Grrrl Gang – Spunky!

Photo / Tiny Studio

One of Indonesia’s most hyped indie outfits to have emerged in recent years has been Grrrl Gang (aka Angeeta Sentana, Akbar Rumandung and Edo Alventa).

They’re back today with an anthemic punk banger called ‘Spunky!’, which was inspired by a manic episode that Angeeta had experienced:

“I feel like I’m on top of the world, untouchable. I do things without thinking, always chasing after that feeling of instant gratification. I feel extra confident in myself – to a point of grandiose thinking—and that I could do anything.”

The track’s production showcases a sound that bold, impactful and immediately arresting.

‘Spunky’ is lifted from the trio’s upcoming album of the same name (out 22nd September – preorder here), of which Akbar explains:

“This is Grrrl Gang’s first release after we graduated and got day jobs that made us have to move to Jakarta, which is undeniably 180 degrees compared to Yogya [Yogyakarta – the band’s college city]. But moving to Jakarta enabled us to work with Lafa [Pratomo – producer] on Spunky! from start to finish.”

Amassing more than 13 million cumulative streams on Spotify, while also commanding an army of over 350k monthly listeners on the very same platform, these three hugely talented musicians look set to take over the indie world by storm very shortly.

Grrrl Gang

Noah Pope – Shining

Nashville’s Noah Pope continues to build momentum with the release of his new single, ‘Shining’.

The song’s lyrics are inspired by the worries that we experience when we try to explain our feelings out loud, while the production showcases a fuzzy fusion of the indie, alt-rock and bedroom-pop genres.

“This one is about anxiety around saying how you really feel, made in my basement – where i feel the least of it.”

As a tastemaker’s favourite, Noah Pope’s songs have become regular additions on globally respected playlists like Spotify’s Lorem, New Music Friday and Spring Acoustic.

Pope plays New York’s Map Room alongside Tor Miller on the 19th June – tickets can be found here.

Noah Pope

New Music: Avara

Austin-based singer, songwriter and producer Avara is one of the most interesting discoveries of the week.

Melodic new single ‘if you picked up’ is somewhat of a masterclass in alternative R&B, and presents us with a finessed sound that is both mesmerising and dreamy in tone.

With only two singles released so far, Avara has already found support from the likes of Rolling Stone India and We Plug Good Music, and has also had her work featured on noted playlists such as ORYL’s late night chill and Ones To Watch. The future’s looking bright for this starlet – be sure to keep her on your radars!

Avara

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New Music: Upamanyu Mukherjee

We don’t come across as much emerging alt-pop talent from India as we’d like to, so today’s discovery of Pune artist Upamanyu Mukherjee is very exciting.

While still a teenager, Upamanyu has already shown himself to be a natural musician who has an impressive ability to write sincere pop songs with meaningful lyrics.

When composing his songs, Upamanyu not only uses his piano and guitar, but also utilities his talent for doodling to uncover his true inner emotions and thoughts – so that he can relay them on to his songwriting. Elaborating on his new single, he says:

“‘I Love You’ is an ode to a special someone. It captures the immediate emotions of a person who has just realised that they have fallen in love and the feelings and thoughts that come along with confronting that.”

Upamanyu Mukherjee

🎵 Discover more new music on the Ones To Watch Playlist

Rothstein – chokehold

Photo / Justine Vanderpool

Brooklyn-based singer and songwriter Rothstein returns with a sultry new single that deserves your attention.

‘chokehold’ takes its inspiration from an old classic story called ‘The Girl With The Green Ribbon’, and looks at the secrets that lovers can keep from one another.

“There’s a folktale called ‘the girl with the green ribbon’, about a girl who never takes her scarf off lest her head roll off with it (from ‘in a dark, dark room’, a collection you may have read in elementary school if, like me, you went looking for the scariest shit available). ‘chokehold’ is my take on that story, a spooky little record about a dirty little secret.”

Rothstein has amassed more than eight million streams since releasing debut album ‘HIGH WATER’ back in 2018. Aside from his own solo work, this acclaimed artist has also worked on collaborations with the likes of Brasstracks and Alexander Lewis.

