Within the endless current of new music, it’s difficult for anyone to keep up with all that’s coming out. To combat this ongoing influx of sound, we publish our “Best New Artists of the Month” articles in the hopes that you never miss out on the outstanding new artists emerging in recent times. RAINES [track id="00949374" artist="RAINES" title="Ghosts"] RAINES has an irresistible voice in the same vein as Coldplay's Chris Martin's, and on the strength of it alone, he's going to become a household name sooner than you think. "Ghosts" is what debut offering he's chosen to showcase his talented chops on, and with what accompanying live video he already has out solidifying its magic, there's really no better footing the Liverpudlian artist could have to be able to launch into his subsequent efforts here on out. Simply put, RAINES is special, and you can expect to hear a lot more from him in the coming time this year. The Japanese House [track id="00949510" artist="The Japanese House" title="Pools To Bathe In"][track id="00949376" artist="The Japanese House" title="Still"] We don't come across a lot of female artists as compelling as Amber Bain, but with her Japanese House project, we've confronted with the fact that she has as enticing of a sound as any of her downtempo-sounding male counterparts. Debut tracks "Still" and "Pools To Bathe In" each cast the artist in an incredibly cool and confident sonic light, and what EP is to be birthed from the efforts and others is sure to put the talent on the map for good. WARHOLA [track id="00949509" artist="WARHOLA" title="Unravel"] A large portion of our favorite new artists fall into the electronic-soul category, and this past month, Belgian five-piece WARHOLA presented the potential to become a big name within that specific genre. In their debut single, "Unravel", they make use of some fairly experimental synths and percussion, but the band does such a fantastic job of stringing everything together that it doesn't feel inchoate or disjointed at all (as many experimental songs do). Also, the highly impressive vocals add exactly what the track needs to feel complete, and after hearing just one of their offerings so far, we can't wait to hear what this band has waiting for us in the future. The Indien [track id="00949483" artist="The Indien" title="Done"][track id="00949485" artist="The Indien" title="Trouble"] The Indien is one of those incredible bands that was sitting around idly on the internet for far too long, and we almost feel bad about not bringing justice to their excellent sound earlier. As of now, the Dutch quartet has no more than a four-track EP titled Cologne to their name, but within the project, they've demonstrated more than enough talent to get us very excited about their work. They embrace a retro-rock sound that, unlike many other acts, is fully authentic and not the slightest bit corny; not to mention, they have a brilliant female vocalist (Rianne Walther) who shines throughout the EP. It looks like The Indien might have some more music in store for us throughout this upcoming year, and if you live in the Netherlands, you can check out their upcoming tour dates on their website. sjowgren [track id="00949406" artist="sjowgren" title="drifty"][track id="00949407" artist="sjowgren" title="love has gone"] Aside from the fact that sjowgren lives in the Bay Area, we don't know much about her. What we do know, however, is that she's one incredibly talented singer and songwriter, and although you could consider the tracks she's released thus far light in a sonic sense, there's a lot of promise offered within them. We've no doubts that there's something big brewing for sjowgren beneath the surface, and frankly, we can't wait to hear what that something specifically is. Asaiah Ziv [track id="00949482" artist="Asaiah Ziv" title="Ziv?"] Asaiah Ziv is a newer hip-hop artist and producer, and his words mean something. He's not about braggadocio, he's not trying to get rich and famous by way of creative fraud, and he's not looking to waste your time with some phat-sounding beat that you'll forget about the next time you hear a track. No, Asaiah has an actual mind on his shoulders, and he's looking to make good use of it. Through "Ziv?", our introduction to Asaiah's work, we're privy to some societal and spiritual commentary that we wish was more commonplace in the hip-hop cannon, but, nevertheless, we can appreciate it for what is, here and now. We think his fresh artistic intent is going to win over a lot of disenchanted hip-hop fans, and even if you're entrenched aesthetically within the genre, you're going to come to view the guy as breath of fresh air along the lines of Raury and others. Keep tabs on him going forward. Lauv [track id="00949458" artist="LAUV" title="The Other"] Ari Leff (Lauv) could very well be the next big thing in the pop and R&B world. His sound isn't necessarily groundbreaking, but it is polished, irresistibly catchy, and will undoubtedly appeal to a massive audience. The 20-year-old's incredibly smooth, emotive debut single, "The Other", has accumulated a quarter of a million plays on SoundCloud in just over two weeks—a remarkable feat for an unsigned artist. But it's pretty unlikely that he'll remain independent for long, because his sound is one that's destined to be heard and adored by many, many ears. ØRKA [track id="00949435" artist="ØRKA" title="Lotus~"][track id="00949438" artist="ØRKA" title="tell me ft. Brian Bibb"] We're suckers for incredible downtempo productions, and new producer ØRKA from Miami is the newest talent pushing the particular sonic aesthetic our way. We came across the producer quite serendipitously through some SoundCloud digging a few weeks ago, and ever since we were graced by what lush and moving soundscapes he's put into several of his songs, we've been drawn to replay them over and over again. We can only hope that more are on the way, and, assuming they sound equally attractive as the slew he's already put out, we think he could gain hugely in popularity in the months to come. Only time will tell, of course, but ØRKA is definitely on the fast track to success, sonically speaking.
Best New Artists of the Month