Since the beginning of COVID-19 and the quarantine that comes with it, I’ve been trying to find some new artists or songs to get into and to diversify my music taste. I normally gravitate toward larger artists like Taylor Swift or the Jonas Brothers, so I’ve made it my personal mission to find some smaller artists in order to break out of my “Hot 100” bubble. Without further adieu, here’s who I’ve been listening to lately.
1. Crimson Apple
I heard about this band through a recommendation in the Campus Trendsetters Facebook group through Her Campus. Crimson Apple is an LA-based band composed of four sisters. They have a dark-pop sound with some influences in alternative and K-pop music. Just listening to their music had me lip-syncing along to the lyrics. The sisters have released one EP, and just released a single entitled “Break Your Heart Worse.”
2. Ally Barron
I found Ally Barron when looking up songs for a playlist I was making. Her voice is SO pretty, and really stands out against the soft instrumentals she has. Barron’s songs have great lyrics and tells a story really well. She got her start as a main character on a YouTube show called “Malibu Surf,” and has started recording original songs. She currently has six songs up on Spotify and Apple Music, with my personal favorites being “Just Friends” and “DTM.”
3. Kids at Midnight
Movies and television shows have always been one way I’ve found new tunes, and Kids at Midnight is no exception. A solo project of Jane Elizabeth Hanley, her song “Boys Like You” was featured in the Netflix show “Never Have I Ever.” Her music has a dreamlike quality to it, filled with synths and haunting vocals. The ballads she puts out grab your attention right away since it sounds different that anything I’ve heard before. Her newest single was released on May 22, entitled “Mary Queen of Scots.”
4. Heffron Drive
Okay, so this band isn’t “new” to the scene, since lead singer Kendall Schmidt was a part of Big Time Rush. I’ve been rewatching television shows from my childhood, and Big Time Rush was next on my list. Since it’s been a while since the band produced any music, I checked out each of their individual projects and some of the songs on Heffron Drive’s album, “Happy Mistakes” caught my attention - “That’s What Makes You Mine,” “Everything Has Changed,” and “Art of Moving On.” They all had the pop-like qualities that I loved in Big Time Rush, but seemed more refined and older in the way a boy-band song doesn’t quite sound.
Other Notable Mentions
Surfaces - “Sunday Best”
Ruen Brothers - “Break the Rules” and “All My Shades of Blue”
I'm hoping to do this spotlight feature once every two weeks, so let me know what you think in the comments below! Have any recommendations? Be sure to send them my way through either a comment or the contact form!
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