Beach House is an American musical duo founded in 2004 in Baltimore, Maryland. Victoria Legrand is the band's vocalist and keyboardist, and Alex Scally is the guitarist, keyboardist, and backup vocalist. Their self-titled debut album was released to critical acclaim in 2006. Although Beach House is best known as a dream-pop band, their musical style has evolved over the course of their career. Previous work on Beach House, Devotion, and Teen Dream has been described as indie pop and lo-fi.

At the Carpark festival, the duo released their self-titled debut album, which featured the contrasts of Nico and Mazzy Star. Beach House recorded their second album in two months at Lord Baltimore Studio in early 2007. The album, which was released in early 2010, continued to refine and improve its music and reached the Billboard 200 Top 50. Beach House builds on the success of Teen Dream and Bloom in 2012, with a collection of unified sounds and images intended to be experienced as a synchronized album rather than a monotonous collection of songs. The duo's fourth album, again collaborating with Coady, was their highest-grossing album to date, receiving widespread acclaim and debuting at number seven on the Billboard 200. In 2013, Beach House released Forever Still, a short concert film filmed around Tornillo, Texas, where the duo recorded Bloom. The hidden Depression Cherry album appeared in August 2015. The 2017 B-Sides and Rarity Collection brings together 14 songs including Chariot and Baseball Diamond that have never been released before, as well as a cover of Queen's Play the Game, which debuted on the Dark. For the seventh album, Beach House took a different approach. Their achievement was named "7" in 2018, which includes several electronic tracks featuring collaborations by duo Heather Phares and Rovi. There are 4 albums on Pitchfork Media's list of 50 best albums of the year. They won the GAFFA Award for Best Foreign Album in 2019.

Origin: Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Genres: Dream pop, indie pop, neo-psychedelia, shoegaze
Year of the start of operation: 2004

Broken Bells is an American indie rock band formed by artist-producer Brian Burton (better known as Danger Mouse) and James Mercer, lead vocalist and guitarist for The Shins. Broken Bells compose and create as a duo, but when performing live, they are joined by Dan Elkan and Jon Sortland. Prior to the formation of Broken Bells, Mercer and Burton collaborated on the track "Insane Lullaby" on Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse's album Dark Night of the Soul. Broken Bells have since performed the song several times, often as a tribute to the late Mark Linkous, the Sparklehorse frontman who died in early 2010.

Broken Bells' self-titled debut album was released on March 9, 2010, by Columbia Records in the United States and Canada, and has sold over 400,000 copies domestically, peaking at number 7 on the Billboard 200 chart. Positive feedback has been received for the album. Rolling Stone magazine rated it four stars and called it "the year's coolest left-field pop disc". Aside from having one of the year's highest-charting debut albums, the band had sold-out shows on their first tour. On March 18, 2011, Broken Bells released Meyrin Fields, an EP. On November 4, 2013, Broken Bells released their first single from the album, "Holding on for Life". On December 7, 2018, they released "Shelter", their first single in 3 years. A follow-up single, "Good Luck", was issued on September 27, 2019. Broken Bells were nominated at the 2011 Grammy Awards for Best Alternative Music Album.

Origin: Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres: Indie rock, alternative rock, space rock
Year of the start of operation: 2009

Her's was a Liverpool, England-based indie rock band. Stephen Fitzpatrick, from Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England, sang lead vocals and played guitar in the band, and Audun Laading, from Kristiansand, Norway, played bass guitar and sang backing vocals. Fitzpatrick was also a drummer, but the band used a drum machine that both members helped program. The band's debut full-length LP Invitation to Her's was released in August 2018, following the May 2017 compilation LP Songs of Her's. The duo was killed in a road traffic collision in Arizona in the early hours of March 27, 2019, while on tour in the United States.

Laading and Fitzpatrick met at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts. They formed Her's in 2015 while still students, after previously playing in the rhythm section of another Liverpool band called 'The Sundogs.' Her's was formed in jest, with the duo traveling around Liverpool filming comedic music videos and posting them on YouTube. On April 7, 2016, they released their debut single, "Dorothy". They performed on the Rising Stage at the 2016 Green Man Festival. Songs of Her's, a nine-track compilation, was released on May 12, 2017. The Skinny gave the collection four stars. On August 24, 2018, the band released their debut full-length album, Invitation to Her's, on Heist or Hit Records.

