So I’ve just decided to list down the new artists here cause if I keep repeating the previous month’s artists, we’ll have like a flood of Mumford and Sons and Hippo Campus, etc. etc. Yeah? That cool?
Here we go:
1 Years & Years – King
Years & Years is fronted by actor Olly Alexander (The Riot Club, The Dish and The Spoon, God Help the Girl) and he is openly gay and adorable (proof here). His voice is craaaaay and with the help of Mikey Goldsworthy and Emre Türkmen, they make fantastic dance tracks that I’m positive would sound as great performed acoustic. I mean, ultimately, they are great songs.
2 Joy Williams – You Loved Me
Formerly known as one half of the now defunct The Civil Wars (sniff), Joy Williams returns with Venus, an 11-track record that still has the heart of The Civil Wars (minus John Paul White’s grit). It is part haunting, part vulnerable, and is full of emotion.
3 Lucy Rose – For You
Excuse me when I say oh yes my girl is back! Cause a) Lucy Rose is not ‘my girl’ and b) I said that with ~some hood accent in my head – which never works out well when said out loud. Lucy Rose is one of my favorite artists in 2011, when she released the single ‘Middle of the Bed’ and later on released her debut album the following year. Naturally, I was very excited to see her produce sophomore album, Work It Out, and to listen to her new tracks. The standout for me in this album is ‘For You’, showcasing the softness and meekness in her voice.
4 Vance Joy – Fire and the Flood
My second favorite Aussie boy (I will never replace you, Heath! But ugh, yeah, someone got bumped lol) releases a new track even when he’s busy following Taylor Swift around for the 1989 tour. Last month, he released ‘Great Summer’ for the Paper Towns soundtrack, now he’s added two more tracks to his album, ‘Fire and the Flood’ being one of it. I don’t know how to explain this, it’s just. That boy + that guitar + those lyrics = that’s just meant to get any girl swooning, you know? That’s just a basic formula.
5 Little Brutes – Make Our Own Way
Little Brutes is a duo from LA. If you need some dose of feel-good catchy indie pop tunes, you’ve got it right here.
6 Louane – Avenir
For your dose of nouvelle scene, Louane is an 18-year-old singer/actress. Nice teeny pop song. 🙂
7 Børns – Past Lives
BØRNS is actually American singer-songwriter Garrett Borns, he’s got long locks prettier than mine. What I really liked from this track is how it began from this tune that resembled doo-wop and then transformed into this super cool pop tune. I love it I love it I love it.
8 Grimes ft. Blood Diamond – Go
Still waiting for Grimes’ follow up to her album Visions since 2012, but so far she’s shelled out enjoyable tracks like “Entropy” with Bleachers (I love this one so much) and this track “Go” – less pop, more dark and mysterious.
9 Jukebox the Ghost – The Great Unknown
I’ve listened to Jukebox the Ghost sometime in 2012 and kept note of them – but I haven’t fully given them much attention. Frankly, I even forget which track that was that made me notice them haha. They’re an ok band to listen to – sort of reminds me of bands like Jack’s Mannequin (ugh, don’t you just love ‘Dark Blue‘?) and that whole The OC era.
10 Public – Make You Mine
I’ll admit, this band is still very new to me, but I always have a great time listening to this track – so I’ll let it slide that I haven’t fully listened to the rest of their stuff. This is kind of their pass. Plus I’ve just seen the lead singer (he’s so gorg that his girlfriend wrote this song for him). I don’t regret this decision. You can listen to the studio version of this track here – it’s adorable.
NEW STUFF
CHVRCHES – Leave a Trace
Still the same Chvrches I see, nothing wrong with that. Don’t fix what’s not broken.
Beirut – No No No
Oh my God Zach Condon is baaaaack! Listen, if you haven’t listened to Beirut in your entire life, get to that, stat. They are amazing. You can start with “East Harlem“.
OLD STUFF
Watched the Veronica Mars movie and stumbled on these mint tracks:
Sufjan Stevens – Chicago
Gregory Alan Isakov – Second Chances
LOCAL FLAVOR
Ian Penn – Different Kinds of Strangers
My interest sparked for this artist when I listened to his track “Headback Home“. He recently released a new Ep, Wild Abandon. I love that he’s like a little Dylan.
Kartoon Chemistry – Ngayon O Bukas
A little throwback treat! First time I listened to this I was a freshman and I was watching a play. Stuck to me pretty much.
Dawn Lanuza 