FEATURE:
Bedroom Sounds and Futuristic Visions
IN THIS PHOTO: Joy Crookes
The BBC Sound of 2020 Longlist
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NOT only is the end of 2019 about…
IN THIS PHOTO: YUNGBLUD
looking back at the best albums from a remarkable year; we are also looking forward at the artists who will define the sounds of 2020. The BBC produces its longlist this time of the year; their predictions concerning the artists we need to keep an eye out for. This year’s names are out, and I think it is one of the strongest and most interesting longlists for many years. Whilst, again, there are very few bands on the list and very little in the way of genuinely decent Rock, it seems the solo artist is favoured; sounds that move us away from commercial Pop and kick-ass Rock. With so much variety out there, it is good we do not see the same artists and genres highlighted. The BBC Sound of 2020 is exciting indeed:
“A selection of bedroom musicians, indie bands and retro-futuristic soul singers are being tipped for success on BBC Music's Sound of 2020 list.
The longlist features 10 rising acts, from punk-pop firebrand Yungblud to soul-baring songwriter Celeste.
Other nominees include DIY musician Beabadoobee, who is signed to the same management company as The 1975; and Dublin rock band Inhaler, fronted by Bono's son Elijah Hewson.
The winner will be revealed in January.
Now in its 18th year, the Sound of... list showcases the hottest new artists for the coming year. Past winners includes Adele, Sam Smith, Years & Years, 50 Cent, Sigrid and, earlier this year, Octavian.
It is voted for by 170 music critics, broadcasters and DJs, as well as former nominees such as Billie Eilish, Lewis Capaldi and Chvrches”.
In honour of the ten artists in the BBC Sound of 2020 longlist, I am highlighting each with their social media links and essential track. It is clear we have a lot to look forward to next year in regards original and memorable music.
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Arlo Parks
Sound: “Soulful poet unpicking the anxieties of a generation” - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-50741299
Location: London, U.K.
Genres: R&B, Soul
Twitter: https://twitter.com/arloparks
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arlo.parks/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4kIwETcbpuFgRukE8o7Opx
Gig Information: https://www.livenation.co.uk/artist/arlo-parks-tickets
Key Words:
“I wanted to put [my sexuality] as a facet of myself because it’s not talked about as much for queer people of colour. It’s an important thing for me to show people that it’s okay. Some people are terrified of it, and I understand that.
“Coming out as bisexual was freeing in a way, because it allowed me to talk about experiences and feelings about certain things and people that I didn’t feel able to before. Obviously there’s still judgement and it’s still taboo, and I didn’t want to pigeon-hole myself as the bisexual artist, that’s just a part of who I am. That’s it.”
She’s also not alone as a new queer artist – even as a young, female one. When asked who inspires her, “Pussy Is God” singer King Princess is one of the first names to leap out.
“I think she’s sick. She’s got so much swag. She’s really dope, and she’s so unapologetically who she is that it made me feel like I could talk about things” - The Line of Best Fit
Standout Cut: Sophie
Beabadoobee
Sound: “Dreamy, lo-fi bedroom pop” - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-50741299
Location: London, U.K.
Genres: Indie Pop/Rock, Space Pop
Twitter: https://twitter.com/beabad00bee
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/radvxz/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/35l9BRT7MXmM8bv2WDQiyB
Gig Information: https://www.songkick.com/artists/9458139-beabadoobee
Key Words:
“The heady sound of 90s alternative pop is being well scrubbed and shined by 21st-century teenagers. Enter Beabadoobee, aka 19-year-old Pavement aficionado Bea Kristi, born in the Philippines and raised in west London. From there, she writes sweetly sung sad songs that recall the dreamy sounds of Belly and Lush, and more contemporary touchstones such as US singer-songwriter Florist. Kristi’s lyrics peer inward, tearing gentle lines around subjects such as lost love (Disappear), self-harm (Bobby) and realising you love people (“Wait, I do – fuck!”, she sings on Apple Cider).
