Milton-Keynes based Cameron Owden – aka KC Blackwater – is a revelation. Having played indie-pop-friendly music with Alfie Templeman, he is now ready to reveal his darker, more visceral side with his debut EP ‘Happy Smiling Faces’. Written, recorded and released within the space of a month, the three track EP embodies the energy and vitriol of a live performance, bursting with unrestrained emotion and apt social observations. Dark, menacing and deeply heart-felt, it is creative expression at its most powerful.

Having grown up in the same small town outside of Glasgow, Primes came together through their shared love of live music and performing. Since their formation in 2017, Ollie, Sarah and Reece have gone on to play multiple festivals across Scotland and release 10 singles, gaining the attention of BBC Introducing, Amazing Radio and Spotify’s editorial team. Combining the sound of old-school favourites like Nirvana, The Rolling Stones and Foo Fighters with a modern attitude to melody, Primes are ready to seize the day. 

Londoners Artfair are ready to take over stadiums with their buoyant alt-pop sound. Having met in a murky tavern in Camden, Marland Barsby, Joe Branch, Lucas Rigauts, Joe Gutteridge and Ben Porteous quickly found themselves selling out their debut headlining show. Since then, the band have been busy making magic in the studio with producer Dax Liniere and are looking forward to their biggest show yet, headlining London touring venue the Camden Assembly. Their latest release, ‘Bittersweet’, is a visceral portrayal of heartbreak, and is accompanied by a self-produced and directed music video that explores the story through the medium of interpretive dance. 

Built around the hollow, strumming core, ‘Guess’ blends acoustic sensibilities with a dark, electronic treatment, creating a textural sonic experience that feels like a liminal dream. As the heavy bass pulsates, an underlying sense of disquiet grows with increasing vigour, spurred on by the vulnerable lyrics describing a toxic relationship. The sprinklings of cinematic strings insert a sense of pathos into the track, while also brining a taste of Rikii’s classical training.

New Zealand’s Skymachine are back with yet another serving of their unique blend of nostalgic synths and pop-driven melodies. Led by producer and songwriter Brydon, Skymachine arrests isolated moments of existence and turns them into catchy and cinematic sonic landscapes. Their latest track, ‘Times Like These’, stems from Brydon’s own struggles over the past year and captures his journey towards new found hope. Blending together introspective lyrics and euphoric sounds, it seeks to reinstate the lost magic in our lives and looks forward to better times. 

Embodying a defiant attitude that all of us wish we could pull off, ‘C U in Hell’ is the ultimate break up song. Lead by rough, driving guitars, hissing sneers and bouncing beats, this track radiates confidence and new found self-assurance. The distorted textures and emotive chaos hark back to the pop-punk sound of emo teen-favourite Paramore, while also inserting some modernity in the form of acrid spoken bridge. Madison’s gritty vocals swell above the noise, potent with their provocative lyrics and assertive outspokenness. 

Committed to honest and introspective song-writing, Wren began her music journey in her early teens, going on to perform at multiple venues and festivals along the US south coast. Focusing on empowering listeners through her music, she incorporates dark electronics alongside visceral, gritty lyrics that do not shy away from strong emotion. The final track of the trilogy that is ‘The Shutter Series’ EP, ‘Peroxide Medusa’ is Wren’s latest release, and a celebration of authenticity and resilience. 

Plymouth indie-rockers Parlour Suns have gone from strength to strength this past year. With a string of successful and much-praised singles, the band – made up of Robson Knott, Greg Evans, Aiden Bond and Jordan Tidball – have proved that they are here to stay. With spots on AmazingRadio and BBC Introducing South & West, as well as multiple live performances across the UK, Parlour Suns continue to expand their listening pool and are sure to find fans wherever they go next. 

Throughout our lives, our favourite bands shape our personalities. Becoming the soundtrack to months, years or decades of your life until they become attached to something you want to forget. This is what Polydrive explore in their latest single, ‘Favorite Band’. Asking you to swap out your favourite artist for this sibling duo, they blend a nighttime drive’s reflection with a combination of LANY and The 1975 in a perfectly produced indie wormhole.

A tale that reacquaints you with the arguments of youthful nights out, this Mancunian four-piece produce riotous indie at its best. Screaming into strobes of guitar, they follow in the footsteps of fellow northerners The Sherlocks to move rhythmically through your body. Passing through smokey verses and glittered choruses to arrive at its final destination; a bridge of nondescript oohs which beg you to join along.

Crashing into the mess that is 2021 with this, just their third single to date, the band turns to the dark side of the moon to create a soundscape that fizzes on the surface of your eardrums. With its fierce guitar and crashing drums, you can't help but want to hold onto the five-piece’s audio waves as they ride into oblivion.

A single built from swirls of reverent melancholy, this musical project of David Rees paints your thoughts with emulsions of blue melancholy. A dreamscape of sound which could even pull Tame Impala into the deepest of sleep, it moves in cyclical waves. Layering its twisting web of melody with ricocheting percussion and Rees' beautifully rich vocals.

Tinged in the sort of romantic nostalgia which can only be found in fuzzy lo-fi beats, the New York-based producer Mini Saints manipulates GEES vocals into the shape of an arrow. Puncturing through your heart with its honey-sweet beats.

Utterly hypnotising from its raindrops of guitar, its lyrics soon find themselves lodged inside your throat. Begging you to set each word free in a unified singalong that will never let you feel lonely again. Bridging together his sounds of mellow electro-pop to indie rock, this is the most authentically Sätilä single to date.

You know when you feel a fever coming on and all you want is for it to go away? Yeah, this isn’t it. If anything, Vincent George’s ‘Fever’ is something you’ll want around for a very, very long time. After spending 10 years as a producer working with the likes of Weird Milk, Natives, and Cusp, Vincent George took the daring decision to fly solo, but it may have been the best decision he has ever made.

Sometimes when things get a bit too much, we can feel like we’re sinking under the pressure, and Norwegian sensation BUKVE has curated the perfect track that allows the listener to not only confide in, but seek help from in the form of ‘Drown’.