5 artists proving that New York City’s indie scene is thriving

I’ve been taken by the music of Operelly — a Bay Area-raised, newly New York City-based deadAir-signee who makes indie folktronica that sounds like it emerged from a misty forest. Her new EP *FLUTTERS AWAY* is fittingly titled, featuring songs that sound like a small bird’s delicate flight skyward, like the softly tragic “Tell my man” and the flute-driven yarn, “Everyone’s favorite.” Mellotron instruments, bright acoustic guitars, and Operelly’s breathless vocals come together to create meandering folk tales that are both timeless and incredibly specific to an artist navigating young adulthood.

Amiture Music (FKA Amiture) has been crafting richly told rock music since 2021, traversing both synthy and straight forward guitar-driven terrain. Their latest, a self-titled album, boasts a rare clarity with drummer Justin Fossella laying down athletic rhythms for singer-songwriter Jack Whitescarver to sing cosmological odes. On standout single “Mountain,” he croons, “Now I know my mountain calls you / See the sunshine inside.” Its more eternal themes, of meaning and becoming, shine against a backdrop of refreshingly old-school music played well by Whitescarver, Fossella, bassist Max Beirne Shafer, and keyboardist/multi-instrumentalist Allie Wrubel.

Multi-faceted, Brooklyn-based artist OHYUNG wears many hats, from being the scorer of memorable films like Julio Torres’s Problemista and Eva Victor’s Sorry, Baby, to creating shifty, digitally-inflected songs, as heard on 2025’s You Are Always On My Mind. In March, OHYUNG released a deeply affecting ambient album, IOWA, an ode to the midwest. It’s haunted by deeply personal, ethereal themes that can be felt on album standout, “all dolls go to heaven,” or the breath-stopping swirl of “dancing parakeets.”

Deer Park’s music sounds like the downtown meets Southern Gothic. His 2025 full-length, Terra Infirma is eerie and atmospheric, all haunted by a grim garage-like reverb. With memorable collabs with international acts like British rapper Jawnino and China’s rising rap savant Jack Zebra, Deer Park is helping to connect a re-rising New York City scene with global artists. Standout tracks include the Ivy Knight-assisted two parter “Pharmacy,” the trip-hop inflected confessional “Red Gold White,” and the charmingly kid-like “Black Cat.”

Dance duo ideasforconversations’ music feels refreshingly optimistic, telling bright sonic stories through glitchcore breaks and vocal chops. It feels like a logical development of many strains happening in New York City music’s scene, infusing The Hellp’s pop brightness with the more line-goes-up quality of rising electronic acts like ear, or when they’re at their danciest, Fcukers. Their undeniable whimsy is evident on softly moshable tracks like “14c4” and the oh so sweet “krill.”