2016 MUST SEE ARTISTS: PART 4

2016 MUST SEE ARTISTS: PART 4

2016 MUST SEE ARTISTS: PART 4 800 400 RSVPster

Editor’s note: We love getting in the mood for the festival by previewing the best artists to watch. This post is the fourth in a series covering the best talent at the fest. Listen now, then add these acts to your festival schedule. This round of artists to watch comes from @atxconcert. Need help planning your fest? Order RSVPster, we take the stress out of RSVP’ing to music, interactive and film parties.

Frances

Hailing from Berkshire, 21 year old Frances’ music is a demonstration of her maturity. Her music, which is self-produced, is a breath of fresh air. She has an angelic vocal tone, that is equally matched by her heavenly euphoric production. As far as her sound is concerned, she labels herself a ‘singer-songwriter/piano woman” and her heartfelt piano ballads ‘Coming Up For Air’ and ‘A Million Lines’ sit on a shelf alongside Gabrielle Aplin and London Grammar.

Ciaran Lavery

Ciaran Lavery is a native of Aghagallon, a small village in Ireland. His debut album ‘Not Nearly Dark’ caused ripples in 2013, with its tender evocation of love, loss and redemption winning critical acclaim. There’s an unforced honesty to the singer’s work which he credits to small town life. “You could literally drive through it in thirty seconds, but it’s jam packed full of characters and real, genuine people,” he reflects. “It’s the type of place where, if you’re being an idiot, someone will tell you. That’s just how the environment was. I guess that sort of honesty comes out in my music.”

Mal Blum

Mal Blum is a bedroom-punk band from New York City, who (given their verge-of-tears verses) sounds like they’d be more comfortable hiding underneath a stairwell in upstate New York. They released their 5th studio album, You Look a Lot Like Me in late 2015. Expect immediate vocal comparisons to indie-folk queen Kimya Dawson. But unlike the former, Mal Blum’s curling alto syllables are accompanied by deep-toned guitars and brimming with bass.

Elohim

Sometimes a track comes along so infectious you forget about the playlists you’ve spent a lifetime curating and spend a whole day clicking repeat. Often these artists manage one awe-inspiring all-consuming track then disappear into the ether. LA-based Elohim is not one of these musicians. Elohim is filled with sugar-sweet tones, real life lyrics and upbeat pop-fuelled electronic beats. “Our upbringings have a major influence on the music we create. We don’t give a shit about what is trending or what style is popular. We create music that we appreciate and that we understand. Our music is a representation of what we feel that the times we live in have corroded into.”

Formation

Formation is a fantastic funk duo (Will and Matt Ritson) from south London. The brothers have remixed everyone from Shura to Tobias Jesso Jr. Their sound is early-80s New York via LCD Soundsystem when they were at their peak. They’ve got a track called Young Ones that is entrancing, in a noir kind of way. It’s a fluid kind of funk that comes from them learning to play/create from improvised music, especially jazz.

Sugarmen

Sugarmen are a four-piece rock band from Liverpool in the UK. They have a powerful combination of infectious melodies and angst, delivered with a sonic buzz saw. The quartet combine psychedelic meanderings with indie rock to deliver a sound that contains both intriguing eddies to explore and music that has the body swaying in enthused response. They continue to attract fans and are fast becoming a band who’s live set is known for it’s high octane delivery, drenched in energy and riffs.

Holy Esque

Ela Minus

Gabriela Jimeno is a well-known artist in the Colombian music circuit. As a teenager, she founded the neo-punk band Ratón Perez. Now, as part of the trio Balancer, Jimeno has established herself in the US, constantly evolving and following her path to find a brand new sound. Jimeno’s solo project is called Ela Minus, a gorgeous name making even more gorgeous music. Her first single, “Jamaica”, is an ambient piece that presents Ela Minus’ sweet voice covered by layers of synthesizer. It makes a perfect current for her words, mixing Spanish and English in a way that’s almost impossible to resist.

Be on the lookout for more artists to watch as the fest approaches! Follow @ATXConcert on Twitter and Instagram for more fest RSVPs, rumors, and news. Want to hear the best of the fest? Check out the 2016 playlist. Want to discover something new? Listen here. Subscribe & follow atxconcert on Spotify. Want help with fest RSVPs? Order RSVPster now.

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