6 underheard artists you should check out

We’re continuing our ongoing year in review coverage with a look back at the musical discoveries we made this year:

Who is your favorite underheard artist you discovered this year

Laura Stevenson

Laura Stevenson

There’s not really any good reason it took me until 2021 to discover the explosive beauty of Laura Stevenson. The musician has been steadily releasing albums under her own moniker for more than a decade, and it’s not like I hadn’t seen her name around, often via lists friends would send me of artists I needed to check out. (Those lists, like the piles of books that slowly accrue around my desk, sadly tend to get longer, much faster than they can be chopped down.) But when I cued up the first song of her sixth, self-titled album, released earlier this year, it was less than a minute before I was blown away by the volcanic force of her quiet-loud eruptions. From there, I worked backwards through her catalog. And to anyone who would consider themselves a fan of the genre of music this past “sad girl autumn” showcased, I urge you to check out someone who’s been doing it better than most, since well before everyone else caught up. [Alex McLevy]

Indigo De Souza

Indigo De Souza

I feel ashamed to say that I had somehow not heard of Indigo De Souza until this year, but she’s become one of my favorite artists. There’s plenty of praise to give her latest record, Any Shape You Take, and after falling in love with it, I decided to give her previous one, 2018’s I Love My Mom, a listen. De Souza has a way of capturing heartbreak that’s both humorous and cathartic. One line that keeps playing in my head is “I don’t like fucking boys who need to know what to say / When there’s silence in the room,” from “Home Team.” And I have to admire the hilarious threat in “Ghost,” where she warns, “And if you ghost on me again / These tits will ghost on you forever.” [Tatiana Tenreyro]

Keshi

Keshi

Though we’ve spent the last year and half appreciating virtual concerts, there’s one aspect of seeing a live show IRL that the online version can’t quite replicate. It’s the feeling of watching (maybe after a quick trip to the overpriced bar) an act you didn’t initially come to see and falling in love with their music—which is exactly how I discovered keshi. Most of his songs are R&B-heavy lo-fi tracks that feature his gentle falsetto and musing lyrics about love and relationships. After a 2020 that saw him releasing two EPs, bandaids and always, he continued the momentum by appearing on the Shang-Chi And Legend Of The Ten Rings soundtrack, playing 88Rising’s Head In The Clouds festival, and releasing two stand-alone singles: “beside you” and “SOMEBODY.” [Shanicka Anderson]

PinkPantheress

PinkPantheress

From the depths of 2021 TikTok came 20-year-old Londoner PinkPantheress, with a slate of bite-sized e-beat tracks perfect for the background of Y2K videos made by teens born in the mid-2000s. Though the app has birthed many artists whose popularity waxes and wanes under the vicious cycle of online relevance, what started as bedroom-recorded lo-fi tracks became original releases as folks clamored for a full album. After months of stray single releases, PinkPantheress shared a full-length, to hell with it, which totaled 18 minutes of music. Short and sweet, her 8-bit-style tunes underscore her lispy, delicate voice, and feels akin to Grimes’ early career breakthrough, Oblivion. Her songs are succinct but insightful, the artist overflowing with potential. [Gabrielle Sanchez]

Golpé

Golpé

With shows on pause, Bandcamp has been a recommendation machine, introducing me to Italy’s Golpé, who released the fantastic ‌La Colpa È Solo Tua LP in April. A one-man band, Golpé’s Tadzio Pederzolli wrote all the songs and played all the instruments on the album, delivering powerful d-beat that’s fast, groovy, and filled with character. With caveman beats played on heavy, bassy drums, the moron boogie is flowing on tracks like “Non Piegarti” and “Propaganda.” (No surprise: The album was mixed by Fucked Up’s Jonah Falco, who has spent two decades perfecting that drum sound.) Now if only there weren’t a pandemic so the band could tour the States. [Matt Schimkowitz]

McKinley Dixon

McKinley Dixon

I have to thank Alex McLevy and A-Sides for introducing me to Richmond rapper McKinley Dixon. His label debut, For My Mama And Anyone Who Look Like Her, is a fantastic introduction to Dixon’s lyrical potency and musical sensibilities. Fans of To Pimp A Butterfly, A Tribe Called Quest, or The Roots will find a lot to love there. But Dixon’s catalog goes deeper than that. For My Mama is actually the concluding chapter of a three-year album trilogy, for those who want a full taste of Dixon’s musical growth over the years. [Baraka Kaseko]