Rothstein

New Music: Goodluck Rylie

Hailing from California is LA-based newcomer Goodluck Rylie. If this is the first time you’ve heard of this artist, then his new single, ‘Wish You The Best’ is a perfect introduction to his work.

The polished pop production contrasts beautifully against the powerfully intense and refreshingly honest lyrics.

Goodluck Rylie plans to release a new single every month for the rest of the year. If they’re all as brilliant as this single then it’s safe to assume that Goodluck Rylie will hit the mainstream very quickly.

Goodluck Rylie

Samuel Petra – How Could I Miss You

Track of the week. Samuel Petra has marked himself as one of Spain’s most exciting indie prospects, and the release of his new single only confirms this further.

‘How Could I Miss You’ showcases a style of sound that perfectly blends together indie, rock and pop with subtle hints of electronica. The result is a piece of music that is not only melodically memorable, but also sonically captivating.

To date, Petra’s music has found its way onto editorials like Spotify’s Fresh Finds, as well as on prominent curator playlists like Before The Data and Fashionably Early.

Samuel Petra

Yueku – Paradise

We are starting the week with an infectiously uplifting slice of sonic bliss, courtesy of Tennessee-based artist Yueku (aka Christian Koo).

‘Paradise’ treats listeners to a shimmering fusion of pop and indie, and is lyrically inspired by the beautiful connections that are formed between two people.

“It’s a simple love song for someone with some uncertainty about the afterlife, but the core message is that the time spent together here in the present is heaven enough for me.”

Yueku has already amassed more than a million cumulative streams on Spotify from the release of just one EP (2021’s ‘Catch Me If You Can’, stream here). Be sure to keep this rising artist on your radars!

Yueku

New Music: keanu.

Hailing from Seattle, newcomer keanu. creates a polished style of alternative R&B which is impossible not to enjoy.

‘BAD’ features all the elements that you need to make a hit song; it’s got a strong melody, smooth vocals, captivating lyrics and a finessed production.

While we don’t yet know much about this talent, we are confident that his momentum will grow as the year goes by. Check out keanu.’s previous releases here.

keanu.

🎵 Discover more new music on the Ones To Watch Playlist

Bella Kaye – Paint Me Blue

Californian starlet Bella Kaye unleashes an anthemic new single today, entitled ‘Paint Me Blue’.

Refreshingly bold and intense in tone, the song’s production compliments it’s powerful and relatable lyricism, which centres around the toxicity of unrequited love.

“Holding onto a failing relationship in hopes of it working out is a shared experience many people can relate to. Bella wanted her relationship to work so badly, she didn’t see the negative effects it was having on her and her life and therefore ignored the red flags.”

The song showcases Kaye’s natural ability to translate raw emotions into songs that are honest, authentic and highly impactful to experience. With a growing fanbase across social media and a strong run of well-received singles, this is one artist to keep on your radars!

Bella Kaye

Limón Limón x Scoobert Doobert – 3:00

Two of our favourite emerging American outfits have joined forces to deliver one of the most impressive indie-pop releases of the week.

‘3:00’ is a gorgeously mellow slice of bliss, and was created by LA-based duo Limón Limón and San Diego’s Scoobert Doobert. The sound is dreamy and hazy in character, and serves as a perfect addition to your summer playlists. Stylistically, the artists liken the song to Air’s ‘Moon Safari’, and we happen to agree with that opinion very much!

Limón Limón’s prominence has risen significantly in recent times, with the duo amassing more than 4.5 million career streams to date. Meanwhile, Scoobert Doobert’s catalogue of works has seen him command more than 210k monthly listeners on Spotify alone.

Limón Limón | Scoobert Doobert

Emei – Irresponsible

It’s been a stellar year for LA-based artist Emei. After the immense success of ‘Scatterbrain’ (which has so far picked up almost nine million streams), this emerging talent returns today with another massive bop called ‘Irresponsible’.

