More and more, it has become harder to predict where the independent music scene is heading.
Great music still arrives every month, sure, but on the other side of the battle are forces that corrode hope faster than ever. Think AI, streaming service wars, the never ending fight for cultural attention and armchair naysayers who would rather vomit complaints on Threads than actually do something. No one really knows what the end goal of all this is.
But thankfully, the music persists. There are still artists who, amid all this heaving uncertainty, know how to rise above the noise. And these are just 10 of them we’re keeping close attention to:
Herbal Candy
Pop R&B duo Herbal Candy closed out 2022 with devastating news: they were ending a chapter and promising another. For a long time, that next chapter never arrived, leaving fans to wonder if a comeback would ever happen. This year, it finally did. GONE SOFT, a 13-track album packed with sultry, sweet pop tunes, proves the wait was worth every second. Now that they’re truly back and the album is out in the world, all we can hope is that Herbal Candy keeps the momentum and goes full throttle from here.
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Makhluk Ahseng
In our review of their debut single “Dosa”, we were upfront about one fear: that Makhluk Ahseng might become another excitement-thronged band that eventually succumbed to life pressures and disappeared into thin air, a fate that has haunted countless indie acts before them. “Let’s hope Makhluk Ahseng doesn’t share the same fate,” our review pleaded. Everything shifted when they dropped “John DB”, a killer track that threw all that nervous anticipation out the window and cemented them as the real fucking deal. Now the question is simple. Will Makhluk Ahseng keep us teetering at the edge of our seats with every next move? We’re watching closely.
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Plong!
Plong! is far from a new name in the scene, but with only two singles released since their 2023 debut, the anticipation for what comes next keeps growing. Their latest track “Gadis Shampoo” turns the groove all the way up, paired with an eclectic music video that feels like a reminder of when bands still knew how to have fun on screen. With groove pop once again catching attention through acts like Khodi and Ramayan, the question is whether Plong! will be the ones to push it even further.
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Women & Children
If you find yourself drawn to romanticising life right when things are about to fall apart, or when they already have, Women & Children might be exactly what you’re looking for. Made up of members from different corners of the local creative scene, including Acap of The Fridays, the band finds sonic unity in twinkling nights, skirt-twirling pop and daydreams of running through endless flower fields. Based on their singles so far, we’re expecting their debut EP to lean even further into this fleeting feeling and let it burn brighter.
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Anyone from Midlyfe
If there’s one hip hop collective we’re putting our money on to continue their run, it’s Midlyfe. 2025 already proved everything. From Lucidrari’s excellent pop bible of an album teletext to Danqqrack and Eemrun’s cool-headed take on success and chaos in MENARA BERKEMBAR, this is a collective that refuses to slow down. Even their newest addition Kidsteph has us eager to see what’s next. In 2026, anything less than total domination of digital charts, conversations both good and bad, sold out halls and the wider culture by Midlyfe simply isn’t an option.
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Open Privacy
To love the local indie scene is to accept that great artists will sometimes appear out of nowhere, like waking up on Christmas morning to the exact gift you didn’t even know you wanted. For us, that artist is Open Privacy. They first emerged last year with the alluring 70s-leaning post-punk and goth single “Dogma”, followed shortly in January with their debut EP Noises & with absolutely no warning. But that’s often how the best things arrive, isn’t it?
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Fieldville
This Ipoh-based noise pop unit has already delivered one of the best tracks in recent memory, and they did it alarmingly early into their journey. They have the personality, the backing of indie heroes and a deep well of potent 90s inspiration. All of it makes the wait for their long anticipated EP feel almost unbearable. We’re ready when they are.
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Joyberry
Joyberry, the pop unsung heroes from Sungai Petani, Kedah are entering the year with a clean slate. Social media wiped clean, old members out and new ones in, cryptic Japanese characters plastered everywhere for reasons unknown and, most importantly, a clear sense that a new sound is on the way. In 2026, they are more unpredictable than ever but it’s safe to bet that whatever comes next won’t be boring.
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fictions
At first glance, fictions carry all the traits we crave in a post-punk band: brooding energy, bleak outlooks and a too-miserable-for-this-joyful-world attitude. But that surface-level gloom only tells half the story. Beneath it lies a sound that knows when to rise, when to strike and when to collapse entirely, leaving wreckage behind. It’s exactly why we need more from them.
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CITYBOIS
After releasing their sophomore album in 2024, things went quiet for hip hop collective CITYBOIS. Some members have since departed, but that hasn’t slowed down SOPHIARAZK, Against Mel, Dinho and the rest of the crew. According to their Instagram, a new album is already about 70% complete. With a reshaped core lineup and renewed focus, expectations are high and there’s plenty of reason to believe they’re gearing up for something big.
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noisy headspace 
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