Indie Love, Unfinished: The B-Sides That Say What Hit Singles Won’t
There’s a different kind of love story hiding in modern indie rock. Not the kind that explodes in a chorus or demands a stadium to feel complete, but something quieter and far more personal. It lives in the margins—in the tracks that didn’t make the headlines, in the songs you only find if you’re really listening.
This is where bands like The Kooks, The Struts, and their contemporaries reveal something deeper. Their B-sides aren’t just leftovers—they’re where the polish fades and the truth begins. It’s not about perfection; it’s about honesty, and that’s what makes these tracks linger long after the first listen.
The Sound of Almost Love
Indie rock didn’t abandon the love song—it reshaped it into something more fragile and uncertain. Instead of giving us clear answers, it leans into questions, into moments that feel unresolved. These songs don’t try to define love; they sit in the confusion of it, exploring what happens when feelings don’t line up neatly.
This is music for the in-between moments—the late-night walks, the second-guessing, the conversations you replay in your head long after they’ve ended. It’s not about forever; it’s about right now, and sometimes, about realizing that “right now” is all there ever was.
The B-Sides Where Truth Lives
The Kooks – “Victoria”
“Victoria” carries a kind of emotional looseness that feels almost accidental, like it was never meant to be overanalyzed. The beauty of the track lies in its simplicity—it doesn’t try to make bold declarations or wrap things up neatly. Instead, it drifts, much like the kind of relationship it reflects.
There’s a sense of something unfinished here, like a conversation that trailed off rather than ended. It captures that early-stage uncertainty where everything feels meaningful, but nothing is clearly defined, leaving you suspended somewhere between hope and hesitation.
The Struts – “Only Just a Call Away”
With The Struts, you expect boldness, color, and larger-than-life energy, but this track pulls things inward. Beneath the glam exterior is a story about distance—both physical and emotional—and the quiet frustration that comes with it.
“Only Just a Call Away” feels like being close enough to reach out, yet somehow still out of reach. It captures that strange space where connection exists, but timing or circumstance keeps it from becoming something more tangible.
Arctic Monkeys – “Too Much to Ask”
Arctic Monkeys have always had a way of capturing moments that feel almost cinematic, and this track is no exception. Rather than focusing on the breakup itself, “Too Much to Ask” sits in the aftermath—the quiet, reflective space where everything has already changed.
It’s the emotional equivalent of standing still while the world keeps moving. There’s no dramatic ending here, just the slow realization that something is over, even if no one ever really said it out loud.
The 1975 – “You”
With The 1975, emotions are rarely straightforward, and “You” leans fully into that complexity. The track feels raw and unfiltered, capturing the push and pull between wanting to let go and not being able to.
There’s a restless energy here, like thoughts circling without resolution. It mirrors the kind of late-night honesty that only shows up when your guard is down—messy, vulnerable, and impossible to fully control.
Catfish and the Bottlemen – “Hourglass” (Acoustic / Alt)
Catfish and the Bottlemen thrive on urgency, and “Hourglass” distills that into something more intimate. Stripped back, the song reveals a quiet desperation—the feeling of trying to hold onto something that’s already beginning to slip away.
It’s about time as much as it is about love. The longer you hold on, the more you realize you might already be too late, and that realization lingers long after the final note.
What Makes These B-Sides Different?
Classic love songs tend to present a clear narrative—they tell us what love is supposed to look like, how it should feel, and where it should lead. These B-sides take a different approach, focusing instead on the uncertainty, the ambiguity, and the imperfections that define real relationships.
Even when compared to iconic storytellers like Queen or U2, there’s a noticeable shift. The grand gestures are replaced with smaller, more personal moments. The certainty gives way to questions, and the answers are often left open-ended.
Playlist: Indie Love, Unfinished
This is a mood as much as it is a playlist—a collection of songs that work best when you give them space to breathe. Played in sequence, they tell a story that feels familiar, even if you can’t quite place where you’ve lived it before.
The Kooks – Victoria
The Struts – Only Just a Call Away
Arctic Monkeys – Too Much to Ask
The 1975 – You
Catfish and the Bottlemen – Hourglass (Acoustic / Alt)
It’s the kind of playlist you put on late at night, when everything is a little quieter and a little more honest.
Closing Thought
The hit single gives you the version of love that’s easy to understand, the one that fits neatly into a chorus and resolves by the final note. The B-side, on the other hand, tells a different story—one that’s less certain, less polished, and far more real.
Somewhere between those two versions lies the truth. Not the perfect version of love, but the one most of us recognize—the one that lingers in memory, unfinished yet unforgettable.
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