Origin: Liverpool, England
Genres: Indie rock, indie pop, dream pop, alternative rock, jangle pop, shoegaze
Year of the start of operation: 2015

Conor Oberst and Phoebe Bridgers make up the American indie rock supergroup Better Oblivion Community Center. On January 24, 2019, Dead Oceans released their self-titled debut album. Oberst and Bridgers met for the first time in July 2016. Oberst invited Bridgers to perform and was so impressed that he asked her to send him the record she was working on right away. She then opened for him on his European Ruminations tour in January 2017, and they worked together on and off for the next two years. He brought her on stage to sing the Bright Eyes song "Lua" at WXPN's Xponential Music Festival that July, he sang on the duet "Would You Rather" from her debut Stranger in the Alps in September, and they covered Sheryl Crow with Soccer Mommy at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in February 2018, and they worked together on a new version of his song "LAX" for Amazon Music in October, among numerous other joint appearances at each other’s shows across the U.S.

Better Oblivion Community Center was released on January 24, 2019, by Dead Oceans to generally positive reviews. The album was teased with "cryptic brochures" and a phone hotline, but it was released with only a day's notice and no promotional singles. The day before the album's release, they performed "Dylan Thomas" on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and on January 26 they appeared on CBS This Morning, where they performed "Dylan Thomas", "Didn't Know What I Was in For", and "My City". They also shot a segment at NPR's Tiny Desk. On January 29, 2019, the band announced their expansive concert tour of the U.S. and Europe, along with releasing a music video for their single, "Dylan Thomas", directed by Michelle Zauner, otherwise known as Japanese Breakfast. Toward the end of their U.S. tour in April 2019, they released the single "Little Trouble", a song not featured on the album that had previously only been available as a 7-inch vinyl they'd been selling at their shows. With their efforts, they received the AIM Awards for Best Independent Album in 2019 and the Libera Awards for Marketing Genius in 2020.

Origin: Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres: Indie rock, indie folk, alternative
Year of the start of operation: 2018

The Inbreds were a 1992 Canadian alternative rock band. Originally from Kingston, Ontario, the band relocated to Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1996 and remained there until 1998, when they disbanded. Mike O'Neill, the vocalist/bassist, and Dave Ullrich, the drummer, formed the band. Three of the band's four albums reached number one on the Canadian national campus radio charts, and the band received two Juno nominations. Throughout the 1990s, the band was well-known in Canadian indie rock circles for their unique, minimalist bass and drums approach, as well as melodies and harmonies that drew on classic pop music influences such as The Beatles and The Beach Boys.

Hilario, their debut LP released in 1993, was made up of previously unreleased material culled from the band's self-released Darn Foul Dog, Let's Get Together, and Egrog cassettes. The album brought the Inbreds to the attention of Rheostatics, who invited the band to join them on tour. Rheostatics' drummer Dave Clark produced the band's second album, Kombinator, which was released in 1994. The album received extensive college radio airplay and a nomination for Best Alternative Video at the Much Music Video Awards for "Any Sense of Time". At the 1996 Juno Awards, Kombinator received the band's first Juno Award nomination for Best Alternative Album. Their third album, It's Sydney or the Bush, was produced by 4AD's Lincoln Fong and presented a more traditional rock sound that expanded from their traditional bass and drums approach. The band carried on, capturing nominations for Best Alternative Band from the East Coast Music Awards and Best Alternative Album at the Juno Awards of 1997. Winning Hearts, the band's fourth and final album, was released in 1998 on Sloan's Murderecords. After several months of touring and promotions behind Winning Hearts, O'Neill and Ullrich unexpectedly decided to retire the band, playing their final show in summer 1998.

Origin: Kingston, Ontario, Canada
Genres: Alternative rock, indie rock
Year of the start of operation: 1992

The Helio Sequence is a Sub Pop-signed American indie rock duo from Beaverton, Oregon. Brandon Summers on vocals and guitars and Benjamin Weikel on drums and keyboards make up the band. Summers is in charge of the lyrics, lead vocals, guitar, and production alongside Weikel. Summers lost his voice before the release of their 2008 album Keep Your Eyes Ahead, but he regained it before their most recent release. He can also be heard playing the harmonica on several songs from their 2004 album, Love and Distance. Benjamin Weikel grew up in Beaverton, Oregon, and worked at the local music store with Summers. As well as playing drums and keyboard for The Helio Sequence, and taking part in the production, Weikel also recorded with the band Modest Mouse, drumming on their platinum-selling record Good News for People Who Love Bad News, and later their record No One's First, and You're Next in 2009. This led to the Helio Sequence and Modest Mouse touring together at one point.

