Acoustic Indie Rock Bands to Check Out

Looking for some new acoustic indie rock bands to check out? Here are four up-and-coming acts that are definitely worth a listen!

The Paper Kites

The Paper Kites are an Australian acoustic indie rock band that formed in 2010. The band consists of Sam Bentley, Christina Lacy, Rebecca Coseboom, David Powell, and Sam Rasmussen. The band has released four studio albums, twelveesides, and a live album. The first album, States, was released in 2012 and peaked at number 7 on the ARIA charts.

Biography

The Paper Kites are an Australian indie folk-rock band formed in Melbourne in 2010. The band consists of Sam Bentley, Christina Lacy, David Powys, Sam Lowe and Kirsty Tickle. The band’s music is built around singer-songwriter Sam Bentley’s vocals and guitar playing, as well as the other members’ complementary vocal and instrumental contributions.

The Paper Kites released their debut EP Woodland in 2011, followed by their debut album States in 2012. They have since released two more EPs – Young North (2013) and twelvefour (2015) – and a second album twelvefour (2015). The band has toured extensively throughout Australia, Europe and North America, both as headliners and supporting acts such as Of Monsters and Men, Birds of Tokyo, The temper Trap and Bon Iver.

The Paper Kites have received four ARIA Music Award nominations, winning Best Folk Album for twelvefour in 2015.

Music

The Paper Kites are an acoustic indie rock band that formed in Melbourne, Australia in 2010. The band consists of Sam Bentley, Christina Lacy, David Powys, Dustin Thomas, and Sam Knight. ThePaper Kites have released four studio albums: States (2011), twelvefour (2014), On the Train Ride Home (2017), and Ink (2019).

The band’s sound has been described as “wistful and wispy” with “a light dusting of folk influence.” Their music has been used in numerous television shows and films, including Grey’s Anatomy, Suits, Charleston, and The Fault in Our Stars.

The Oh Hellos

The Oh Hellos are an Americana/Folk Rock band from Texas. The band is composed of siblings Tyler Heath and Maggie Heath. The Oh Hellos have a very organic and natural sound that is earthy and rustic. Their music is perfect for fans of The Lumineers, Mumford and Sons, and The Head and The Heart.

Biography

The Oh Hellos are an American indie folk rock band from San Marcos, Texas, consisting of siblings Tyler Heath and Maggie Heath. The band has released three albums: their self-titled debut album, Dear World, and Notos. Their music is characterized by intricate instrumentation, classical influences, harmonies, and themes of loss, love, nostalgia, and mortality.

Music

The Oh Hellos are an Americana/folk-rock band from San Marcos, Texas consisting of siblings Tyler Heath and Maggie Heath. The band has released three EPs and two studio albums.

Formed in 2011, The Oh Hellos began as a solo project of Tyler Heath after he abandoned his previous band Copy Write. His sister Maggie soon joined him, and the two began writing and recording songs together in their parents’ home. They self-released their debut EP, The Oh Hellos, in October 2011.

In 2012, The Oh Hellos released their second EP, Through the Deep, Dark Valley. The EP was mixed by Mark Spawn (of Spoon) and included the single “Hello My Old Heart”, which received airplay on Sirius XM’s “The Village”.

The Oh Hellos’ self-titled debut album was released on October 29, 2013. On November 4, 2014, they released their second album, Dear Wormwood.

The Head and the Heart

The Head and the Heart is an American indie folk band from Seattle, Washington. The group’s self-titled debut album was released in 2011 and became a commercial success. The album’s single, “Rivers and Roads”, peaked at number 3 on the Billboard Adult Alternative Songs chart. The band’s second album, Let’s Be Still, was released in 2013 and reached number 1 on the Billboard Folk Albums chart.

Biography

Originally from Seattle, The Head and the Heart is an acoustic indie rock band that has been around since 2009. The band consists of Josiah Johnson (vocals, guitar, percussion), Jonathan Russell (vocals, guitar, harmonica), Charity Rose Thielen (violin, vocals), Chris Zasche (bass), Tyler Williams (drums), and Kenny Hensley (piano). They have released three studio albums so far, the most recent one being 2016’s Signs of Light.

