If there’s one thing that gets most of us music-lovers through the day, it’s discovering new artists. Whether we’re scrolling through SoundCloud looking for mood tunes to help alleviate a case of the Mondays or listening to a mixtape someone has sent our way, not a day goes by without a fresh discovery playing in our offices.
Since our inboxes tend to get inundated with projects from artists interested in coverage, we use each Wednesday to spotlight some of the quietly wondrous musicians that find their way to us every week. These artists may not have conquered the Billboard 100 (yet) but they’ve all got something unique to offer, and they’re all worth getting to know.
Scroll through to see our 10 under the radar artists to discover this week, and stay tuned for a fresh selection next week.
Aloe Blacc
Where: Los Angeles What They’ve Been Working On: New track "Brooklyn in the Summer", the jubilant first offering from his upcoming album. Sounds Like: Riding the subway on the first warm spring morning; even the crackheads who yell at pedestrians seem in better spirits.
Ex Mykah
Where: Los Angeles What They’ve Been Working On: His debut single "Berlin Lies" with an album due out sometime this year. Sounds Like: Picking up transmissions from an alien spacecraft and chopping it up with some keyboard lines.
High Klassified
Where: Montreal What They’ve Been Working On: The just-released Kanvaz EP, the most cohesive, fully-formed collection of songs from the producer yet. Sounds Like: Finding yourself as the protagonist of a neo-noir - femme fatales and cigarettes still abound but slow jazz has been replaced with blaring club beats.
Kadhja Bonet
Where: Los Angeles What They’ve Been Working On: Her sophomore album Childqueen, on which the hypnotizing "Delphine" is set to appear. Sounds Like: Being inside a lava lamp that has plentiful sofa-options for you to spend eternity reclining on.
Mike G
Where: Los Angeles What They’ve Been Working On: The criminally-unsung Odd Future member has dropped his first release in years with the Chase Clouds EP, stay tuned for an album just around the corner. Sounds Like: Finding a cherished rap mixtape from your high school days that sounds even better with age than it did as the soundtrack to your first-ever blunt sessions.
Minty Burns
Where: Toronto What They’ve Been Working On: The cinematic visual for his delirious single "Green Man". Sounds Like: The only track on your turn-up playlist that can get away with sampling "The Oompa-Loompa Song" from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and still be hard af.
Santino Le Saint
Where: London What They’ve Been Working On: His debut EP Xeno, out next week on May 9. Sounds Like: Blood-red sunsets that you view from the rearview mirror while speeding down a highway with reckless abandon.
Stockz
Where: Los Angeles What They’ve Been Working On: The visual for "Put it in My Hand", which has more swag in its minute-and-a-half runtime than most rappers get in a career. Sounds Like: Having your spine replaced with pure electric G-funk and teaching the children how to be fresh.
Thrashole
Where: Los Angeles What They’ve Been Working On: Their debut single "You Want Her", as good a mission statement you're likely to find. Sounds Like: If Rage Against the Machine were reborn as a crew of the toughest gals imaginable.
Zodiac Free Arts Club
Where: Barcelona What They’ve Been Working On: The mini-album Structures + Codes, a high-concept electro-trip inspired by paintings. Sounds Like: A classical music concert you would attend in a chrome-plated supercity in the year 2500.
Be sure to check out last week's edition of Under the Radar right here.