Her story sounds too good to be true. Kristi wrote her very first song, Coffee, in her bedroom in 2017, after her dad bought her a secondhand guitar (she’d already spent seven years playing the violin). A friend uploaded a muffled recording of it to Spotify and Bandcamp, where it received hundreds of thousands of plays within days. A cover of Karen O’s The Moon Song and an EP, Lice, followed, before she was signed to Dirty Hit, label of the 1975 and Wolf Alice. Two lusher seven-track EPs, Patched Up and Loveworm, appeared in December and April, and another one, Space Cadet, arrives next month, complete with Kristi’s fleshed-out live band. Its lead track, She Plays Bass, is a sugar rush of a song, a lovelorn ode to a female musician” - The Guardian
Standout Cut: She Plays Bass
Celeste
Sound: “Timeless soul to tug at your heartstrings” - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-50741299
Location: Brighton, U.K.
Genres: Soul, Pop
Twitter: https://twitter.com/celeste
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/celeste/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/49HlOY4gkHqsYG9GCuhkcc?si=wz4ByMS6RFuZd8IjjiPwlA
Gig Information: https://www.songkick.com/artists/32691-celeste
Key Words:
“When she was 16, Celeste uploaded a song on YouTube. It got the attention of a prospective manager, who eventually ended up arranging studio sessions for Celeste at the infamous Sarm West Studios in Notting Hill, London. Several legendary artists have used the studio to song write and record. That includes the likes of Led Zeppelin, The Clash, Rihanna, and Paul McCartney. According to Dummy Magazine, the people who ran the studio were so impressed with Celeste’s songwriting that they kept giving her more time there.
Celeste’s career took off from there. She released various songs over the next few years, including the single “Daydreaming.” The song is consistent with Celeste’s body of work, with sweet, soaring vocals over a laid-back instrumental. According toi-D Magazine, the song was written while Celeste was working at a local pub. Celeste says that she was “pulling pints” while imagining she was performing in the infamous Carnegie Hall in New York City. If that “daydream” became a reality in the near future, we wouldn’t be surprised” - UMusic
Standout Cut: Lately
Easy Life
Sound: “Genre-bending indie-funk quintet” - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-50741299
Location: Leicester, U.K.
Genres: Alternative, Indie Funk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/easylife
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/easylife/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7uwY65fDg3FVJ8MkJ5QuZK?si=KGc_sa-wQDyGUKfTYD-s5A
Gig Information: https://www.seetickets.com/tour/easy-life
Key Words:
“Based out of a creative hub near Leicester’s Narborough Road - known for being the ‘most diverse’ street in England - the band estimate that they rehearse in a space that has “50% of the city’s music scene in one building”. “There’s a lot of roots and culture and sound system vibes, but there’s not much going on in pop world,” Olly explains.
But being surrounded by a variety of musical styles has served the band well. Easy Life aren’t keen to single out any fixed influences (“although Beyoncé is a massive one,” Sam says, smirking), but this lack of adhering to any set of genre rules is what they do best. Coating bittersweet lyrics dissecting everyday life struggles with a hip-hop-meets-indie veneer, then mixing it in with a slacker rock attitude, their music sounds like what it feels like to just sit back and go with the flow.
“[We’re] a reflection on how life can be pretty shit but you need to find all the pleasure you can in it,” Sam explains of the band’s ethos. “When you can enjoy yourself, do it! And we’re here for you, through the good and the bad. We wanna make it easy.” “That sounds like a helpline!” Murray interjects, before they all roar with laughter again.
Easy Life aren’t aiming to be political or philosophical. It doesn’t even really seem like they have a particular lofty ambition for the band, either. They’re just a group of mates, making music out of whatever excites them and looking for the good vibes wherever they go. Sounds like a nice life to us” - DIY
Standout Cut: Nightmares
Georgia
Sound: “One-woman dance machine” - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-50741299
Location: London, U.K.
Genres: Electric, Dance
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_georgiauk
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/georgiauk/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/06knYh538h5SI7OAEF8ek3?si=OeVvxmJyR_iFYG0eNcwxUA
Gig Information: https://www.songkick.com/artists/524189-georgia
Key Words:
“This curiosity should come as little surprise due to her musical exposure from an early age, even if it didn’t always make sense to Georgia. “It was a world that was quite familiar to me as my dad was in Leftfield and my mum was a big lover of all types of music, so it was quite a familiar story. I’ve seen it as a young girl, seeing twenty thousand people raving in a tent and not understanding it, but later on in life figuring out why it’s so brilliant.”