The Head and the Heart got their start when Josiah Johnson and Jonathan Russell moved to Seattle and started playing open mics together. They met charity rose Thielen at one of these open mics, and after adding a few more members, The Head and the Heart was born. The band quickly developed a following in the Seattle area and released their self-titled debut album in 2010.

The album was met with critical acclaim, and The Head and the Heart embarked on a nationwide tour in support of it. They followed up their debut with another well-received album, Let’s Be Still, in 2013. 2016’s Signs of Light marked a bit of a change in sound for the band, as they began to experiment with electric instruments and a more polished production style.

The Head and the Heart continues to tour regularly, playing both headlining shows and festivals around the world. They are known for their energetic live shows, which often feature sing-alongs and extended jams. If you’re a fan of acoustic indie rock, then you definitely need to check out The Head and the Heart!

Music

The Head and the Heart is an acoustic indie rock band that formed in Seattle in 2009. The band’s sound is a mix of Americana, folk, and pop. The band’s debut album, released in 2011, reached No. 10 on the Billboard 200 chart and No. 1 on the Billboard Folk Albums chart. The Head and the Heart’s sophomore album, Let’s Be Still, was released in 2013 and peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 chart.

Of Monsters and Men

Hailing from Iceland, Of Monsters and Men is an indie folk rock band that has been taking the world by storm since their debut album My Head is an Animal in 2011. The band is known for their anthemic and often emotional songs, as well as their unique sound that blends traditional instruments with electronic influences.

Biography

Of Monsters and Men is an acoustic indie rock band which formed in Iceland in 2010. The members are lead singer and guitarist Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir, singer-songwriter and guitarist Ragnar “Raggi” Þórhallsson, lead guitarist Brynjar Leifsson, drummer Arnar Rónnburgstein and bassist Kristján Páll Kristjánsson.

The band first gained international recognition after their song “Little Talks” became a hit in Iceland, followed by the release of their debut studio album My Head Is an Animal in 2011. The album peaked at number six on the Billboard 200 chart in the United States and number three in Canada. It has sold over 3 million copies worldwide. The band’s second album, Beneath the Skin, was released in 2015 and peaked at number two in both the United States and Canada.

Music

Of Monsters and Men is an Icelandic indie folk/pop band formed in 2010. The band won the 2011 European BBC Sound of… poll, and their 2012 debut album My Head Is an Animal peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard 200. Of Monsters and Men’s sound has been compared to that of Arcade Fire, Mumford & Sons, and The Decemberists.

The five-piece band consists of Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir (lead vocals, acoustic guitar), Ragnar “Raggi” Þórhallsson (lead vocals, acoustic guitar), Brynjar Leifsson (electric guitar, percussion), Arnar Rósenkranz Hilmarsson (drums) and Kristján Páll Kristjánsson (bass). Lead singer Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir studied music at University of Iceland before the group’s formation. Drummer Arnar Rósenkranz Hilmarsson was a former member of indie rock band Bloodgroup. Raggi Þórhallsson had worked on a solo musical project prior to the formation of Of Monsters and Men; he also writes most of their songs.

The band first performed publicly in April 2010 in Reykjavik, Iceland. In December 2010 they released an EP entitled Into the Woods; its title track is available as a free download from their website. The band’s first full-length album My Head Is an Animal was released in Iceland in March 2011 on Record Records; it topped sales charts in Iceland for 35 non-consecutive weeks.[7] On 21 June 2011 they performed as one of two opening acts for Muse during that band’s headline performance at Secret Solstice Festival in Reykjavik.[8] Of Monsters and Men signed with Republic Records soon after forming and released My Head Is an Animal internationally in September 2011.[9] It reached number six on the Billboard 200 chart,[10] number one on Austin City Limits’s World Chart,[11] number four on iTunes’ Alternative Albums Chart,[12] and cracked AmazonMP3’s Top 100 album chart.[13][14][15][16] A deluxe version featuring four bonus tracks was released internationally on 3 April 2012.[17][18][19]