Lost Talk
Chrome Alone
Forming in late 2016 in Melbourne, Australia, this is the kind of band you’d have to pry from the stage for having too much fun up there. The group’s sound has matured, they know what they want, and look out.
Heart Society
Rocket
You want commitment, verve and guts? After completing a successful crowdfunding campaign, Alicia Teneia Sanders-Eichelberger and husband Benjamin took a huge leap of faith: they sold most of their possessions and bought a 32-foot travel trailer to tour North America and reach more hearts with their message. Something tells me Rocket as a title means more than what is being sung. It’s also their method to the top if they keep this up.
Nanu Alidina
When I’m Gone (feat. EverythingOShauN)
Hailing from Toronto, Ontario, all the right boxes are checked here: Drake, A$AP Rocky, Kendrick Lamar, but they’re just signposts, rather than stops. He’s going to have plenty of opportunities to get heard, and one of the most promising releases I’ve heard in urban this year.
The Visions
Lookin’ for Ya
They namecheck Prince, Talking Heads, and J Dilla as influences, so right there, their record collection is going to be solid. But it’s their creative blossoming that sparkles. It’s deep, dark and ambitious.
Gio
Ididthisforyou
A rapper and singer from Worcester, Massachusetts, he sounds a bit like Jagger at around 3am after a night out with Keith, while screwing around with the drum machine, which is a good thing. Attitude is impressive.
Casey Burns
Calling CheeChee
Casey Burns is an artist that believes music has the power to change lives and this is a slight but welcome move in the right direction for him. Straightahead rap beats and much respect for the rhythms.
Here To Stay
ViVA Trio
ViVA Trio’s dazzling debut, Nothing Else Matters, expertly converges classical and contemporary, blazing a vibrant new crossover trail previously tread by acts like Il Divo and 2CELLOS, albeit more glamorously.
Nectarines
Lies
Hailing from Long Beach, Nectarines make music that is slightly Goth, with a vibe that feels a bit like The Pixies on codeine, and fleshed out with some nifty guitar work Cold War Kids fans will notice their committed modern pop-rock. Ignore them at your own risk.
DUETS AND STUFF
Serve Somebody
From Sweden, they’ll remind you right off with the steadiness of Peter Bjorn and John, and Feist, but quickly goes into their own lane with passion and poetry. Great stuff, can’t wait to hear more.
Loocties
New Beginning
If Eurovision ever took them, they’d reach pretty far in the competition. Non-stop energy of Euro, trance with young, aware, and fun vocals from start to finish.
