Journalist Jude Noel says “Indy is next”

October 08, 2025

Jude Noel is a music journalist and critic whose work has appeared in Pitchfork, The Fader, and Bandcamp Daily. In his recent Bandcamp feature, “Indy Is Next,” Jude shines a spotlight on Indianapolis’s growing independent music scene, tracing the city’s creative energy through its artists, venues, and DIY communities. He writes that Indianapolis’s “best artists braid genres and influences in bizarre yet satisfying ways, chasing creative whims rather than trends. Bands share members and ideas, generating sounds that feel out of time and tough to categorize.” WFYI’s Kyle Long recently spoke with Noel to learn more about his work as a music journalist.