Artists like The New Pornographers

Destroyer is a Canadian indie rock band from Vancouver, formed in 1995. The band is fronted by founding member and lead vocalist Dan Bejar, with a collective of regular band members and collaborators joining him in the studio and during live performances. Alongside Bejar, Destroyer currently includes longtime producers John Collins (bass) and David Carswell (guitar), Nicolas Bragg, Ted Bois (keyboards), JP Carter (trumpet) and Joshua Wells (drums).

The Hold Steady is an American rock band formed in Brooklyn, New York, in 2003. The band consists of Craig Finn, Tad Kubler (guitar), Galen Polivka (bass), Bobby Drake (drums), Franz Nicolay (keyboards) and Steve Selvidge (guitar). Noted for their "lyrically dense storytelling," and classic rock influences, the band's narrative-based songs frequently address themes such as drug addiction, religion and redemption, and often feature recurring characters based within the city of Minneapolis.

The Weakerthans are a Canadian indie rock band from Winnipeg. The band, led by John K. Samson, has released four studio albums and is currently inactive.

Broken Social Scene is a Canadian indie rock band and musical collective including as few as six and as many as nineteen members, formed by Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning in 1999. Alongside Drew and Canning, the other core members of the band are Justin Peroff (drums), Andrew Whiteman (guitar) and Charles Spearin (guitar). Other longtime members and collaborators include Evan Cranley, Sam Goldberg (guitar), James Shaw and David French. Vocalists Leslie Feist, Emily Haines, Amy Millan, Lisa Lobsinger and Ariel Engle have made significant contributions to the band's studio albums and live performances across its career.

Mates of State are an American indie pop duo, active since 1997. The group is the husband-and-wife team of Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel.

Islands is a Canadian indie rock band from Montreal, Quebec. The group was founded in 2005 by Nicholas Thorburn and Jamie Thompson, shortly after the breakup of The Unicorns, of which both were members. Their current lineup includes Thorburn, often known by his stage name Nick Diamonds, along with brothers Evan Gordon and Geordie Gordon, and Adam Halferty. The band has released 10 studio albums, with their 10th album, What Occurs, released on June 21, 2024.

Superchunk is an American indie rock band from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Formed in 1989, they were one of the bands that helped define the Chapel Hill music scene of the 1990s and were at the forefront of the indie rock scene at the time. The band's lineup consists of singer-guitarist Mac McCaughan, guitarist Jim Wilbur, bassist Laura Ballance, and drummer Laura King. They are known for their energetic, high-velocity style and strong DIY ethic.

Sunset Rubdown is a Canadian art rock music group from Montreal. The band began as a solo project for Spencer Krug of Wolf Parade, who released his debut, Snake's Got a Leg, in early 2005. By the next year the project expanded to become a full band which included Camilla Wynne, Jordan Robson-Cramer, and Michael Doerksen.

Voxtrot is an American indie pop band formed in Austin, Texas, in 2003. Their first recordings were released in 2003, and their debut EP, Raised by Wolves, was released in 2005 to critical acclaim, garnering attention from music bloggers as well as major publications such as Pitchfork and Spin. The band gained popularity online during the rise of the early online music blogosphere, particularly among MP3 blogs, leading them to be regarded as a defining act of the blog rock era.

Ra Ra Riot is an American indie rock band consisting of Wes Miles (vocals); Mathieu Santos (bass); Milo Bonacci (guitar); Rebecca Zeller (violin); and Kenny Bernard (drums).

The Thermals are an American indie rock band based in Portland, Oregon, United States. The group was formed in 2002. With influences heavily rooted in both lofi, as well as standard rock, the band's songs were also known for their political and religious imagery.

Beulah was an American indie rock band from San Francisco, California, often associated with The Elephant 6 Recording Company. The band would go on to gain ample critical acclaim from many well respected outlets including Rolling Stone and The Guardian.

James Hamilton Leithauser is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He is the lead vocalist of the American indie rock band The Walkmen, with whom he wrote and recorded seven studio albums from 2000 to 2014. Prior to The Walkmen's formation, Leithauser and bass guitarist and organist, Peter Matthew Bauer, were both members of The Recoys. Leithauser was born and raised in Washington, DC, and has lived in New York City since the 1990s.

The Beths are a New Zealand indie rock band, formed in Auckland in 2014. The group principally consists of lead vocalist Elizabeth Stokes, guitarist Jonathan Pearce, bassist Benjamin Sinclair, and drummer Tristan Deck. Meeting at the University of Auckland, the band signed to Carpark Records in 2018, where they have released the albums Future Me Hates Me (2018), Jump Rope Gazers (2020), Expert in a Dying Field (2022), and Straight Line Was a Lie (2025). They have toured internationally with Death Cab for Cutie, the National, and Spoon.

Tokyo Police Club was an indie rock band from Newmarket, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 2005, it consisted of vocalist and bassist Dave Monks, keyboardist Graham Wright, guitarist Josh Hook, and drummer Greg Alsop. The band found early success with their 2006 debut EP A Lesson in Crime, which they followed with several popular releases including the albums Elephant Shell and Champ in 2008 and 2010, respectively. During the 2010s, they released three other studio albums. Among other nominations, the band had been twice nominated for the Juno Award for Alternative Album of the Year, in 2011 for Champ and in 2019 for TPC.