Artists You Need To Hear About Right Now
Four unmissable artists, all in one place here at Slow Motion Panic Masters. Today, editor-at-large Ben Wheadon has more incredible musicians for you all to pay attention to right now, or regret missing out on some of the most exciting underground music that the world has to offer.
But first, make sure to follow our spotify playlist with the link below and tune in to hear a regularly updating stream of sensational underground appreciation:
SIAMESE ELEPHANTS - VIENNA, AUSTRIA
In truth, Siamese Elephants are not 'ones to watch.' They're a group already deservedly earning substantial praise for their exceptional music, but it's still not enough. Releasing their debut album What Happened at the Social Club last month, not only has this group delivered on the years of hype that have accumulated around a stream of fantastic singles, but have also produced one of the best albums we've heard in 2021. They need more credit, they need more listeners, and I need to see them live.
Combining danceable bass riffs, inch-perfect drum grooves and satisfyingly gravelly lead vocals, Siamese Elephants are an ideal blend of compelling indie rock and versatile accessibility. Song after song, the music on Social Club repeatedly demonstrates this band as one with a keen ear for inventiveness and creativity, and these tunes are good. Check out opener 'Fishbowl', and make sure not to miss out on the downright-fucking-unreal 'Heartbreak Hotel', featuring what is easily my favourite guitar performance of the year on what may currently be my favourite record of the year, too.
MIA JOY - CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
Everyone go listen to Mia Joy's new album; it's important. Releasing just a couple weeks ago, Spirit Tamer is a remarkable debut LP, featuring an already fully-formed identity that this artist can hang their hat on. First albums are almost always a process of uncertainty, but through Mia Joy's debut there is immediately a real sense of what this musician’s ‘sound’ is. Airy, reverb-drenched and completely enchanting, this album goes at its own pace, painting a meticulous picture of shapes and colours that are undeniably fantastic from its first moments, and invariably, to its closing seconds.
Comparisons to Phoebe Bridgers are apt, I think (and certainly good company to keep), but in truth comparing this record to any other is unfair. Spirit Tamer stands on its own two feet with an incredibly confident sense of itself, and stands out alongside What Happened at the Social Club? as one of the very best records I've had the pleasure of encountering in 2021. Also, as far as I can tell from their instagram, Mia Joy actually takes really good care of house plants. They are therefore a much better person than I am, and have my unconditional respect.
PENTIRE - HEREFORDSHIRE, ENGLAND
Pentire are sick. Quickly amassing a substantial buzz across a slew of consistently excellent singles, in fusing an indie style drawn and a slight hint of surf rock this group have a polished maturity unfound in most groups. The progress the quartet has made in just the past two years is staggering, growing into a band capable of clever lyricism and creative vision.
Their latest single 'Water' is an indication of colossal potential, but previous singles 'Best Friend's House' and 'Take It Away' show that this is a group with an ear for locked in guitar tones and increasingly excellent vocal performances. While the earliest moments in their discography lack the polish that their singles are increasingly refining, this is a group with a collection of tracks much better than most bands at this stage in their career could boast about.
Also, their bassist is mint. What's not to love?
RALLYE - COLOMBES, FRANCE
Ok, cards on the table. This band are my latest obsession, and I cannot believe I've missed out on them until now. Rallye are everything I need in a synth-pop band and more, and having just released their newest EP L'Age d'or, Rallye have crafted the perfect introduction to their sound for new fans like you and I.
To put it mildly, Rallye sound huge. Massive bass lines overlap with spacious vocal echoes and escalating synth chords in the service of a cosmically supermassive sonic scale. Showcasing an impressive versatility across their output, everything this group touches turns, appropriately, to gold. Make sure to tune into 'EasyRider' as the true highlight of their latest EP, and one of Slow Motion Panic Masters' favourite songs of 2021 so far.
Thanks for reading! Slow Motion Panic Masters is a music, arts and culture website created and edited by Ben Wheadon, a literature student based at the University of Oxford. He is also a Fleet Foxes shill.
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