Key facts

  • Week covered: 17 to 23 October 2026
  • Big single: Seedhe Maut & KR$NA, "BUZZ" (23 Oct, Mass Appeal)
  • Album of the week: The F16s, All Dogs Go To Heaven (21 Oct), their first album in ten years
  • Remix EP: Sijya, Leather & Brass (Retrofitted), 7 tracks, One Little Independent Records (23 Oct)
  • Metal debut: KASCK, The Universal Lie, Pune thrash trio (17 Oct)
  • Coming next: Rainburn's thirty-seven on 4 Nov; Girish and the Chronicles' Disintegrate on 20 Nov

The best new Indian indie songs this week (17 to 23 October 2026) are Seedhe Maut and KR$NA's "BUZZ", The F16s' long-awaited second album All Dogs Go To Heaven, Sijya's remix EP Leather & Brass (Retrofitted), Pune thrash trio KASCK's debut album The Universal Lie, Rapper Big Deal and DEB's drill single "Bhai", Shashaa Tirupati and Shabeer's "Heerrr", and Priya Ragu's "Madras". Every release below has a dated source: a store listing with its release date, or a news report published in the same week.

This is our Friday roundup for listeners who want independent music from India rather than film soundtracks. The week ran from hard-edged Delhi rap to Chennai indie rock, Delhi electronic remixes, Pune thrash and a Tamil diaspora soul single. Each entry tells you what the release is, who made it, why it matters, and where to start. At the end you will find the albums and EPs already announced for November.

More facts

  • BUZZ: Seedhe Maut & KR$NA | Single | 23 Oct 2026 | Mass Appeal
  • All Dogs Go To Heaven: The F16s | Album, 10 songs | 21 Oct 2026 | The F16s (self-released)
  • Leather & Brass (Retrofitted): Sijya | Remix EP, 7 tracks | 23 Oct 2026 | One Little Independent Records
  • The Universal Lie: KASCK | Debut album, 7 tracks | 17 Oct 2026 | Mayank Katare (self-released)
  • Bhai: Rapper Big Deal & DEB | Single | 23 Oct 2026 | Family Style Record / Pacific Music Group
  • Heerrr (feat. Akanksha Bhandari): Shashaa Tirupati & Shabeer | Single | 22 Oct 2026 | Shabeer
  • Madras: Priya Ragu | Single | 22 Oct 2026 | Priya Ragu, licensed to AWAL

1. Seedhe Maut and KR$NA, "BUZZ"

Delhi duo Seedhe Maut, Siddhant Sharma and Abhijay Negi, formed in 2015 and have built one of the strongest catalogues in Indian hip-hop. Their albums run from Bayaan (2018) through Nayaab (2022), Lunch Break (2023) and Kshama (2024) to DL91 FM (2025). On 23 October they released "BUZZ", a single with KR$NA. Apple Music lists it as a 3:45 track with a 2026 Mass Appeal rights line.

The pairing is the story. KR$NA, born Krishna Kaul, was one of the earliest rappers in Indian hip-hop, active since the mid-2000s, first under the name Prozpekt. Seedhe Maut are the Delhi duo a younger generation grew up on. A track that puts both on one beat is a meeting of two eras of the same city's rap. For more of the rappers shaping the scene, see our list of the best Indian rappers in 2026.

Start with: "BUZZ", then go back to DL91 FM for Seedhe Maut's most recent full-length.

2. The F16s, All Dogs Go To Heaven

Chennai indie rock quartet The F16s released All Dogs Go To Heaven on 21 October. It is their second full-length album and comes ten years after their debut, Triggerpunkte (2016). The Hindu reports that Harshan Radhakrishnan, Joshua Fernandez, Sashank Manohar and Abhinav Krishnaswamy spent almost a month in Ooty in 2023 living together and playing in one room. Harshan then mixed the whole record at his home studio in Chennai. The band say it is the first F16s album they made almost entirely themselves, with recording, mixing and artwork kept within the four of them.

Between the two albums came the EPs WKND FRNDS (2019) and Is It Time To Eat The Rich Yet? (2021), which leaned into synths and danceable psychedelia. The new album is mellower and more cohesive, but its humour is intact. The ten songs are "Fee Fi Fo Fum", "Don't be shy", "Mt. Whateverest", "LMAO", "Back in the City", "Trickortreat", "Little Mama's boy", "So Unique Utterly Special", "Secret Garden" and "Rocknrollisdead". The whole thing runs about 36 minutes. If you want the wider context, our guide to the Chennai indie music scene covers the city the band comes from.

Start with: "Mt. Whateverest", the lead single, then "Little Mama's boy".

3. Sijya, Leather & Brass (Retrofitted)

Delhi-based composer, producer and visual artist Sijya released Leather & Brass (Retrofitted) on 23 October through One Little Independent Records. It is a seven-track remix companion to her Leather & Brass EP. DJ Mag reports that she handed her originals to femme producers she admires. Rachika Nayar reworks "Do I Know", Bollywood music director Sneha Khanwalkar remixes "Safe", and Molina takes on "I only want to crash".

