Indie Basement is a weekly column on BrooklynVegan focusing on classic indie and alternative artists, “college rock,” and new and current acts who follow a similar path. There are reviews of new albums, reissues, box sets, books and sometimes movies and television shows. I’ve rounded up February’s best music, highlighting my favorite songs and albums, plus links to relevant features and news, a monthly playlist, and more.
February might be the shortest month of the year but in 2026 is was jam-packed with hits. I had trouble narrowing down my Top 5 Albums of the month, which meant there were lots of runner-ups including great records by Bill Callahan, EXEK, Gorillaz, Hen Ogledd, Luke Temple, Mandy Indiana, Daphni and more.
It was an even better month for songs, but I held it to 10 to review, which includes a few Indie Basement regulars and at least one debut single. Of course there was a lot more than I liked, so there’s the monthly playlist which features all of the February’s best stuff.
Be sure to check out the BV Interviews podcast where in February I interviewed Dry Cleaning, Heavenly, Cardinals and Buck Meek.
Head below for this month’s Songs of the Month and Albums of the Month…
INDIE BASEMENT: BEST SONGS OF FEBRUARY 2026
1000 Rabbits – “Virgin Soil”
As debut singles go, “Virgin Soil” is quite an entrance. 1000 Rabbits have created an epic in miniature, taking us through a wide range of emotions and dynamics in three and a half minutes. This begins delicately, with pizzicato guitar / bass / violin interplay over light, syncopated percussion before River Fernandez’s enticing vocals enter the scene. It’s all very playful orch-pop folk — my mind goes to the much-missed Shellyanne Orphan — but then things go wonderfully haywire, rocketing into a stratosphere of crashing drums and discordant noise while River wails. It’s awesome, and I can’t wait to hear more from 1000 Rabbits.
Fever Ray – “The Lake”
Maggie Gyllenhaal’s reimagined big-screen adaptation of The Bride of Frankenstein, energetically titled The Bride!, looks pretty wigged out and I’m anxious to see how well she pulled off all this Grand Guignol spectacle. One thing’s for sure: it will sound great. The score is by Hildur Guðnadóttir (Tár, Chernobyl), and Fever Ray have contributed two original songs; they perform “The Lake” in the film. This one is a patented Karin Dreijer banger, all squelchy, swirling synthesizers that recall Knife jams like “We Share Our Mother’s Health” and “You Take My Breath Away.”
Widget – “Chamois Leather”
“Sometimes I get the overwhelming feeling that everything is completely fucked.” Right there with you, Widget. This London band — featuring members of Big Joanie, all cats are beautiful, Junodef, and Zahra Haji Fath Ali Tehrani — suggest dancing may be the best way to deal with these things. “Chamois Leather,” the first single from their debut album CLASSY HITS VOL. 2, is a bit of lithe disco with shades of both Pulp and Flight of the Conchords. “This song is for everyone who aches to be understood but is also desperate to not be observed — for everyone who wants to dance like nobody’s watching, but is far too busy watching themselves look like fools to actually get involved,” Widget say. The video is fun too and features punk vet Steve Maguire (Miaow, Performing Ferret Band) cutting a rug.
Pulp – “Begging for Change”
“Begging for Change” may be the most rocking Pulp song ever, a glammy, garagey rave-up that still features many of the band’s signature earmarks (Jarvis Cocker’s sexy whispering, spelling). The song’s opening Gregorian chant chorus includes Damon Albarn, Fontaines D.C.’s Grian Chatten, Kae Tempest, and The Libertines’ Carl Barât, while later in the song they’re joined by a children’s choir. It’s also got the best “Hoo! Ha!” exclamations since Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s “Welcome to the Pleasuredome.” Does it all work? That’s a resounding yes. And if you’re wondering how it all came to be, the answer is that it’s Pulp’s contribution to the new War Child UK benefit compilation, HELP(2).
Sorry – “Alone in Cologne”
Sorry released one of my favorite albums of 2025 and they’re already back with a single featuring two great, brand-new tracks. I’m partial to “Alone in Cologne,” a lonely-hearted lament about missing your special someone while on tour. “The big U-S-of-A doesn’t care about me,” Asha Lorenz sings, perfectly dejected in that strong London accent. “I’m alone, still alone, I’m alone, still alone / When I’m with you, burns like blood, like meat / I’m alone, still alone, I’m alone, still alone.” The production is clever, using old landline touch-tone phone beeps for the verse hook. Are they even still together? It’s tough being out there by yourself.
Billy Fuller – “Rummer”
ou may know Billy Fuller as one third of Beak> or as a former member of Robert Plant & The Sensational Space Shifters, but he’s now striking out on his own. (He’s still in Beak>, though they’re currently looking for a new singing drummer.) If you like the woozy, warped music his main band makes, you are certainly going to dig this first single from his upcoming debut solo album. Billy says it’s his attempt at “trying to be Kraftwerk making the theme tune for Ski Sunday!” I can sort of hear what he means, particularly with the cascading synths that tumble down this very cool instrumental.
