October brought the vibes from quite a few Indianapolis heavyweights, including one of our steady favorites, one of my steady favorites, and as always, a couple of stellar hip-hop artists from the Circle City. October is also the first time since my inaugural Hoosier Highlights (which I didn’t formally call it at that point) in February that I’ve only featured releases new to the month. Why? Because a lot of killer tunes dropped in October. These are the big four you should know about though.

Joshua Powell – “Arrowheads or Worse”: Joshua Powell’s triumphant return is as atmospheric as it is anthemic, as vibey as it is visceral. The lengthy lead single from PSYCHO // TROPIC packs a powerful punch while still feeling familiar to long-time diehards of The Great Train Robbery, which you may have figured out is now noticeably absent from the end of the mystic frontman’s name. If my sources are true in telling me that this record is way different from anything Powell and company have ever done before (the dreamy second single “Econoline,” which itself just released last Friday, is already proof of that), “Arrowheads or Worse” is the perfect link to that former sound.

Dead Silence – “The Sacrifice”: Usually a song is either chill or a banger; it’s not often that both qualities are attained in the same track, and yet, that is exactly what Dead Silence accomplishes on his newest and final single of the year. “The Sacrifice” is smooth, from the throaty lows of his singing, to the gruff cadence of his rapping; from the slick bassline underneath, to the synthetic horns over top. But with the percussive nature of the song’s backbone, the beat keeps things moving and feels like a banger, all while retaining those chill, smooth vibes.

Baby Ebony – “IT Will Come”: The Naptown rapper released his latest full-length Spice at the very beginning of the month, and no doubt the highlight for me is the feisty closer “IT Will Come,” which features a certain throwback vibe to it, between the jazzy beat, the smooth flow, and perfectly placed backing singing that could even be construed as “whining.”

Dream Chief – “Can’t Get Enough”: Dream Chief still finds a way to keep things vibey on their upbeat new jam, which I frankly did not care for all that much when I first heard it long before its release last Friday. But the more I listen to “Can’t Get Enough,” the more I love it. With only a few (all are phenomenal though) singles out in the past year from the masters of tease, it begs the question: when will we hear more than just one at a time?

You can find all of my Hoosier picks in one place, whether you use SoundCloud or Spotify, each with its own set of exclusives.