The best Indian indie songs of 2017 include the singles that launched Delhi's Azadi Records crew, the early songs of a Hindi rock band that would soon fill arenas, and quiet singer-songwriter releases that people still put on playlists today. This list picks 20 songs from 2017 that you can stream on Apple Music India, with the date Apple gives each one.

How we checked. Every date comes from Apple Music India (iTunes catalogue, country IN), checked on 28 October 2026, at song level. A song is only here if its own Apple date falls in 2017, even when it later appeared on an album dated 2018 or 2019. Only released music is covered. For the year after, see the best Indian indie songs of 2018.

Quick answer: 20 of the best Indian indie songs of 2017

  • Prabh Deep & Sez on the Beat – "Suno" (16 October 2017)
  • Prabh Deep & Sez on the Beat – "Kal" (10 May 2017)
  • Seedhe Maut & Sez on the Beat – "Seedhe Maut Anthem" (8 May 2017)
  • The Local Train – "Aaftaab" (14 November 2017)
  • The Local Train – "Khudi" (10 June 2017)
  • Ritviz – "Udd Gaye" (27 November 2017)
  • Prateek Kuhad – "Tum Jab Paas" (24 April 2017)
  • DIVINE – "Farak" (17 February 2017)
  • Raja Kumari – "City Slums" feat. DIVINE (4 October 2017)
  • Naezy – "Aane De" (4 November 2017)
  • Nucleya – "Dhoop" feat. Vibha Saraf (2 October 2017)
  • Aswekeepsearching – "Kalga" (28 April 2017)
  • Blackstratblues – "Lead Chain Swing" (15 August 2017)
  • Komorebi – "Time" feat. Sohrab Nicholson (15 September 2017)
  • Kamakshi Khanna – "Cakewalk" (13 January 2017)
  • Easy Wanderlings – "Summer Is Away" (6 August 2017)
  • Swarathma – "Beta Sweater Pehno" (27 February 2017)
  • Thermal and a Quarter – "A World Gone Mad" (29 October 2017)
  • Sandunes – "Does Bombay Dream of NOLA" (29 November 2017)
  • Bloodywood – "Punjabi Metal" (31 August 2017)

The songs

"Suno" and "Kal" – Prabh Deep & Sez on the Beat. "Kal" came out as a single in May, five months before Class-Sikh; "Suno" is the album song most people start with. Together they are the sound of West Delhi rap in 2017. See Prabh Deep songs.

"Seedhe Maut Anthem" – Seedhe Maut & Sez on the Beat. The duo's first single, dated 8 May 2017, twelve days before their 2 Ka Pahada EP. See Seedhe Maut songs.

"Aaftaab" and "Khudi" – The Local Train. Both were singles in 2017 and then appeared on the January 2018 album Vaaqif. "Aaftaab" in particular became one of the band's best-loved songs. See The Local Train songs.

"Udd Gaye" – Ritviz. The song that made Ritviz's name, dated 27 November 2017 on Apple and later collected on the 2019 Ved EP. See Ritviz songs.

"Tum Jab Paas" – Prateek Kuhad. A soft Hindi love song released as a single in April 2017. See Prateek Kuhad songs.

"Farak" – DIVINE. A February 2017 single from the Mumbai rapper, two years before his debut album.

"City Slums" – Raja Kumari feat. DIVINE. An October 2017 single that paired the Los Angeles-raised rapper with DIVINE. See Indian women rappers.

"Aane De" – Naezy. A November 2017 single from the Kurla rapper. See Indian hip-hop pioneers.

"Dhoop" – Nucleya feat. Vibha Saraf. A slower, melodic Nucleya single from October 2017. See Nucleya songs.

"Kalga" – Aswekeepsearching. The emotional centre of Zia. See aswekeepsearching albums.

"Lead Chain Swing" – Blackstratblues. The opener of The Last Analog Generation. See Blackstratblues songs.

"Time" – Komorebi feat. Sohrab Nicholson. Released ahead of Soliloquy. See Komorebi songs.

"Cakewalk" – Kamakshi Khanna. The title track of her debut. See Kamakshi Khanna songs.

"Summer Is Away" – Easy Wanderlings. From their debut album. See Easy Wanderlings songs.

"Beta Sweater Pehno" – Swarathma. A playful, warm song, released in February 2017 and later added to Raah-e-Fakira. See Swarathma band.

"A World Gone Mad" – Thermal and a Quarter. A standalone October 2017 single from the Bengaluru band. See Thermal and a Quarter albums.

"Does Bombay Dream of NOLA" – Sandunes. The November 2017 lead song for NOLA Daydream. See Sandunes albums.

"Punjabi Metal" – Bloodywood. One of the band's first originals, released in August 2017 among a run of covers and parodies.

Also worth hearing from 2017

  • Seedhe Maut – "Royalty" (20 May 2017)
  • Parvaaz – "Shaad" (3 April 2017) and "Color White" (29 May 2017). See Parvaaz albums.
  • Ankur Tewari & The Ghalat Family – "Dil Haare" (16 February 2017)
  • Anand Bhaskar Collective – "Malhar" (24 January 2017)
  • Alobo Naga – "Kini (No.2)" (26 September 2017)
  • Demonic Resurrection – "Narasimha: The Man-Lion" (15 March 2017)
  • Kraken – "This Story Begins At Okay Pizza" (27 August 2017)
  • Sanjeeta Bhattacharya – "I Will Wait" (1 November 2017)
  • Lost Stories – "Paradise" (25 August 2017)
  • Whale in the Pond – "Marbles" (30 June 2017)
  • Fiddlecraft – "Zindagi" (29 July 2017), later on the 2018 album Hawai Jahaaz

Not counted as 2017

  • Parekh & Singh's "Panda" was released as a single in March 2017, but Apple dates the song to 2013, from the first release of Ocean.
  • Ritviz's "Jeet" and "Barso" are often grouped with "Udd Gaye", but Apple dates them October and November 2018.

More lists

For the decade, see the best Indian indie albums of the 2010s. For Delhi, see the Delhi indie scene.

Discography is an independent music magazineHow to get coveredRelease music in IndiaIndian indieIndian indie bandsAbout