock my world”
Campfire Stories member yiru is based in Minnesota. While he is beginning to move away from the core indie rock sound of the scene, towards soul and hip-hop, he readily drops tracks on his burner account to test out new sounds. His cohesive November 2025 album ‘physis’ showcased his storytelling prowess — a skill he credits with honing at debate club. Now, with May 2026’s  ‘sandpiper’ double single, he shows off his range across genre styles. The soulful “rock my world” features backed-up acoustic jazz chords, while “WHAT U LIKE” is 70 BPM hip-hop with auto-tuned vocals and crunchy 808 kick-bass.

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LISTEN TO THE SOUNDCLOUD INDIE PLAYLIST NOW ON SOUNDCLOUD