2017 has proved to be a great year for music so far. Not only have artists been making great comebacks, but there have been a lot of exciting new artists releasing promising material. Here are five artists that you should really start paying attention to.
Flawes
Flawes are an alt-pop band from Huddersfield that fans of Bastille should be paying serious attention to. They’ve released three singles – ‘Blank Dice’, ‘Forever’ and ‘Everywhere (Torch Songs)’ – so far this year. All three tracks feature very experimental, synth-heavy production. While ‘Everywhere (Torch Songs)’ is a cover of Fleetwood Mac, they’ve put an original twist on it that wouldn’t sound out of place in Radio 1’s Live Lounge. All of this makes them a band that you should get excited about.
The Aces
The Aces are an all-female four-piece pop-rock band from Utah, USA that fans of Haim and Two Door Cinema Club should definitely be keeping an eye on. Their debut single ‘Stuck’ has a summery 70s vibe. They released their first EP I Don’t Like Being Honest this summer which features four catchy pop-rock tracks that I can see playing very well to festival crowds on a sunny summer day, with a highlight being ‘Physical’.
Khalid
19-year-old Khalid has seen a rapid rise through the R&B scene and even won the Best New Artist award at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards. He has already achieved success with his debut single ‘Location’ from his album American Teen (which was released in April of this year) and now his current single ‘Young Dumb and Broke’ is receiving a lot of airplay on BBC Radio 1. His lyrics have a similar honesty to them about teenage life as Lorde does, while you can hear influences from the likes of other R&B artists like Frank Ocean. Watch out for him supporting Lorde on her European tour this autumn.
Astroid Boys
Hailing from Cardiff, Astroid Boys are a band that fuse punk rock with grime. They have so far released two EPs (CF10 and Bacon Dream) since starting off in 2012. They have already been featured in several lists of bands to watch, including the ‘Sound of Wales 2016’ and Kerrang!’s shortlist of ‘Ten Killer New Bands’. After being the focus of a BBC Radio 4 documentary ‘Generation Grime’ and building a name for themselves for their exciting festival performances at big UK festivals like Reading & Leeds and T in the Park, look for them to gain some serious traction in the next year.
Noah Cyrus
Step aside Miley, a new popstar is on the horizon. The younger Cyrus sister is breaking her way onto the scene in a big way and if the singles she has released over the past year are anything to go by, her debut album NC-17 is something to get excited about. So far she has released an eclectic range of music, that varies from the country vibes of ‘I’m Stuck’ to the ballad featuring Labrinth ‘Make Me (Cry)’ and the more hip-hop/dance influenced new single ‘Again’. Noah Cyrus is getting a big push from her famous clan and is even supporting Katy Perry on her ‘Witness’ tour at the moment so expect to see her star rise over the next year.
Music editor
