Campfire Indie Folk

History

As indie folk diffused into lifestyle playlists and outdoor-festival culture, a mellower sub-lane developed around songs that felt portable, friendly, and acoustically social. Caamp, Hollow Coves, Mt. Joy, the Head and the Heart, the Paper Kites, and the Oh Hellos made music that could scale down to a campfire while still functioning in streaming and festival contexts.

Defining artists

• CaampSpotifyYouTube
• Hollow CovesSpotifyYouTube
• Mt. JoySpotifyYouTube
• The Head and the HeartSpotifyYouTube
• The Paper KitesSpotifyYouTube
• The Oh HellosSpotifyYouTube

Essential listening

• By and By — CaampSpotifyYouTube
• The Woods — Hollow CovesSpotifyYouTube
• Silver Lining — Mt. JoySpotifyYouTube
• Rivers and Roads — The Head and the HeartSpotifyYouTube
• Bloom — The Paper KitesSpotifyYouTube
• Hello My Old Heart — The Oh HellosSpotifyYouTube

Sources

• Rolling Stone, "The Biggest Influences on Pop in the 2010s"
• Rolling Stone, "Mumford & Sons and the Lumineers Are Done Stompin'"
• GRAMMY, "Noah Kahan's Big Year"
• American Songwriter, "5 Indie Folk Albums That Shaped the 2010s Music Scene." citeturn5search12turn5search2turn5search3turn1search7