Well, a quarter of 2018 has already gone, and while the adult world of politics looks increasingly terrifying, at least the music scene is hotting up into something to look forward to. Major new albums that have been announced for later in 2018 include Blossoms’ sophomore album – they set the bar high with their debut back in the summer of 2016, which hit the top of the UK charts and bagged a Mercury nomination.

That same year saw another, rather more unconventional debut from Norwich’s Let’s Eat Grandma, whose debut I, Gemini was a glorious concoction of playground chants, prog-pop and psychedelia, all delivered with an unspoken connection you’d expect from two teens who have been friends since toddlerhood. This last four weeks, they’ve dropped two new cuts from a prospective second album set for June, called I’m All Ears, and they’re both wonderful.

Pearl Jam hinted at some first new material in five years, penning a spiky anti-Trump track ‘Can’t Deny Me’ earlier in March. Danish punk act Iceage have also shared a couple of new songs from their upcoming fourth LP Beyondless, and Courtney Barnett’s sophomore effort is also shaping up nicely with another single, ‘Need A Little Time’, appearing a couple of weeks back. Former Pavement lead singer and general Anglophile icon Stephen Malkmus has announced another record with his band The Jicks, with new single ‘Shiggy’ prefacing album Sparkle Hard.

In debut album news, the extremely hotly-tipped Lindsey Jordan, a guitarist and songwriter going under the name Snail Mail, has followed up excellent EPs and singles with the announcement of her debut album Pristine, which will be out on prestigious indie imprint Matador in the summer. This is a big one – it’s no understatement to say that Jordan could be the defining sound of indie in 2018.

Below, we’ve assembled a playlist of all the best new indie tracks that have come out in March 2018. Happy listening!