Photo by Vishnu R Nair VIA Pexels
Let’s be completely honest with ourselves — gatekeeping is satisfying.
I mean, when you dig through some bins filled with records or scroll insanely far down your Spotify recommended list and find an absolute gem no one has ever heard before, it’s as if you’ve discovered a secret no one else is in on. (At a Hippo Campus concert in 2019, my friends and I were let in on the secret that was Samia. Her recent popularity didn’t come as a surprise to us — she was rolling around on the floor in FILA Disruptors.)
Having something — music, in this case — that’s completely your own is a feeling like no other. Most of that has to do with the sense of pride that comes with name dropping a “deep cut” in front of quirky music aficionados, but there is perhaps more to gain in putting someone on to a new artist. Something to gain from gushing about how much you enjoy their music (not to mention, a smidge of that other sense of pride in having found them first). So, out of my unbridled love for music, I have decided not to gatekeep and offer a short list of artists that I think are ones to watch. Give them a listen!
Led by 20-year-old singer Jana Bahrich, Francis of Delirium is a grungy, pop-rock band based in Luxembourg. I saw them open for The Districts at the Sinclair in April this year and was immediately drawn into their sound, especially “The Funhouse” from their 2022 EP of the same name. What surprised me the most was Bahrich’s effective crowd work during “Quit Fucking Around,” given that most of the audience wasn’t familiar with the song. I think we can attribute this both to Bahrich’s abilities as a frontwoman and the catchiness of every song, from their lyrics to their melodies. Francis of Delirium’s tour with Briston Maroney continues through this summer in Europe.
Song Recs: “The Funhouse,” “Let It All Go,” “All Love”
Pillow Queens is an indie/alternative rock band of four queer women from Dublin who I can almost guarantee fans of The Aces, Maggie Rogers and Phoebe Bridgers will love. They’ve likely supported someone you’ve heard of (including Phoebe Bridgers), but there is no doubt in my mind that their smart lyrics and anthemic melodies will carry a show on their own — an assertion that’s backed up by acclaim in Europe and North America.
Song Recs: “Hearts & Minds,” “HowDoILook,” “Liffey”
On tour this fall with names like The Mountain Goats and Origami Angel, Pool Kids essentially sounds as if Paramore did math rock — something I didn’t know I needed until I heard them for the first time. That said, the group isn’t squarely one genre or sound; fans of midwest emo are bound to find something they like, and so will lovers of The Japanese House and Frankie Cosmos. If the single “That’s Physics, Baby” or the 2018 album “Music to Practice Safe Sex To” didn’t sell you on their fantastic sound, Pool Kids’ new self-titled album (out now!) absolutely will.
Song Recs: “$5 Subtweet,” “That’s Physics, Baby,” “They Only Care About My Fills and Not My Feels,” “Further”
Oolong is an emo band from Long Island with ridiculously catchy songs and riffs who you’ve actually probably heard before without knowing it. To put it bluntly, I don’t think there’s music that can make you feel more like you’re on a skateboard, and I’ll forever be kicking myself for not seeing them in Rochester in June. “Roxies and Cigarettes” from album “About Your Imaginary Friend” and “Dippin Daniel” from their compilation album with Guitar Fight from Fooly Cooly, Arcadia Grey and dannythestreet are somehow immediate emo classics, and I urge you to get on the Oolong train before your local manipulator can mansplain them to you (and because they rock, duh).Song Recs: “Roxies and Cigarettes,” “Dippin’ Daniel,” their 2020 album About Your Imaginary Friend