Ones To Watch

"It's time to let 'em go, I think it's time I lightened up my load," Colin Padalecki sings on "Let 'Em Go," one of the standout tracks from Surfaces' seventh studio album, All the Space Between. It's a deceptively laid-back song, recalling the breezy feel-good sounds of Sugar Ray and 311—bands that have long served as spiritual ancestors to the style of music Surfaces has been blending with hip-hop and R&B since 2017.

Photo by Bryan Berry 24-year-old rap crooner Yatta Bandz illustrates beauty through pain. Raised between Hayward and Oakland, California, the hip-hop songwriter sharpened his craft by letting his soul speak through his pen. Heartbreak, strife, and the everyday struggle bleed through each lyric— giving his music an element of vulnerability lost in hip-hop’s current landscape. Like a sponge — Yatta soaked in his father’s own musical endeavors as a local Bay Area emcee.

With their newest release, “Methamphetamine,” Surfing For Daisy delivers a stirring portrait of addiction that melds together emotionally visceral lyricism and a smooth yet raw soundscape. Serving as the fifth single from the band’s forthcoming sophomore album, the track finds its power in blunt emotion and storytelling, not afraid to lean into devastation.

With an alternative core and the flair of pop catchiness, NERIAH gets fearlessly vulnerable on her latest track, “Bad Ones.” The song explores the emotionally exhausting push and pull between love and attachment, craving comfort from the same someone who caused the hurt. NERIAH dips her pen into emotion when writing, and with this song she lyricizes what most of us don’t quite want to admit, not even to ourselves.

LA-based ill peach is the indie-pop trifecta of high-school friends Jess Corazza, Pat Morrissey and Jesse Schuester from Minnesota. Their sophomore album EAVESDROPPING is an explosive juggernaut of connection through the lens of overheard deliciously messy dialogue played out and is an exploration of not only complex relationships between people, but the chaos and catharsis found in ill peach’s sonic identity.

Photo credit: Peyton Incollingo We stumbled into Maya Kuriel digitally one day in May, and we’ve been unpacking this ephemeral artists ever since. Her sound can be dreamy, inviting, but then pivot to something more dark. On her album, A Quiet Collapse, the sinister part reveals itself, as the innocent, dreamy harmonies hide a much darker layer, a pained searching persona muddied by doubt. In short it’s a very personal album one, that carried us into a spell of curiosity.

Photo by Working Holiday Dela Kay makes internal tension feel addicting with her newest song, “Medicine.” Through a bold fusion of alternative rock and electronic production, the track captures the emotional whirlwind of desiring someone who only needs you in fleeting moments. The honest lyricism and vibrant musicality make “Medicine” a big and bright standout in Kay’s musical journey, one that clearly showcases her evolving artistry.

For Nina Dopamine, the rush of falling in love and the crash that follows are two sides of the same feeling. Across her new EP dopamine rush, the New York-based artist explores the intoxicating pull of romance, the fantasies we build around other people, and the difficult realization that even the most powerful relationships cannot heal wounds we have yet to face ourselves. Nina Dopamine’s journey into music is far from the typical emerging artist story.

Trophy Wife have never been interested in making themselves comfortable. On Pathetic, the Brooklyn alt-rock trio trades the outward fury of their debut Get Ugly for something far more unsettling: turning the spotlight inward and examining desire, insecurity, shame, and the contradictions that exist beneath the surface. Brooklyn-based alt-rock trio Trophy Wife have built a devoted following in New York’s DIY scene through their raw live performances and grunge-leaning sound.

Maybe we were blushing already when he first appeared on our Zoom call, but it’s hard not to feel a little flushed when listening to Kevin Atwater. He's dramatic, moving a little tempest of melody and circumstance that feels Lou Reed one moment, Michale Stripe the next. In short, we are always pulled into Kevin Atwater’s music, and on his latest album, Blush Red, that hasn’t changed a bit.