The Bug Club – “Watching the Omnibus”
Welsh duo The Bug Club have become one of the most reliable DIY-style indie rock groups of the last few years, and the first single from their upcoming album Every Single Muscle does not disappoint. “Watching the Omnibus” is a patented Bug Club ripper that clocks in at just over a minute, packed with hooks and self-deprecating lyrics. “I’m still alive and kickin’, and doing reasonably well,” sings Sam Willmett, somewhere between a snarl and a sigh. “We’ve gotta die for something, but there are some things we don’t sell.”
Weird Nightmare – “Might See You There”
I miss METZ, who went out on a high with 2024’s Up On Gravity Hill, but I’m glad singer/guitarist Alex Edkins is continuing with his Weird Nightmare solo project, which has now become more of a band. This is where he lets his power-pop tendencies run free, and “Might See You There” sits somewhere between Big Star’s “In the Street” and Pixies’ Doolittle, with hooks atop heaps of attitude and sweet backing vocals by Julianna Riolino. “Small-town boredom and isolation almost feel like a gift in today’s highly connected world,” Alex says of the song, which was inspired by his teenage years. “I feel fortunate for that time spent idly, down in the basement, learning the entire Rancid Let’s Go album on guitar with my friends.”
Anna Calvi & Iggy Pop – “God’s Lonely Man”
Iggy Pop turns up on a lot of other artists’ records these days, but it’s usually in the form of gravelly spoken word. So it’s nice to hear him belt it out, duetting with the awesome Anna Calvi on this new single. Anna’s always had a little Siouxsie Sioux in her DNA, and she really lets that melodrama fly on this glammy, gothy stomper. She and Iggy sound great together, and it’s almost like he and Siouxsie are joining forces and mixing their own iconic versions of “The Passenger,” just in a brand-new song.
Guided by Voices – “We Outlast Them All”
Rumors of their demise continue to be exaggerated, and even though Guided by Voices haven’t played a show in over two years, they are still cranking out records at a typically prolific pace, with their 44th album due out in May. “We Outlast Them All” sounds like a reaction to those rumors that GBV were calling it quits, or at least a challenge to all comers. “We refuse to fall,” Robert Pollard sings. “Standing firm and thick of skull / Knocking harder-headed pricks up against the bricks / Of the playground wall.” Pollard has denied the song is about them, but whoever the subject is, “We Outlast Them All” is another classic GBV rock earworm.
INDIE BASEMENT: BEST ALBUMS OF FEBRUARY 2026
Ulrika Spacek – EXPO (Full Time Hobby)
London art-psych band Ulrika Spacek have always had a collage-like approach to their music, taking ideas from jam sessions and using them as raw materials for fully formed songs. On their fourth album, however, they’ve taken that concept one step further, sampling themselves to create a personal “sound bank” from which they built beats and skeleton ideas that the band then fleshed out by playing overtop. Ulrika Spacek aren’t the first rock band to use a method like this, but in their skilled, creative hands, it’s resulted in their best album yet — full of memorable songs while paving all manner of new side streets on their unique roadmap. One way to describe what they’re doing on EXPO is to “Build a Box and Break It,” which also happens to be the title of one of the album’s most striking, immediate tracks. The beat is a little reminiscent of Portishead’s “Strangers,” but the band soon pushes it into rock territory while keeping things surreal and cinematic. Bandleader Rhys Edwards’ wavering falsetto only adds to the song’s eerie charm. There are moments on EXPO where they incorporate drum-and-bass, jungle, and other electronic styles in ways that recall Dummy-era Portishead, Björk’s Homogenic, and Kid A-era Radiohead — but it’s all made by the same band on the same album. That said, it still sounds undeniably like Ulrika Spacek, with their distinctive swagger, swooning melodies, and interlocking guitar lines.
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Buck Meek – The Mirror (4AD)
“With this album in general, I tried to practice just doing the thing that I was afraid to do,” Big Thief guitarist Buck Meek told us about the songwriting process behind his fantastic new solo album, The Mirror. “In the creative process, there’s always inevitable self-doubt that comes up, often based on what you think other people want or some kind of external pressure or taboo. To some degree, the creative process is just working around those fears. With this one, I tried to really lean into those things. If I felt something come up that I was afraid to say, I just said it louder or leaned into it, emphasized it, and did the thing I wasn’t supposed to do — broke my own rules.” We are in dark times, but on The Mirror, Buck Meek is finding joy and hope. It’s a treacherous route to take — one filled with potential treacle and empty calories — but he hits the right note more often than not, whether it’s an intimate love song or capturing a magic moment while caregiving for a family member with dementia. It’s a brave album in many ways, one that somehow makes you feel better about the world without ever sounding forced or cheap. These songs come from the heart and land in the same place.
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I talked to Buck on BV Interviews.
