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MusicnGear Picks: 6 Indie Artists to Watch

I hand-select 6 indie artists to watch in 2026. 

Featuring Cassie Candles, Shiv, NIMF, Leilani Patao, Efé and June Hawthorn.  I have linked to each artist’s Bandcamp. 

By Eimear O SullivanMusicngear Editor

Note: When I say Indie artist, I am referring to independent artists or artists signed to indie labels, both of whom operate outside of the large conglomerate labels.

I am of the belief that music has never been richer, that underneath all the slop lies a lush, rich treasure trove of art, music, and creativity, the kind that will blow your mind right open. 

I am aware that as an artist myself, it definitely doesn’t feel that way, especially considering how hostile the algorithms on various social media platforms and DSPs have become towards independent artists sharing their art, and being up against the iron grip large conglomerate labels have over essentially all of these platforms can make it all feel next to impossible.

However, there are so many talented artists who are doing something new and interesting; paving their own way and making the world a richer, more vibrant place by sharing their art. Below, I selected some artists who I am blown away by and wanted to highlight for all of you!

Cassie Candles

I bought Lemony Snicket’s ‘Poison For Breakfast’ a few years ago as a reward for enduring yet another gruelling day working at reception. There was a blurb on the front from The Guardian saying that reading this book felt like “opening a window to let in air and light”.

This description has stuck with me through the years, and perfectly describes how I felt when I came across the music and visual world of Portland-based artist Cassie Candles. First and foremost, the artist produces her music in a Linux software called Qtractor (a software I had actually used years ago while I was learning production in my pink teenage bedroom and could not for the life of me remember what it was called until I saw this). 

When you think about it, there isn’t really a need for all of us to be using the same DAW and cookie-cutter presets/templates; in fact, that mindset might actually be setting us all back a bit. Benn Jordan did a fantastic video on all of the different audio software Aphex Twin used throughout the years, which served as a reminder that while it might take some figuring out when you go down this road, the end result will be infinitely more interesting.

Cassie’s discography covers a vast range of genres and moods. Some songs sound like they were made using a haunted synthesizer from a discount outlet; some are good old singer-songwriter jams; while others have the vibe of being recorded and performed at a disused mall (a quality I love), all with a bit of plush dream pop thrown in every so often.  Cassie Candles is an artist paving her own way and building her own artistic world in the process. Also, you need to check out her website.

Connect with Cassie Candles
Website | Instagram

NIMF

I first came across NIMF in 2019, as I believe we were both on a playlist that Craic Boi Mental had made (who, by the way, is by far one of the most interesting artists to come out of Ireland in the past decade). 

There has always been a magical undercurrent to NIMF’s music, be it shimmering landscapes sprinkled with fairy dust (e.g ‘The Faery Sea’) or ‘Space’, a sparkling ode to enjoying your time alone, letting your imagination soar:

Feeling at home

I'm okay being alone

I like my space

With so many stars and glittery ways

[source: https://lyricsondemand.com/nimf/space]

On relistening, ‘Space’ actually reminded me of butterflygirl’s animated series ‘girl in her room’. There were also some witchy, dark folklore-like elements woven into some of her earlier works (e.g ‘Man on The Moon’).

One element that has always been present throughout NIMF’s discography are rich organic soundscapes, these being brought to a whole new level with this year's ‘Sirenoscape’ which I listed as being one of the best albums of 2026 so far.

‘Sirenoscape’ is unlike anything I had heard before, unfurling like a dark folktale for your ears, alive with magic and dripping in cosmic horror and dread. 

Connect with NIMF
Instagram | Facebook

Shiv

I first came across Zimbabwean-Irish artist Shiv via the song ‘Never Ever Ever’ which was a collaboration with Girls of the Internet. There was a warm, glowing quality to it; I remember thinking that it sounded like sitting in a blossoming garden underneath a purple-tinted night sky, breathing in the fragrant flower-scented air. 

There is something I find so deeply calming about Shiv’s music; it is introspective in a way that invites you, the listener, to automatically relax, breathe, and just be present. The artist’s 2024 album ‘the defiance of a sadgirl’ is breathtakingly beautiful, containing some of the best vocals I think I have ever heard. Her recent releases ‘Into You’ - a collaboration with Zaska and ‘Kumba’, a collaboration with Nyasha Timbe, exemplify these qualities. You can support the artist directly on Bandcamp here. 

Connect with Shiv
Website | Instagram

Leilani Patao

Photo credit: Shannon McMahon

I first came across Brooklyn-based artist Leilani Patao (signed to indie label Audio Antihero) via their 2025 EP ‘daisy’.

They are staying away from streaming, posing the question “Is it possible to share my music properly, pay everyone who was involved, get paid myself, and not have to interact with the many systems in place that make me dread music?” [via Bandcamp]. The phrase “not have to interact with the many systems in place that make me dread music” stuck with me; as catering to algorithms to promote your music so it doesn’t disappear into the void is honestly overwhelming to the point that releasing music feels like an unpleasant, unrewarding, doomed endeavour. Opting out of this is the quality of a true artist; one who is committed to their art above all else and will pave their own way. 

‘Red Hair Dye’ off the ‘daisy’ EP feels like the warm rush of coming home; breathing in the apple cinnamon-scented air, an evening of familiar kindness awaiting you. ‘branded’ and ‘get em boy’ feature glitchy experimental electronics produced in a fashion that will keep you wanting more. ‘daisy’ is demonstrative of Leilani’s skill, being able to do a wide range of styles while tying them all together with their signature dreamy indie bedroom pop-adjacent sound that is soaked with the sensation of memory, without compromising to the whims of the algorithm. 

‘daisy deluxe’ will be out July 24, 2026.

Connect with Leilani Patao
Instagram | Website

Efé

I vividly remember the moment I came across Efé’s 2022 song ‘KIWI’. The painted cartoon artwork reminded me of the world in which one of my favourite childhood games, ‘Ozzie’s World’ took place; the warm indie/bedroom pop-soaked soundscape sweeping me into its plush sonic world immediately. 

One of the primary things that draws me to an artist is not just the music itself, but how the imagination of the artist weaves its way into both the music and the visuals. Efé has some of the coolest, most vibrant visuals I have seen in a long time; all of them possessing the vibe of a slightly surreal, kaleidoscopic TV show from childhood. 

You can find the artist’s Bandcamp here.

Connect with Efé
Instagram | X

June Hawthorn - carry me out to sea

I actually only recently came across ‘carry me out to sea’; the album of Toronto-based artist June Hawthorn. I was immediately enchanted,  the album having an eerie, mermaid-singing-by-the-sea-in-an-abandoned-town quality that I found spellbinding. The instrumentation, composition, and lyrics all flow seamlessly, the results being something that vibrates with haunting mystery. Watch this space. 

Connect with June Hawthorn
Instagram

About Eimear O Sullivan

Eimear Ann O Sullivan is a multi-genre music producer, audio engineer and vocalist. After receiving a Masters in Music Technology from the CIT Cork School of Music, she went on to operate as a producer under the name Blakkheart. Her releases have received critical acclaim from Ireland's biggest music publications, such as District Magazine and Nialler9, alongside receiving heavy commercial radio airplay. She currently works in Cork recording studio Flashpoint CC. Previous clients of hers include the likes of Comedy Central’s Dragony Aunt star Candy Warhol, rapper Darce and Outsider YP. (Photo credit @Fabian Boros)

Contact Eimear O Sullivan at eimear.o.sullivan@musicngear.com

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