Summers and Weikel founded The Helio Sequence in 1999 and performed their first show at the Mount Tabor Theater in Portland. The band has three Sub Pop albums, two on the Portland-based label Cavity Search, and a self-released EP. Negotiations, their fifth album, was released on September 11, 2012, by Sub Pop. The Helio Sequence toured the United States with the British band Keane in 2009, and they were Keane's support act in several gigs across the United Kingdom during the band's Night Train Tour in June 2010. The Helio Sequence toured the United States again in September 2013, this time as a co-headliner with Menomena. The band reinvented its music-making process for their 2015 self-titled album The Helio Sequence. They wrote 26 songs which they sent to friends, asking them to list their favorite ten songs. Using the responses, by the end of June 2014, the band had compiled a list of ten songs for the album. The album received generally favorable reviews, with Eric Swedlund of Paste Magazine calling it a "career-defining album". In September and October 2017, The Helio Sequence toured the U.S, performing on 29 dates as the opening band for the Australian rock band The Church.

Origin: Beaverton, Oregon
Genres: Indie rock
Year of the start of operation: 1999

Best Coast is an American rock duo formed in 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Bethany Cosentino, songwriter, guitarist, and vocalist, and guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Bobb Bruno make up the band. Former child actress Cosentino began writing music as a teenager and was a member of the experimentalist drone group Pocahaunted. Cosentino returned to the West Coast after a brief stint at college in New York City and began recording lo-fi demos with Bruno, whom she met in the Los Angeles music scene. Following a series of 7-inch and cassette-only singles, the band signed with Mexican Summer, who released Crazy for You in 2010. Following the Internet buzz surrounding the duo, it became an unexpected commercial success. Lewis Pesacov of Fool's Gold and Foreign-Born produced, engineered, and mixed the album.

From January to April 2010, the duo recorded their debut album, Crazy for You, for Black Iris at Mexican Radio Studios in Echo Park, California. On June 29, 2010, the album's lead single, "Boyfriend", was released. As a result of Internet buzz, Crazy for You became a mainstream success upon its July 2010 release. With 10,000 units sold, it debuted at No. 36 on the Billboard 200 and No. 10 on Digital Albums. The band's popularity grew further in 2010 and 2011, thanks in part to touring and festival appearances. The band's sophomore album, The Only Place, was inspired by the band's extensive travel schedule (2012). The Only Place, released in May 2012, was recorded at Capitol Records Studio B in Los Angeles, California. While previous recording sessions were marked by goofing off and studying, the duo took their sophomore effort more seriously and strove to create a different sound. Best Coast's next release, an EP entitled Fade Away, was released on October 22, 2013, on singer Bethany Cosentino's new label, Jewel City. The duo released their third studio album, California Nights, on May 5, 2015. It was recorded, like Fade Away, with Wally Gagel at his Wax Ltd studio. The album was completed in April 2014. On September 11, 2017, Best Coast began touring as support on Paramore's tour for their new release After Laughter. In October 2017, the band headlined the first-ever VintageVibe Festival with groups such as Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears and Nick Waterhouse in Palm Springs, California. In June 2018, Best Coast released its first album targeted at children called Best Kids. On January 17, 2020, Best Coast released a new single, "Everything Has Changed". On the same day, they announced in an Instagram post the release of their fourth album, Always Tomorrow, which was released on February 21, 2020, via Concord Records.

Origin: Los Angeles, California, United States
Genres: Indie pop, surf, indie rock, alternative rock, power pop
Year of the start of operation: 2009

Shpresa Lleshaj and Cole Randall form the Swedish–American musical duo Flora Cash. Under that moniker, the pair primarily works in music but also collaborates in other fields. Lleshaj and Randall began working together in Sweden as Flora Cash after meeting in Minneapolis. On December 12, 2012, they released their debut EP, Mighty Fine. Made It for You, their second EP, was released on June 13, 2013. Lleshaj and Randall also married that year. On September 20, 2014, they released their third EP, I Will Be There. A couple of singles followed. Then, in March 2016, they released "Can Summer Love Last Forever?" after signing with the Swedish label Icons Creating Evil Art in 2015. The seven-song mini-LP earned them nominations for two GAFFA awards, as Swedish Artist of the Year and Swedish Newcomer of the Year. After debuting on Pandora Radio's Predictions chart in August 2018 and holding at number 4 in September, "You're Somebody Else" entered the Top 10 on both Billboard's Alternative charts and the Adult Alternative Airplay Chart in November. The song peaked at number one, on both Mediabase and Radio adult radio formats. On October 22, 2021, Flora Cash released their third full-length album, Our Generation, to popular and critical acclaim. The breakout single from Our Generation, "Soul Mate", has garnered more than nine million streams on Spotify, and the accompanying video has received over 1.5 million views.