The track treats listeners to an eccentric mix of electronica, pop and UK-inspired drum and bass. The resulting sound is one which is fast-paced, energising and irresistibly moreish. As with most of Emei’s releases, you’ll find yourselves playing this on repeat for a good while – we’re pretty sure of it!

‘Irresponsible’ is lifted from Emei’s upcoming sophomore EP, which is scheduled for release soon. We really can’t wait to see what this talent comes up with next, but something tells us it’s going to be amazing…

Emei

Noak Hellsing – When The Shadows Go Home

Rising Stockholm artist Noak Hellsing is back today with a shimmering new single entitled ‘When The Shadows Go Home‘.

The track looks at the disconnect between feeling lonely while also struggling to form connections with those around us.

“‘When The Shadows Go Home’ delves into the depths of loneliness and darkness. Despite being an inherently social person, I’ve been grappling with the difficulty of connecting with others lately. What was once enjoyable has turned into a burden. This song encapsulates the quest for finding solace and happiness within one’s solitude.”

Contrasting with the track’s sombre (yet highly relatable) lyrics, the production showcases an upbeat style of pop that will fit perfectly into any summer playlist.

Signed to iconic Swedish label TEN Music Group, this promising Scandinavian talent has already amassed more than 28 million streams while still only twenty years of age.

‘When The Shadows Go Home’ is taken from Hellsing’s forthcoming EP, which is scheduled for release soon.

Noak Hellsing

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D.E.L – Tears

Australian trio D.E.L continue to showcase their sublime approach to electronica through the release of their latest single, ‘Tears’.

Inspired by the musician’s real-life experiences revolving around the endurance of love, the track treats listeners to a beautifully emotive style of sound that is both melancholic and hopeful in equal measures.

Fans will be pleased to learn that the band have just unveiled their first new EP (in over three years!) entitled ‘Ryan’s Room’ (available here).

To date, this highly acclaimed outfit has amassed over 1.3 million catalogue streams, while also commanding more than 30k monthly listeners on Spotify alone.

D.E.L

Callen – Worried

One of Nashville’s most exciting alt-pop talents to have emerged in recent years has been musician and producer Callen.

Continuing to showcase his natural flair for writing radio-friendly pop hits, this rising artist returns today with a fantastic new single that deserves your attention.

‘Worried’ is part of a trilogy of songs that collectively tell a story. The first single from the project, ‘Proud’, is already out (listen here), and the final installment will be released soon.

“I wrote ‘Worried’ in hopes to get the girl that I’ve now been dating for two years. The song grew as our relationship did. I am in love with the song right now the way I am in love with my partner, but I’m worried I won’t always feel that way, so I want to share it while I can help it have an impact for anyone that feels it.”

Callen’s catalogue of releases have so far netted him more than a million streams on Spotify. The artist has also picked up praise from countless tastemaker outlets, including the likes of Lefuturewave, Nu Music, Sirius XM and many more.

Callen

New Music: Alfie Neale

It’s not every day that we come across a talent who shares our name, so we’re quite stoked to introduce to you British singer-songwriter Alfie Neale.

This Brighton-based talent cites three particular records as the inspiration to his style of songwriting – Jack Johnson’s ‘In Between Dreams’, Fatboy Slim’s ‘You’ve Come A Long Way, Baby’ and Demon Days by Gorillaz.

Created alongside frequent collaborators Evil Genius, Alfie’s new single ‘Uptight’ was written in Dorset, and treats listeners to an infectiously catchy slice of guitar-driven pop. It’s the kind of understated bop that you’ll find yourself listening to on-repeat all through the summer.

The artist is currently on a mission to build enough momentum so that he can sell-out a large music venue – but not for the reasons you might expect…

“One of my best mates from Dorset, Cam, shook my hand and said as soon as I can sell-out a 1000 capacity venue he’ll get my logo (Alfie’s initials) tattooed on his leg. I have video evidence and a lot of people have seen it now – he’ll stick to his word so that’s my motivation for now haha! Also the unforgiving yearning to make it doing what I love to do more than anything, but mostly for the tattoo.”