"For the past few years I've been obsessed with listening to femme producers and artists, and this remix comp is an ode to that," Sijya told DJ Mag. The "Do I Know (Rachika Nayar Edit)" single came out in September, and "Safe (Sneha Khanwalkar Edit)" followed on 1 October. Before the EP she released "Turbine", a single based on her performance in the Turbine Hall at Tate Modern in London. We reviewed the original record in our Sijya Leather & Brass review.

Start with: "Safe (Sneha Khanwalkar Edit)", a meeting point of Indian indie and Hindi film production that Sijya says should happen more often.

4. KASCK, The Universal Lie

Pune thrash metal trio KASCK released their debut album, The Universal Lie, on 17 October, Headbangers India reported. It has seven tracks and follows their 2023 EP Deal With The Devil. The album is getting physical releases too: a CD through Germany's Witches Brew and vinyl through Elastic Stage. The band have put out videos for "Divide By Design", "Be Quick Or Be Dead" and "Terror of the Night".

A debut thrash record with a German CD release shows the kind of specialist-label interest a young Indian metal band can attract abroad.

Start with: "Divide By Design".

5. Rapper Big Deal and DEB, "Bhai"

Odisha rapper Rapper Big Deal, the stage name of Samir "Rishu" Mohanty, released "Bhai" with DEB on 23 October. Movie Talkies describes it as a drill track. DEB is Gautam Deb, the drummer in DIVINE's live band, and the video features Sucharita Swain and Shadow Shooter. It is Big Deal's second release with MC Jin's Family Style Records, after "Kalia Ki Sundara", which passed one million YouTube views in its first 30 days. He is due to perform the song live on 26 October.

Start with: "Bhai", then "Kalia Ki Sundara" for the first single of this run.

6. Shashaa Tirupati and Shabeer, "Heerrr"

Shashaa Tirupati is best known as a film playback singer, winner of the 2018 National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer for "Vaan Varuvaan". Her new project, though, is independent pop. "Heerrr", with Shabeer and featuring Akanksha Bhandari, came out on 22 October with a 2026 rights line in Shabeer's name. Rolling Stone India reports it is the second song from her EP MAAHIRR, due on 19 November 2026, after the lead single "Raynnn" with Ben Parag.

The song's lyrics are by Navneet Virk. It was recorded at Playhead Studios and Neo Sound in Mumbai and mixed and mastered by Balu Thankachan. Rolling Stone India also reports a global tour planned for 2027.

Start with: "Heerrr", then "Raynnn".

7. Priya Ragu, "Madras"

Tamil-Swiss singer-songwriter Priya Ragu is a diaspora artist rather than an India-based one, but her new single is rooted in Tamil Nadu. "Madras", released on 22 October, is the title track of her next album, due on 26 November. Clash reports that the record was written across Zurich, Goa, Mumbai, Chennai and Kerala and recorded in Chennai. It follows the earlier single "Finally". The Apple Music listing carries a 2026 Priya Ragu rights line under exclusive licence to AWAL.

Start with: "Madras".

Coming up in November

  • 4 Nov 2026: Rainburn | thirty-seven (album) | Headbangers India
  • 19 Nov 2026: Shashaa Tirupati | MAAHIRR (EP) | Rolling Stone India
  • 20 Nov 2026: Girish and the Chronicles | Disintegrate (album, Frontiers Music) | Headbangers India
  • 26 Nov 2026: Priya Ragu | Madras (album) | Clash

Bangalore progressive rock trio Rainburn's thirty-seven is a nine-track concept album that grew out of frontman Vats Iyengar's near-death experience while stranded at sea. Headbangers India reports it adds industrial rhythms, synths and samples to the band's prog arrangements. Girish and the Chronicles, a rock band formed in Sikkim in 2009 and based in Bengaluru since 2013, return on Italy's Frontiers Music; we reviewed their single in Girish and the Chronicles, A New Spark.

How we pick these songs

Every entry has a release date we could confirm in the 17 to 23 October window, from a store listing or a dated news report. We leave out film soundtracks and focus on artist-led releases, with a lean towards self-released and independent-label records. If we could not confirm a release date or an artist's background, the release was left out.

FAQ

What are the best new Indian indie songs this week?

For the week of 17 to 23 October 2026, start with Seedhe Maut and KR$NA's "BUZZ", The F16s' album All Dogs Go To Heaven, Sijya's Leather & Brass (Retrofitted) and KASCK's The Universal Lie.

Which Indian indie albums came out this week?

The F16s released All Dogs Go To Heaven on 21 October, and KASCK released their debut album The Universal Lie on 17 October. Sijya's seven-track remix EP followed on 23 October.

Which Indian indie albums are coming in November 2026?

Rainburn's thirty-seven is due on 4 November, Shashaa Tirupati's MAAHIRR EP on 19 November, Girish and the Chronicles' Disintegrate on 20 November and Priya Ragu's Madras on 26 November.

How often does Discography publish this list?

Every Friday, covering the previous seven days of independent Indian releases.

Sources

Cover photo: Callmehelper / Wikimedia Commons (CC0).

Sources

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