You’ll be doing the same with these new tracks, I suggest, offering a gateway for casual dance music fans. “That would be the ultimate musician’s or producer’s goal,” she confirms. “If you can get a kid to say ‘I want to know more about one of those basslines’ or ‘she mentions Mr Fingers or Frankie Knuckles’, that is, for me, the beauty of music” – London in Stereo
Standout Cut: Never Let You Go
Inhaler
Sound: “Shimmering, atmospheric rock anthems” - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-50741299
Location: Dublin, E.I.R.E.
Genres: Rock, Indie
Twitter: https://twitter.com/InhalerDublin
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Inhalerdublin/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6lyMYewq2SuTFIXgiv7OxH?si=eNbB3_CYR124LlB6vYErqw
Gig Information: https://inhaler.band/gigs
Key Words:
“Inhaler are feeling a little worse for wear, though they make very valiant efforts to hide it. Last night, the band played a particularly rowdy show at the Sebright Arms, sharing a bill with Limerick’s very own Whenyoung. Decked out in leather jackets, quiffs akimbo and sunglasses firmly on, they swagger into NME HQ the next day in a neat formation. In unison, shades are tucked away into pockets, and very politely, they request strong black coffee, please, if you’re absolutely sure that it’s not too much trouble.
“It might’ve been a little bit too Irish…” starts bassist Rob Keating tactfully, caffeine fix now in hand. “The pints started flowing,” nods his bandmate Ryan McMahon sagely. “Eli asked if there were any Irish people at the show on stage, and this group cheered,” Rob recalls. “He was like, ‘oh no, there’s already too many of us”
They’ll just have to get used to it. From Dublin and far beyond, there’s a steady stream of young Irish bands making serious ripples internationally: The Murder Capital, Fontaines D.C, Just Mustard, Inhaler, Silverbacks, and the aforementioned Whenyoung to name just a few. “We grew up trying to start something, and not really seeing anyone else do it, “ Rob says. “Once we got our fake IDs sorted, and went to see all these bands we realised there was a scene out there” – NME
Standout Cut: Ice Cream Sundae
Joesef
PHOTO CREDIT: Jakub Koziel
Sound: “Self-confessed "emotional sad boy" from Glasgow” - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-50741299
Location: Glasgow, U.K.
Genres: Singer-Songwriter, Indie
Twitter: https://twitter.com/joesefjoesef
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joesefjoesefjoesef/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/28EyduqESEOVMO6vglvaUZ?si=6KbX22TOTumuyZRA8z1w3g
Gig Information: https://www.seetickets.com/tour/joesef
Key Words:
“A new singer-songwriter is quietly making waves in the UK music scene. Known only as Joesef, he’s already been compared to Amy Winehouse.
Is Joesef the next Amy Winehouse?
His music was so hotly anticipated that his first gig sold out before he had even released a single track.
The elusive, soulful musician comes from Glasgow and records his music in his bedroom.
He spoke to Janice Forsyth on The Afternoon Show about this extraordinary start to his career in music.
Was he expecting to sell out his first gig?
“It was mental,” he said. “I wasn't expecting that reaction.
“We posted a couple of wee clips on Instagram... I think everyone was just keen to see if I was gonna be really bad or no.”
Joesef plays everything on the record himself, but enlisted a group of musicians to help him recreate the sound for the stage.
“I kind of like every type of music. My mum loved Al Green and soul music, and the east end [of Glasgow] has a big dance culture. There were a lot of jazz samples” – BBC Scotland
Standout Cut: Play Me Something Nice
Joy Crookes
Sound: “South London stories filled with wit and romance” - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-50741299
Location: London, U.K.
Genre: Pop
Twitter: https://twitter.com/joycrookes
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joycrookes/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5XMyhVhi5ZN2pi0Qwi1zXS
Gig Information: https://www.songkick.com/artists/8981904-joy-crookes
Key Words:
“The first gig I went to…
Was Dub Pistols in Brixton with my dad when I was seven. I ended up falling asleep during it. Although I can fall asleep anywhere, it’s kind of shocking, so it was no reflection on them.