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Bibi Club – Amaro (Secret City)
Montreal’s Bibi Club — Adèle Trottier-Rivard and Nicolas Basque (Plants & Animals) — made one of 2024’s best albums with their second longplayer, Feu De Garde, but they may have bettered it with Amaro. It’s an evolution of that album’s signature sultry, melancholic sound — a windswept mix of shoegaze, jazzy tropicalia, and vintage synths and drum machines — that this time leans into dancier grooves inspired by early-’80s minimal wave. It’s a tantalizing combination that makes them feel even more singular. The template is set on opener “Infinité,” built on a ticking rhythm box and rolling, arpeggiated bassline before Adèle’s breathy, mysterious vocals enter the scene. Then comes Nicolas’ distinctive guitarwork, spinning delicate, interlocking spiderweb patterns, hazy atmospherics, and occasional bursts of noise. Amaro’s title track leads with guitar before that electronic rhythm section kicks in, turning it into an undeniable hazy banger complete with a festival-worthy drop. There are also heady, krautrock-leaning songs like “A Different Light” (featuring Helena Deland) and “Les Vagues,” the skronky, urgent “George Sand,” the sinister “Washing Machine,” and the spooky, ethereal “Cérémonie” and “Le château.” Thematically, grief and loss thread through the album, but Nicolas told Melt FM that ultimately the vibe they were aiming for was release and liberation: “You’re in ancient ruins and you can dance your life away, with people dancing all strange, every generation mixed.” Welcome to Club Catharsis.
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Cardinals – Masquerade (So Young Records)
How do you feel about the accordion? It’s an instrument that might make you think of genres like Zydeco or Polka, or cities like Paris or Dublin. Or maybe Weird Al. Finn Manning, who plays accordion in Irish band Cardinals, wields his instrument with subtle panache — it’s central to their sound, but never used in a way that feels clichéd or predictable. His playing is melodic but textural, adding deep crimson and violet notes to Cardinals’ dark, romantic sound. Hailing from Cork, Cardinals are not the first band to mix post-punk and alt-rock with traditional Celtic elements, but rarely does it feel as natural as it does on their debut album. Finn’s brother, Euan — who leads the band — says they purposefully avoided “diddley eye” music but otherwise had no restrictions on their style. Despite being a very young band — both in time together and in age — Cardinals seem to have their sound fully cemented on Masquerade, an extremely assured album that’s miles ahead of their already terrific 2024 self-titled EP. The strongest Irish element on Masquerade is swagger — an unfakeable quality that’s in abundance, whether it’s on their swoonier, poppier material like “St Agnes,” “She Makes Me Real,” or the title track, or their darker, angstier songs like “Barbed Wire,” “Anhedonia,” or “The Burning of Cork,” which owes a little to Nirvana. Those sides of the band are neatly divided across the two sides of Masquerade — envisioned as a vinyl album — which has been expertly sequenced. Finn’s accordion and Euan’s character-filled lyrics and impassioned delivery tie it all together. In an era where albums tend to front-load the best songs, Masquerade saves some of its strongest moments for Side 2. Not that there’s a bad song here — with 10 songs across 34 minutes, there’s no fat to trim, and every track hits. Ireland has been a hotbed of talent recently; Cardinals are not the “next” anything — they’ve already carved out their own unique and compelling path.
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Heavenly – Highway to Heavenly (Skep Wax)
Amelia Fletcher and Rob Pursey are British indiepop royalty, having made music together for 40 years across various cultishly loved groups. But they’re best known for their ’90s-era band Heavenly, whose mix of sweet janglepop melodies and often serious lyrics was dismissively labeled “twee” by UK journalists, but embraced in the US by both the riot grrrl scene and what Beat Happening/K Records founder Calvin Johnson dubbed “The International Pop Underground.” This is Heavenly’s first album in 30 years and it’s as lively and pointed as their ’90s material, standing confidently beside their previous albums while feeling neither like a manufactured antique nor a “hello, fellow kids” play to new fans. There are odes to Heavenly-friendly cities (“Portland Town”), witty takedowns of various strains of toxic masculinity (“Press Return,” “A Different Beat,” “Scene Stealing”), and a touching tribute to Matthew (“That Last Day”), all set to truly wonderful melodies and playful arrangements. Then there’s “Skep Wax” — also the name of Amelia and Rob’s label — which celebrates the joy of music itself: “Songs take you unexpected ways / And break your heart on every single day… Tick tock, twelve o’clock / No time for sleep / When there is still more music to be heard.” Highway to Heavenly isn’t Remember When. It’s a brand-new, wonderful chapter.
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I also talked to Amelia and Rob on an episode of BV Interviews.
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Here’s the Indie Basement Best of February 2026 playlist in TIDAL (best sounding, less morally dicey), Apple Music, and for those who haven’t left it yet, Spotify:
Looking for more? Browse the Indie Basement archives.
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