In 2018, Flora Cash toured the U.S., sharing the stage with Amen Dunes, Aquilo, SYML, and Superorganism. Between late 2018 and late 2019, the duo toured with Sir Sly, Joywave, Lovelytheband, Judah & the Lion, and AJR. They announced their first U.S. headlining tour in late 2019 for early 2020, called the Baby, It's Okay tour. It sold out within several days but was subsequently canceled due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Origin: Stockholm, Sweden
Genres: indie pop, indie folk, dark pop, singer-songwriter
Year of the start of operation: 2012

Uh Huh Her is an American indie/rock/electropop band that was formed in January 2007. The band's name came from an album by artist PJ Harvey, titled Uh Huh Her. Camila Grey (lead vocals, guitar, keyboard), had not released any solo material prior to joining Uh Huh Her. Leisha Hailey takes the role of backing vocals, bass, and keyboard. The band formed in 2006 when Camila Grey and Leisha Hailey met at a paintball game. The band recorded their first project I See Red EP, released on July 24, 2007, in Camila Grey's house.

Uh Huh Her debut album, Common Reaction, was delayed until August 19, 2008. Both "Explode" and "Say So" were included on the full-length album for the second time because both members felt the songs deserved to be more polished. The song Common Reaction, which was recorded at Westside Pacific Studio, peaked at number 9 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart. On April 19, 2011, the band released their second EP, Black, and Blue. The release was timed to coincide with the band's second major tour, allowing fans to purchase new material. They also performed as headliners at the SXSW Music Festival. In less than two weeks, the entire six-track EP was recorded and produced. Nocturnes, Uh Huh Her's a second studio album, was eventually released on October 11, 2011. The third EP was released on December 11, 2012, and as a cdr exclusively sold through Amazon. On January 20, 2014, the band started accepting pre-orders for a new album called Future Souls available on March 25, 2014. The lead single, titled "Innocence", was made available on iTunes on February 4, 2014. The second single, "It's Chemical", was made available on March 4, 2014. Future Souls was released on iTunes and other digital providers on March 25, 2014.

Origin: Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres: Indie pop, indie rock, new wave, synthpop, indietronica
Year of the start of operation: 2007

Pascal Pinon is an Icelandic musical group comprised of twin sisters Sthildur and Jófrur Kadóttir. The kadóttir sisters (along with Halla Kristjánsdóttir and Kristn Ylfa Hólmgrmsdóttir) formed the group in 2009 when they were 14 years old. The name is a tribute to the early twentieth-century circus performer Pasqual Pión. Songs by Pascal Pinon are performed in both Icelandic and English. Tegan and Sara, Björk, Joni Mitchell, and Sinead O'Connor have all been mentioned as influences by the sisters. The main songwriter and singer is Jófrur kadóttir. She usually plays guitar, but she also plays clarinet and keyboards on occasion. Sthildur Kadóttir sings harmony and also plays keyboards, guitar, and bassoon. The group has performed in Europe and the UK multiple times (2010-2014, 2016, 2017), as well as giving concerts in China (2011, 2015) and Japan (2012). In 2017 Albert Finnbogason produced an album of Pascal Pinon songs with string arrangements by Ian McLellan Davis and vocals by Jófríður and Ásthildur.

Pascal Pinon, their self-produced debut album, was released in 2009. The Morr Music label reissued it in 2010. Pascal Pinon released their second album, Twosomeness, in January 2013. (produced by Alex Somers). Clash gave the album an 8/10 rating, and Allmusic writer Tim Sendra gave it four stars out of five. Sundur, their debut album, was released in November 2015. Reviewers praised the album after it was released in 2016. Sundur was named one of The Line's Fifty Essential Albums of 2016. It was named one of the top ten albums of 2016 by Play Repeat. Sundur was ranked 16th by New Noise Magazine in 2016. In 2020, their song When I Can't Sleep was used in the trailer for the Apple TV+ production of Here We Are: Notes For Living on Planet Earth.

Origin: Iceland
Genres: Folk-pop, folktronica, indie pop
Year of the start of operation: 2009