Joe Bray is an independent artist emerging from the UK who is not only a singer but also a songwriter and producer that has already caught the attention of BBC Introducing.
Bray’s music looks at the ‘quiet tension of life’, which is something that we can all find some kind of connection with these days. ‘Eternal’ is the new single and presents listeners with a melancholic fusion of lo-fi pop, trip hop, and alternative R&B.
A new album is on the way soon, but in the meantime you can explore more of his work on Spotify.
Andrew Bunsell is an interesting newcomer who recently came across our radars with his original single, ‘Out of Place’.
Sonically, the track reminds us of classic Soft Cell from the 80s. Minimal, electronic-driven beats set the tone of the production, while Bunsell’s vocals add a layer of richness to the track, making it a highly unique piece of music.
Bunsell is also a composer, performer and cultural producer who has had his work showcased in cultural hubs as iconic as the Barbican and MALBA. We can already tell that this is an artist unafraid to experiment with his creativity, and it’s refreshingly welcome.
Hailing from the UK, Moon Machine first came across our radars earlier this week, and we’ve been quite in love ever since.
This somewhat mysterious outfit craft a style of indie pop that feels eccentric and original while still maintaining a sense of charm and relatability. Dreamy new single ‘Bon Voyage’ is taken from the band’s debut record, ‘Who Feels It Knows It’, which is also out now.
“The first song from our debut album. We recorded this entire album with analogue 70’s equipment.”
Moon Machine emphasise that they want listeners to make their own interpretations when listening to their songs, which is a refreshing take from a group. We’re keen to see what they deliver next!
Filius is the stage name of promising singer and producer Erik Chen, who currently splits his time working between Vienna and London. This talent stood out to us this week for his bold style of electronic pop.
‘THINKIN BOUT YOU’ was created with Alex Aldi (who has also worked with the likes of Troye Sivan and Gryffin) and blends digital sounds with human emotions. The production is industrial, raw, and at times chaotic, but somehow it all comes together cohesively in the end. Explaining the inspiration behind the song, Filius says:
“Rather than writing about a crush, the track behaves like one: repetitive, avoidant, slightly unstable. The production seeks to reflect the way technology is reshaping modern connections, blending synthetic textures, digital artefacts, interrupted phrases, and heavily processed vocal moments juxtaposed with raw, exposed passages.”
Alongside his work as a musician, Filius is also a sought-after DJ who has played open-format sets in some of Europe’s most iconic clubs, including the O der Klub in Vienna and Dalston Superstore in London.
shortstraw. is a rising rapper, songwriter and artist hailing from Coventry in England. This talent is rapidly gaining momentum not only in the UK but also globally, already picking up praise from outlets as noted as Kaltblut and Spindle magazines, among others.
New single ‘pattern up’ is lifted from the upcoming mixtape ‘coinstar’ (out 22nd May) and presents listeners with a bold, intense, and immediately arresting fusion of punk, rap, and jungle. Elaborating on the lyrics, shortstraw. says:
“The repetitive ‘get gone , get up , get about now’ that runs throughout this track is saying ‘get fucked up and go crazy to this song, use it as your release before u go home back to normal life and face whatever’s going on.'”
shortstraw. will headline a show at The Social in London on 2nd June. Grab a ticket here.
Fancy some fresh new indie-punk to shake your midweek blues away? Then we’ve got the perfect song to introduce you to, courtesy of rising teen outfit LED.
This LA-based trio, consisting of bandmates Edie Yvonne, Layne Olivia, and Lockett Pentz, craft a brilliant sound that epitomises the trials and tribulations of being young and surviving in this world.
New single ‘She’s Your Perfect’ speaks of ‘feeling like you are never enough’. Production-wise, the track treats listeners to an energising yet melancholic sound that blends elements of punk and rock with indie and pop.
Despite being so young, these chaps are showing so much potential. A debut EP is on the way… Ones to watch!
Why the rest of the world hasn’t yet woken up to Danish outfit shinyhunt is really beyond us. This emerging Copenhagen-based band has been building steady momentum in Scandinavia with their captivating blend of shoegaze and 80s/90s-inspired grunge rock.
Songs like ‘city of no one’ are sonically textured in so many interesting ways that every time we play it, we discover something new. Lifted from their acclaimed – and frankly brilliant – 2024 album ‘sea-salt ice cream’ (listen here), the track really stands out live, which is why we’ve chosen to show their performance from SPOT Festivalon this feature.
If you’re lucky enough to be in Copenhagen on the 2nd of October, then you can catch the band performing at VEGA’s Ideal Bar – grab a ticket here.
