5 Alternative Bands You Should Watch Out For This Summer

I, for one, eagerly await Mondays because of Spotify’s weekly discovery playlist. There is not much in the world more exciting than finding new music you actually enjoy listening to. Below I have compiled five of my favorite artists that deserve way more recognition than they currently get.

OLIVER RIOT

Oliver Riot is composed of identical twins Benjamin and Alexander Moore. Even though there is a bit of deception surrounding their names, their music is a beautiful experience and super experimental; they have released two albums, Hallucinate and Neurosis. Their stories are especially inspiring. “Neurosis is a concept EP about our obsessions,” Benjamin has said. “We both have ‘Pure O’ obsessive-compulsive disorder and have felt tormented our whole lives by thoughts, images, and fears that we continually try to block out of our minds – only to have them become stronger.” They hope that their albums help “other people feel less alone.”

Listen if you like: Halsey, alt-J, Zella Day

Best songs: Ivory Black, Alcatraz, Neurosis 

DRESSES

Listen to Dresses, the ex-band/couple duo Timothy Heller and Jared Maldonado, if you crave an indie-pop mix that is both upbeat and whimsically lyrical. Their songs are laced with the perfect blend of harmony and catchy melody and their music videos are extremely entertaining to watch. Sadly, Dresses is not a band anymore, but both Timothy and Jared are working on solo pieces and are both (like their music) super fun people to follow on social media. I highly suggest looking them up and becoming obsessed with everything about this band.

Listen if you like: COIN, Marina and the Diamonds, Saint Motel

Best songs: Real People, Sun Shy, Catch

MANTARAYBRYN

After listening to Mantaraybryn, I was shocked to learn that the artist is only nineteen years of age. Bryn Evans has been composing music since he was fourteen and produces haunting piano medleys that sound beautiful with standalone lyrics that are poems and stories in themselves. “I want to skydive/through a fireworks display/and I want to feel/the burns the next day” and “In the rain and I’m going nowhere/in the sun I’m already there/I’ll be the boy with the golden hair/I know it’s all in America” are some of his most captivating and utterly stunning lyrics that sound even better when paired with his drawing, addictive voice.

After listening to Mantaraybryn, I was shocked to learn that the artist is only nineteen years of age. Bryn Evans has been composing music since he was fourteen and produces haunting piano medleys that sound beautiful with standalone lyrics that are poems and stories in themselves. “I want to skydive/through a fireworks display/and I want to feel/the burns the next day” and “In the rain and I’m going nowhere/in the sun I’m already there/I’ll be the boy with the golden hair/I know it’s all in America” are some of his most captivating and utterly stunning lyrics that sound even better when paired with his drawing, addictive voice.

Listen if you like: Sleeping at Last, The Lumineers, Billie Ellish

Best Songs: Pristine, Bullets in the Wind, I’ve Never Seen a Cyclone

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"Loud Places" – Jamie XX (Mantaraybryn cover)

A post shared by MantaRayBryn (@mantaraybryn) on

AUTOHEART

Where to begin? Autoheart, a three-member band made of Jody Gadsden, Simon Neilson, and Barney JC, is one of my all-time favorite bands. They use a weird mix of auto-tune (I know, I know) that sounds, somehow, incredible when paired with their raw vocal abilities and musical talent. This is great music to listen to while falling asleep, jamming out alone, or just hanging around; it really is good for all occasions. Their music is strange and contorted, but also beautiful and touching.

Listen if you like: Panic! At The Disco, CiN3MA, The Maine

Best Songs: Agoraphobia, Hungover in the City of Dust, My Hallelujah 

https://www.instagram.com/p/BRisX3bl5_5/

LEWIS WATSON

Lewis Watson’s aesthetic is calm and majestic, with entirely lowercase song names and crescendos of simple piano parts. Better yet, he has huge albums with over thirty songs in them, so there’s a lot of music to get ahold of. Watson’s music is calming and good to fall asleep to or play on a rainy day with a tub of popcorn by your side; it is both philosophical (and sometimes just plain weird) in its lyricism and gently sung, making it uniquely suspenseful and entertaining to listen to.

Listen if you like: Hozier, Gabrielle Aplin, Transviolet

Best Songs: Stones Around The Sun, Deep The Water, Little Light

https://www.instagram.com/p/BU2LhtnBqnc/?taken-by=levvis

So, with these new artists in your pocket, go online and binge-listen to these wonderful thought-provoking songs and magical artists. Happy listening!

Featured image via “Autoheart Live @ St.Moritz” by simononly / CC BY-NC 2.0

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