The Best Indian Indie Albums of 2023

The best Indian indie albums of 2023 show a scene splitting into many confident directions. A Bengaluru hard-rock band signed to an Italian label. A Chennai-born singer best known for film songs made an R&B album for a US label. A Delhi band more than thirty years old released a record in two parts. A Manipuri songwriter released an EP with a song called "Absolute Minority", and a Mumbai producer made an album about the earth itself. Here are twelve records from 2023, in release order, each checked on Apple Music India.

How we chose. Released in 2023 according to Apple Music India (checked 28 October 2026). Indian or Indian-diaspora artists, independent or working outside the film system for this release. Full albums first, then EPs. Not ranked. For the years that followed, see the best Indian indie albums of 2025 and 2026 so far; for the decade before, the best Indian indie albums of the 2010s.

The albums

Girish and the Chronicles – Back on Earth (27 January 2023, 12 tracks). Released on Italy's Frontiers Records, a label known for melodic hard rock. Twelve tracks of big riffs and bigger vocals, from "Ride to Hell" to "End of Civilization". Start with: "Loaded". Girish and the Chronicles.

Raja Kumari – THE BRIDGE (28 April 2023, 9 tracks). The Indian-American rapper and songwriter's album about living between two cultures, released on her own Godmother Records. "NO NAZAR" and "BORN TO WIN" are the obvious starts. Raja Kumari.

Indian Ocean – Tu Hai (5 May 2023, 6 tracks). The Delhi band's 2023 record features guest players George Brooks on "Jungle" and Vikku Vinayakram on "Iss Tan Dhan", and splits its title song into two parts. A patient, spiritual album from a band that has been doing this since 1990. Indian Ocean; Indian Ocean albums.

Aatma – Indian Roadtrip (11 August 2023, 8 tracks). Melodic house music arranged like a journey: "Winds of Assam", "Sunset at Taj Mahal", "Train to Nowhere". A remix album followed in March 2024. Aatma.

Karan Aujla & Ikky – Making Memories (18 August 2023, 9 tracks). Punjabi pop and hip-hop with producer Ikky, including "Softly" and "Admirin' You" with Preston Pablo. Karan Aujla.

Sid Sriram – Sidharth (25 August 2023, 13 tracks). Sid Sriram is best known in India for film songs in Telugu and Tamil. Sidharth is something else: an English-language R&B album released through Def Jam, with tracks such as "Dear Sahana" and "Blue Spaces". It shows a side of him most film listeners have never heard.

The Lost Symbols – FAROGH (20 September 2023, 8 tracks). The Jaipur band's debut album, self-released. Hindi rock with Urdu titles, from "Katleaam" to "Khwabeeda", and a guest spot from Ravindra Upadhyay on "Din Barkha". Its follow-up Taysa arrived in 2024. The Lost Symbols; Farogh and Taysa.

Sandunes – The Ground Beneath Her Feet (17 November 2023, 13 tracks). Mumbai producer Sanaya Ardeshir's album on the UK label Tru Thoughts. Track titles trace the planet's moods: "Earthquake", "Tsunami", "Cyclone", "Flamingo Dreams". It is one of the records on our list of the best Indian electronic albums. More: Sandunes albums.

The best EPs of 2023

• Naezy – Apocalypse (22 April 2023, 4 tracks). Four tracks, including "Choke Slam" and "Pandubbi". Naezy.
• Meewakching – The Land (25 August 2023, 4 tracks). The Manipuri songwriter's four-track EP, with titles like "Absolute Minority" and "Motorik Rhetorik". Meewakching; see also Northeast India bands and artists.
• Anoushka Shankar – Chapter I: Forever, For Now (6 October 2023, 4 tracks). The first part of her three-chapter series, opening with "Daydreaming" featuring Nils Frahm. Anoushka Shankar.
• Prateek Kuhad – Mulaqat (28 November 2023, 5 tracks). Five Hindi songs, from "Mulaqat" to "Janeman". The title song came out first, as a single on 3 October 2023. Prateek Kuhad; Prateek Kuhad albums.

What 2023 told us

The big story of 2023 is reach. Three of these records came out on labels based outside India (Frontiers, Def Jam, Tru Thoughts), and another two on artists' own labels. Indian independent musicians no longer needed a domestic major to put out a serious album. The other story is the long game: Indian Ocean, more than thirty years in, still made a record that sounded unlike anyone else, while The Lost Symbols showed what a new band's debut could look like when it is fully self-released.

Common questions

What was the best Indian indie album of 2023? We would start with Indian Ocean's Tu Hai for depth and Sandunes' The Ground Beneath Her Feet for ambition. For a debut, FAROGH.

Which 2023 releases were EPs, not albums? Apocalypse, The Land, Chapter I and Mulaqat, as listed above.

Where can I find more? See the best Indian indie EPs of the 2020s, the best Indian hip-hop albums and Indian indie songs.