Apr 30, 2016

12 Artists To Watch: April

While April does mean spring is here, it is also the hardest month for those of us in college. New musicians and their style is a refreshing break from all the work we've all had to do this past month. So, here are 12 artists who have been on the rise lately to help everyone ride out these last couple weeks until sweet summertime.

Broods - Georgia and Caleb Nott make up this brother-sister duo from New Zealand, and have just released a killer new single. The song itself is super powerful and the video has a seriously chilling dystopian future vibe, with fashion to match. Definitely watch for the new album coming soon from Broods because I have a feeling it will be one you don't want to miss.

Tracks To Listen To: "Free", "Bridges", "Sober", "Mother & Father", "Sleep Baby Sleep"



CHVRCHES - Lauren Mayberry fronts this electro-pop Scottish band. They are a favorite at music festivals such as Coachella and Bonnaroo, and they have a seriously cool indie style. Lauren is always rocking a cute outfit and a cat-eye, and their new album "Every Open Eye" has been on repeat in my car since the day it came out.

Tracks To Listen To: "Leave A Trace", "Empty Threat", "Bow Down", "Gun", "Recover"



The Lumineers - Almost everyone knows the Lumineers for their first single that made it big, "Ho Hey". Their new album "Cleopatra" was just released a few weeks ago, and it has the same relaxed type of tracks. As a band, the Lumineers has a style that is a modern take on folk, which is a huge trend right now, so they're definitely a band to keep your eye on.

Tracks To Listen To: "Ophelia", "Cleopatra", "In The Light", "Classy Girls", "Stubborn Love"



SEAFOAL - A friend introduced me to SEAFOAL on YouTube, where she has several videos of her doing covers of popular songs and mash-ups. After "Van Gogh" was released I totally fell in love and knew I had to feature it. SEAFOAL is a very cool place to find fashion inspiration, as she doesn't identify with just one gender. The catchy music mixed with the breaking of gender boundaries makes for a great person to put on your playlist this month.

Tracks To Listen To: "Van Gogh", "Soulsick", "Fading", "Read It And Weep"



Oh Wonder - This duo from London creates perfect music to listen to no matter what mood you're in. The combination of the feminine and masculine voices within their songs is addicting, and in their videos you can see their effortlessly cool and simplistic contemporary style. Once I start listening to them, I can never stop.

Tracks To Listen To: "Without You", "Lose It", "Drive", "Technicolour Beat", "Livewire"



Halsey - I've been listening to Halsey for years, and I've actually been lucky enough to see her play live twice. She's only recently gotten further into mainstream music with her album "Badlands". In this video specifically I absolutely adore her schoolgirl look, but she is usually very versatile. Each time I've seen her she's had completely different style, but she always looks amazing. She's been one of my favorites for awhile, and is totally worth checking out.

Tracks To Listen To: "Colors", "Hold Me Down", "Trouble", "New Americana", "Ghost"



Santigold - Santigold is an artist that's been around in the indie/alternative genre for awhile, but just this past February, her new album "99¢" was released. I couldn't help myself from adding her to this month's music inspiration when I saw this video. The message of the song mixed with her fabulous fur coat and sunglasses was the perfect inspiration. She can't get enough of herself, and I can't get enough of her lately either.

Tracks To Listen To: "Can't Get Enough of Myself", "L.E.S Artistes", "Banshee", "Disparate Youth"



Father John Misty - (A.K.A. Joshua Tillman), is an extremely talented musician who has been in several bands before beginning his solo career, including Fleet Foxes. His sound is very unique, as are his videos, but that's part of the draw. He's become very popular in bigger cities, and is starting to really take off all over the country. The best way I can describe his music is "dreamy", and this video (featuring the lovely Aubrey Plaza) is hard to take your eyes away from.

Tracks To Listen To: "Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings", "Chateau Lobby #4", "Nancy From Now On", "I Love You, Honeybear"



George Ezra - I absolutely love George Ezra because he's a singer who doesn't look anything like he sounds. He's just a very cool English musician that almost everyone enjoys listening to. I like his style because its very classic and uncomplicated, and allows you to really get a feeling for the laid-back kind of guy he must be.

Tracks To Listen To: "Budapest", "Blame It On Me", "Barcelona", "Listen To The Man"



Sad Cops - Although I am biased because I've had the privilege of being friends with the drummer of this band for about a year now... you really won't regret checking this band out. Their new album "Liam Murphy Holt" just came out and it really is amazing. They have a niche in the music industry with their pop/punk/emo style that instantly makes you want to get up and dance.

Tracks To Listen To: "Dirty Sheets", "It's Eating At Me", "You Did It All For Me", "Magnetic Silence", "TV Screen"




HAIM -
I've also been lucky enough to see HAIM play live when they opened for Taylor Swift (Don't judge, I'm a hardcore T-Swift fan), and they will forever be fashion icons for me. The band is composed of three sisters plus their drummer, and they all have their own individual but equally as fashion-forward style. They're fantastic to watch live, and have an awesome stage presence, and basically I want to raid all of their closets.

Tracks To Listen To: "The Wire", "Forever", "Falling", "Don't Save Me", "Honey & I"



gnash - I stumbled across this track from gnash on Spotify one day and instantly got hooked. gnash is a DJ that has collaborated with several other artists as well as releasing his own album "us". When I saw the music video, I instantly loved his style, from the retro glasses, to the leather jacket, to the crazy haircut. He's been part of my monthly inspiration, and hopefully he can be part of yours as well.

Tracks To Listen To: "i hate u, i love u", "feelings fade", "rip", "rumours", "Daydreams"




To listen to more music from the artists above, check out the Spotify Playlist I've created below, and don't forget to follow me (reilly.farris), to get monthly playlists!



Thanks for reading!

XOXO,

Reilly Renée