The first time I knew music was my future…
I used to go to a Catholic state school for the first eight years of my life and all we used to do was sing hymns, but then this guy came to the school and did a jazz and blues workshop. I had never heard that kind of music before, the guy made us sing an old American blues song and I remember thinking, ‘Yes!’ I wanted to sit at the front and do all the hardest parts to all the songs. I was really eager to be involved. Understanding those songs, their weight, what they meant and where they came from was a moment that changed my perspective towards music.
The first thing that inspired me…
Was probably my area. London is so multicultural, you hear music everywhere you go and I think because of that it can really fast forward you into music. You have so many different avenues to go down.
Everyone always goes on about how my heritage influences my music, but I don’t sing a chorus in Hindu and then the bridge in Gallic – it doesn’t work like that. No one says that Amy Winehouse wrote Back To Black because she was Jewish. People think I do things because of my ethnic background but that’s not right. The point is, as a human I have many sides, I can be really emotional or really silly. It’s not because I have mood swings but because that is how I am. That’s my personality. And it’s my personality that comes out when I create music” – Stylist
Standout Cut: Hurts
Squid
PHOTO CREDIT: Bénédicte Dacquin
Sound: “Multi-tentacled art-rock polymaths” - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-50741299
Location: Brighton/London, U.K.
Genres: Post-Punk, Psyche
Twitter: https://twitter.com/squidbanduk
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squidbanduk
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/685XjGzGztyivfR3fAjoxo
Gig Information: https://www.songkick.com/artists/264535-squid
Key Words:
“It seems there’s a revival of the postpunk revival going on, given all the prominent basslines, scowled vocals and busy guitars leaping out of the indie labels. A slippery five-piece from Brighton called Squid are among its most active practitioners. Three packed-out shows at Glastonbury in June also established them as one of Britain’s most energetic new live guitar bands.
Things began more gently for Squid. Their first release in 2016 on Bandcamp was Perfect Teeth, a small-scale ambient epic in thrall to the soundscapes of Joy Division. An atmospheric EP, Lino, came out a year later, after which influential south London label Speedy Wunderground snapped them up. The Dial, a 2018 single, saw them getting much bolder and louder, siphoning the energy of early 00s groups such as the Rapture. The track’s lyrics, about a hospitalised loved one, matched that intensity: “Suck your blood,” yowls singing drummer Ollie Judge. “I want to check your levels.”
This year, Squid have all moved to London, released chaotic seven-minute funk single The Cleaner, while a new EP, Town Centre, arrives on Speedy Wunderground in September. The band are touring all summer too, with dates at the Green Man, Knee Deep and End of the Road festivals mixed around club gigs and European dates. Their recent description of their sound to NME is one to savour: “the Coronation Street theme tune played on flutes by angry children” – The Guardian
Standout Cut: The Cleaner
YUNGBLUD
Sound: “Hypersonic emo-pop for the "underrated youth” - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-50741299
Location: Doncaster, U.K.
Genres: Alternative Rock, Pop Punk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/yungblud
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yungblud
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6Ad91Jof8Niiw0lGLLi3NW
Gig Information: https://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/yungblud-tickets/artist/5238519
Key Words:
“He’d grown up admiring the androgynous stylings of The Cure frontman Robert Smith, Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain and David Bowie. The first time he wore a dress at his next door neighbour Annabelle’s house, aged 12, he felt liberated and just like his heroes.
“I remember rubbing my hand on the silk and processing how it felt on my body and I felt really fucking good in it. It opened a part of me that I didn’t realise existed. It totally embedded in me. I felt like I became myself more in that 10 seconds.” Later on that night, we spot him flashing the composite of his two looks to his friends with a big grin on his face.
The look was also inspired by his permanent desire to represent and involve every member of his community, whether they be misunderstood teens from Britain, trans kids in the US or outcasts in South America and beyond. Every musician will say that it’s the fans that propel them forwards, but Yungblud really means it. If you look in the comments on any of Yungblud’s social media posts, a swarm of black-heart emojis appear from his legion of fans, which is based upon two black-hearted tattoos on Yungblud’s middle fingers: one complete and one broken. Throughout our time together he likes keeps an eye on his followers, whether it’s counting the number of comments on his posts, or totting up the number of tickets he’s selling to shows in Europe” – NME
Standout Cut: Parents