Alfie Neale

🎵 Discover more new music on the Ones To Watch Playlist

Boko Yout – AS SEEN ON TV (EP)

Swedish-born creative Boko Yout (aka Paul Adamah) first caught our attention last autumn with his sensationally arresting song, ‘ANXIETY’.

Since then, this multi-talented artist has built up a strong base of followers and picked up support from tastemakers as respected as Fashionably Early and Mystic Sons.

Today sees Adamah releasing his highly anticipated concept EP, ‘AS SEEN ON TV’ (available here).

The songs on the record represent ‘the channels of a fictional TV network called Boko Communications’, and reflect upon the life experiences and emotions that Adamah has so far experienced in his life.

“From my perspective as a black gay man in Sweden, TV, and entertainment have been an escape from reality since I was a child. This project is therefore a celebration, as much as a critique, of the culture shaped by these stereotypes. This is a TV network where I get to decide what I want to see – a manifestation of a younger version of myself and the stories I wish I had heard. It’s a way to look up to myself in retrospect.”

While every song on the EP is distinct in character, there are two notable tracks which have caught our attention; those being ‘TIKTOK’ and ‘MORNING’.

With its captivating lyricism and rich sonic textures, ‘MORNING’ showcases Adamah’s self-described ‘Afro Grunge’ style of sound.

Meanwhile, ‘TIKTOK’ presents listeners a with a hazy and lo-fi, almost psychedelic style of production that is as intriguing as it is captivating.

Fans in Sweden can catch Boko Yout performing live this summer at various events, including Storsjöyran, Trädgården Live Sessions, Powerpose FM Festival and at Daniel Ek’s Brilliant Minds Conference.

Boko Yout

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New Music: julie on the internet

One of our favourite releases this weekend comes courtesy of Nashville artist julie on the internet.

If you’re looking for the perfect summer indie-pop bop, then ‘The Wonder’ is very much it.

Aside from its beautifully melodic flow and charming vocals, the song’s subtly eccentric production is truly quite unique in character.

“To me, this song feels like a perfect sunny day, good vibes, youth, sparkle, hope.”

While still a relative newcomer, this singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer is already building momentum across social media – amassing thousands of loyal fans and more than 370k likes on TikTok alone.

On a side note, any Swifties out there should also check out the artist’s ‘midnights (julie’s version)’ here.

julie on the internet

🎵 Discover more new music on the Ones To Watch Playlist

New Music: Blackout the Arcade

If you’re a fan of British indie rock then Darlington outfit Blackout the Arcade will most likely be one of your favourite newcomers.

‘Side-by-Side’ is the band’s third release to date, and treats us to an anthemic and energising sound that makes an immediate impact from the moment that you press play.

With early praise from the likes of BBC Introducing already under their belts, we think these lads are most definitely ones to watch for this year. An upcoming debut EP is scheduled for release soon.

Blackout the Arcade

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Thavoron – Tommy Loves You

Photo / Maddie Ludgate

Acclaimed genre-bending singer and songwriter Thavoron is back today with a brand new project, entitled ‘Tommy Loves You’.

Thanks to his distinct approach to music-making, this hugely talented musician has created a collection of seven exquisitely crafted songs that are not only powerfully emotive, but also sonically unique in their production.

“The people I grew up with know me as ‘Tommy.’ This was a product of me learning cultural assimilation at a very young age, and feeling really embarrassed I didn’t have a ‘normal’ name like all of my peers that I grew up with.”

One of our favourite tracks from the album is ‘Why’, which presents listeners with a melodic fusion of indie and folk. The song feels almost ethereal and timeless, and displays Thavoron’s talent in its full glory.

Over a relatively short space of time, this Seattle-based singer and songwriter has grown to become a tastemaker’s favourite, and has picked up praise from outlets as respected as Before The Data, Ones to Watch, Under The Radar and METAL magazine.

Thavoron plays the Belltown Bloom Festival on the 5th and 6th June – more details can be found here.

Thavoron