Poppy Freeley is one of our favourite newcomers this month. Hailing from West Yorkshire in England, this pop artist crafts a style of sound that is distinctively original and authentic in character.
‘Holiday Blues’ is the debut single from Freeley and treats listeners to a heady blend of dreamy pop and indie rock. The soundscape is stripped-back, smoky and raw, contrasting with Poppy’s mesmerising and ethereal vocals.
“‘Holiday Blues’ captures the fleeting intensity of a holiday romance already destined to end, holding onto something while knowing it’s already slipping away.”
Alongside her solo work, Poppy has also competed in local music festivals and performed in musical theatre productions.
We don’t often get the chance to feature music from South Korea, so we’re really excited to be sharing with you a rising brother duo from Seoul, going by the name The Grapes.
If you enjoy dreamy 80s-tinged synthpop, then you’ll love their new single, ‘Wish You The Best’. The song is nostalgic but also feels current, distinctive, and fresh.
“Self-written, self-produced, and home-recorded, it captures the raw and unfiltered energy that defines us.”
The track serves as a taster to the band’s forthcoming debut ‘trivial’ EP, which is out soon. In the short time that The Grapes have been releasing music (their first single, ‘Summertime‘, was released only a month ago), they’ve gone on to amass thousands of streams and build a global fanbase across social media.
This week’s indie-pop gem comes courtesy of rising LA-based newcomer Luke Armstrong.
Luke was born to American parents and raised in Beirut before moving to California to play college basketball. He’s bilingual in English and Arabic and has used music as a channel for expressing his identity from as early as his childhood.
“I was an intense child. Music has always helped me process that intensity.”
“There’s an opportunity to face fear with art, to surrender to what scares you, process it, and come through.”
‘2000’ was recorded with acclaimed producer Daniel James, who has also worked with the likes of Hayley Williams, David Byrne, and Efterklang. The track rewinds listeners back to the millennium and sees that era from a fictional perspective created by Armstrong, and looks at the chaotic ways of the world.
“I want to be honest about human suffering, and to make a statement about what a better world can look like.”
“’Good Girls Go to Heaven’ reflects the eerie, painful realities of forcing yourself to be a stranger to someone you once knew intimately and being unable to let go. The song swallows all that frustration, yearning, and emotional repression and vomits it back out into a white-hot fuzz. The title itself is sort of an ironic remark about behaving in accordance with the ‘social guidelines’ instead of addressing the elephant in the room: the fact that this other person and I were once in love and can never unknow that feeling. Good Girls is a reveal of the subtext in the strained small talk and resisted eye contact. The final verses of the song act as a reluctant goodbye to the part of ourselves we once had with each other, or before each other, and will never have again.”
seegz is a UK-based singer, songwriter, producer and mix engineer. His new single Gloria was released this week, and it’s an immediately captivating song that caught our attention. This is a style of alternative pop that is distinctively unique in tone, with a lot of sonic texture. If you like the sound, then you’ll be happy to learn that an upcoming EP is on the way.
seegz’s music has already landed on prominent Spotify editorials like Fresh Finds Indie, as well as being featured on BBC Introducing. If you’re based in London and you’re free tomorrow (13th April), then you can catch seegz supporting Serena Sun at the legendary Old Blue Last. Grab a ticket here.
dramaclub is the most exciting discovery of the week, and once you press play on their new single ‘love in the darkness’, you’ll see why.
This Floridian quartet craft a style of indie pop that is refreshingly original. Their productions balance experimentation with playfulness and nostalgia, resulting in sounds that are unexpected and intriguing.
‘love in the darkness’ sonically carries hints of M83 and Capital Cities, while the lyrics speak of the metaphoric ‘tug of war’ that comes with caring for someone.
The track is lifted from the group’s forthcoming ‘for every room’ LP, which is out soon. In the meantime, you can explore more of their music right here.
Oslo Green is a master of many talents. He’s not only a singer, songwriter, producer and violinist, but also a co-founder of creative collective NYADO.
‘MaYbe’ caught our attention this week for its refreshingly original sound. The track, which features vocals from Adina Shine, serves as an introduction to Oslo’s new album, ‘No Strings Attached’ (listen here), and presents listeners with a beautifully balanced fusion of alternative R&B, hip hop, and pop.
