MAGIC!
Genre: Pop
Label: RCA Records
Debut Album: “Don’t Kill the Magic”
Release Date: June 3, 2014
Songs to Hear: “Mama Didn’t Raise No Fool,” “No Evil,” “Little Girl Big World,” “Rude”
Description: Ever wondered what it sounds like to honestly not have a care in the world? With the wonder of his flawlessly lazy vocals, Nasri Atweh brings the beach to your bare feet and the sound of summertime nights to your ears. In a reggae style that strays from the pop genre, drummer Alex Tanas, guitarist Mark Pellizzer and bassist Ben Spivak evoke memories of simpler times through distantly spaced chords and slow rhythms. And what’s more — these pop artists can actually play instruments.
Similar Artists: Parachute, Heymous Molly, Bob Marley
This Void
Genre: Indie/Britpop
Label: Devil Duck Records
Debut Album: “Crystals”
Release Date: Feb. 28, 2014
Songs to Hear: “Help Me I’m Okay,” “Awakening,” “Watered Mouth,” “All Of Us”
Description: Taking the beauty of melancholy and punching it into a hard fist with blunt ridges, this German-based band adds an electro arpeggio to the classic instruments for a prime listening experience. High school friends Keno Potthast, Daniel Mobes, Christian Lindemann, Max Schlake and Lukas Ernst were working their way well into the hearts of German festival-goers by the time they got signed for their first professionally-recorded album. With the help of Sony BMG, they carry on the memory of the British Invasion, 51 years after the initial incursion.
Similar Artists: The Beatles, The Strokes, Radiohead
Alive Like Me
Genre: Rock
Label: Rise Records
Debut Album: “Only Forever”
Release Date: Oct. 7, 2014
Songs to Hear: “Searching For Endings,” “Start Again,” “Slip Away”
Description: Clad in black, vocalist Jairus Kersey, bassist David Knox, drummer Joel Riley and guitarists Brandon Banton and Dakota Dufloth come together to express brutal honesty through unique chord progressions and edgy vocals. After performing as an opening act for the Rise Records and Friends Tour and then traveling with the Vans Warped Tour this past summer, Alive Like Me was invited to travel with Beartooth through Oct. 31, 2014. The sum of their spot-on sound and general love for their audience is a sure-fire combination that will bring about the band’s success with Rise Records. Expect more.
Similar Artists: I the Mighty, Sleeping with Sirens, SECRETS
Residual Kid
Genre: Alternative
Label: Sony BMG
Debut Album: “Faces EP”
Release Date: Oct. 9, 2012
Songs to Hear: “Lost Cause,” “Friend,” “Purple Shoes”
Description: Like Green Day with the alluring rasp of a wannabe Brit, Residual Kid takes the seventh string and stereo vocals to an angsty state that will suck you in and never spit you back out. Their name can be taken as literally as you please — the band is made up of drummer Ben Redman, vocalist Max Redman and guitarist Deven Ivy — all of whom had barely breached their teenage years by the release date of their first EP. But don’t underestimate this trio — it takes more than just guts to perform as the youngest band at University Musical Society. With such young talent, we can expect much more from the members individually in the future, though the band may not make it through puberty together.
Similar Artists: La Dispute, Cage the Elephant, The Neighbourhood
Sleepwave
Genre: Rock
Label: Epitaph Records
Debut Album: “Broken Compass”
Release Date: Sept. 16, 2014
Songs to Hear: “Through the Looking Glass,” “The Wolf ”
Description: With the voice of a tortured angel, former lead vocalist for the band Underoath Spencer Chamberlain takes on band mate Stephen Bowman to create condiments for your ears. Thicker and smoother sounding than his previous band, Sleepwave calms down to haunt you with revocations of lyrics spat into the microphone for more consistent melodies and a heavier baseline to blend with his Grammy-nominated vocals. For the lovers of singers Austin Carlile, Oli Sykes and Ronnie Radke, here’s a new delight for you.
Similar Artists: Parkway Drive, Escape the Fate, Falling in Reverse, Bring Me the Horizon
