Say you’re manning the desk at the airport Enterprise Rent-A-Car, and these three albums walk up. Now, there’s no telling what their credit histories are, and none of them look like they have car insurance. But when you’ve just turned 25 in the world of indie rock, insurance doesn’t matter. Because they’ve got staying power instead.
Here are three albums that defy this complicated imagery through sheer force of reaching quarter-life.
‘Bob Dinners and Larry Noodles Present Tubby Turdner’s Celebrity Avalanche’ by Thinking Fellers Union Local 282
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 formed in 1986, releasing a handful of albums that gained popularity in the underground indie rock scene. They had a solid cult following in their time, which went largely dormant after Tubby Turdner’s Celebrity Avalanche dropped in 2001. TFUL282 had a unique approach to recording that earned them a devoted fan base. On this and previous albums, they recorded hours of rehearsals. Then, they Frankensteined those recordings together to create full songs. The result is raw, purposefully unpolished, and completely one-of-a-kind.
‘The National’ by The National
The National’s self-titled debut album dropped in 2001 and introduced the indie rock world to Matt Berninger’s sensitive lyrics and distinct baritone. Throughout the 2000s, The National released a solid series of albums. Alligator in 2005 earned them an influx of new fans, while High Violet in 2010 hit No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart. They gained critical and commercial success, but at 25, their debut album still holds up. According to guitarist Aaron Dessner, they hadn’t even played a live show before recording the album. As he told Pitchfork in 2010, “We did it just to do it.”
‘Here’s To Shutting Up’ by Superchunk
Superchunk were well established in indie rock by the time they released their eighth album, Here’s To Shutting Up. But instead of continuing on that same old established path, many critics noted that the new album offered a more mature sound. Listeners were used to a certain aggressive adolescence from Superchunk. But here, after seven solid albums, they were looking middle-age in the face, as the review from Blender put it at the time. Overall, Superchunk added more depth to this album through strings and keyboard, small additions that had a big impact on the final work. Their most recent album, Songs in the Key of Yikes, from 2025, elicited a similar response from fans and critics, who highlighted Superchunk’s persistent individuality.
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