On top of that, we’re also treated to some strings that give the track a sense of soulful nostalgia that is mesmerising to experience. Elaborating on the album’s concept, Oslo Green says:
“‘No Strings Attached’ – a promise I clearly couldn’t keep – both in relationships but also when it comes to the amount of strings I recorded for this album. This album covers a few good years of travelling around the globe – following relationships, music and big dreams. Growing up as a classical violinist, I could never imagine that one day I would put together something like this. While listening you might notice many flavors and languages. Writing and producing this album on the go, I blended in what I picked up from different places – NYC, Nairobi, Milan, Tel Aviv, Berlin, London and more.”
The album follows on from Oslo’s well-received debut EP ‘The Oslo Green Express’, which featured an equally eclectic style of sound. You can explore more of the artist’s work on Spotify here.
Stella Lovell is a promising newcomer hailing from Seattle, and we think you might enjoy her impressive sound.
Stella blends indie with rock, pop and folk to create sounds that have mainstream appeal while still maintaining a sense of raw authenticity.
New single ‘Get Away’ took a while to come to life – it was written four years ago in the artist’s childhood bedroom, and perfectly encapsulates Lovell’s style of work.
If you like the song then you’ll be pleased to learn that there’s an EP scheduled for release on the 8th of May. In the meantime, be sure to follow Stella on Spotify!
New York’s Natalie Leonard is a promising singer, songwriter, producer and dancer who creates a very special blend of R&B and pop.
Natalie is already building traction in her home city, thanks in part to her live shows which feature her brother Jesse. Unashamedly bold in her work, she delivers songs that not only have a heavy impact sonically but also lyrically.
New single ‘Turo Tesla’ was inspired by the “fall before the crash of a city romance” and includes elements of synth to add an electronic twist to the sound.
“‘Turo Tesla’ is a cinematic R&B ‘night-walk’ anthem exploring the imbalance of a trust-fall into unconditional love. It captures the adrenaline of giving everything to someone who is terrified of the descent.”
Natalie has performed on iconic stages like the Hammerstein Ballroom and Sony Hall and also had her music featured by tastemakers like Perspective and IGGY Magazine.
It’s been a while since we last featured talent from Norway, so we’re really excited to be sharing with you newcomer Linn-Katrin Lune.
‘Sunset Hill Road’ is Lune’s second release to date and treats listeners to a melodic fusion of indie-folk and acoustic pop. The minimal production allows the vocals to shine through beautifully, and overall, this is quite an easy song to fall in love with.
Lune cites Taylor Swift, Coldplay, and Melissa Horn as some of her inspirations, and we can certainly hear elements of that on ‘Sunset Hill Road’. We’re looking forward to hearing what comes next!
British and Thai singer, songwriter and actress Danie Groves is a very special newcomer who has won us over with her sleek R&B sound.
‘Embers’ is out today and was inspired by the age-old dilemma of falling in love with the right person at the wrong time – and having to let them go. The lyrics are honest, vulnerable and sincere, drawing listeners into Danie’s innermost thoughts. She explains:
“I wrote ‘Embers’ years ago about someone who changed my perspective on what it means to pursue love with integrity. I still have a lot of admiration for that person, but the experience taught me how much timing and honesty matters. It helped me understand what I truly value in a relationship. At its heart, the song is about gratitude: for the memories, the lessons, and the clarity that came afterwards.”
Groves has had an interesting childhood split between the UK, Hong Kong and Thailand. Alongside her music career, Danie is also a qualified barrister and based in London.
‘FEVERLOCK’ is an interesting song for us to feature, down to the fact that the artist behind the track, FREZYA, is actually a virtual creation that was constructed by Lokidio Lab.
The track gives us a taste of what AI’s potential can be in music. Sonically inspired by genres like dance and amapiano, the song’s feel-good style of sound is infectiously uplifting. Alongside FREZYA, you can hear vocals from another digital project who goes by the name of LPSV.
“Narratively, ‘FEVERLOCK’ locks the night in place, midnight heat, slow-motion haze, and infinite flow, capturing the intimate aftershock of two partners collapsing into each other on the last atoms of strength.”
The song follows on from FREZYA’s debut release ‘FURTIVA‘, which gained considerable media attention and landed features on outlets like Plastic Magazine and York Calling.
Without a doubt, MANNA is an artist who has absolutely blown us away. This Estonian newcomer creates a style of electronic pop that immediately commands attention.
‘I’m Just A Girl’ is a bold and upfront song that addresses gender politics and the unbalanced dynamics that can exist within the music industry. The production fuses dark pop with raw, abrasive electronic beats, complimenting MANNA’s sharp and confident vocal delivery.
This is a musician who is unafraid to challenge life’s conventions, and speaks their mind in clever and creative ways. We’re very excited to see what MANNA delivers next.
