[Invisible Children Music: We firmly believe that music has a necessary role in giving social movements tremendous amounts of momentum. It is a universal language, and at Invisible Children, it’s important for us to be a part of that language.]
2012 has been, without argument, a huge year for new music. Lana Del Rey exploded into our consciousness and onto our H&M ads, Jessie Ware’s smooth “neo-soul” made her critically acclaimed across all ponds, and The Lumineers came out of the blue to provide quality music to mainstream radio.
As we look forward to 2013, there are already a slew of artists we have all our eyes on. This is a breakdown of those musicians and our favorite tracks by them.
Tom Odell just received the coveted BRITs Critics’ Choice Award, an honor given to the most promising talent of the new year. A listen to his debut EP Songs From Another Love will give you a swift lesson in why he’s become the newest obsession of the United Kingdom.
Our favorite:
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It would generally be quite foolish to judge whether or not an artist is going to make an impression based off one song. Generally, however, that song is not “Flaws” by Denai Moore. It’s four minutes and eleven seconds of total emotional brutality with the most perfect guitar slides and majestic backing vocals. The song was released online at the beginning of December, and it’s my most played track of the year, according to my Last.fm calculations. Big things are coming from this one as she works in the studio with Laura Marling, Lianne La Havas, Fyfe Dangerfield, and Michael Kiwanuka collaborator Matt Ingram on her EP expected in January.
Our favorite:
Ms. Ferreira has been around for ages now, but a debut full-length record has yet to see the light of day. She has two EPs under her belt – 2011’s As If! and this year’s Ghost. She’s been getting huge buzz because of her song “Everything Is Embarrassing,” produced by the mastermind Dev Hynes. We saw her live twice this year at CMJ, and we’re convinced she’s going to have quite a large year in 2013. And since we say it every time we mention Sky Ferreira, her song “You’re Not The One,” off her early winter debut, will melt the collective brain of the world with its glory.
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Making an end of the year emergence, Night Terrors of 1927 is the newest supergroup to hit the music world. We won’t mention who’s in the band as that’s still quite hush-hush, but we will say that when they played our 4th Annual Holiday Benefit Concert at the Troubadour in Los Angeles, they tore the place up. They’re working on their debut album right now, but the first single “Dust and Bones” is currently picking up pretty rapidly. It’s a guaranteed rock anthem of 2013.
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Jetta is doing a very commendable job of doing what many upcoming musicians can’t – keeping their tracks on leak-lockdown. She’s been featured on a track by Jakwob and preparing her impending releases with “big vocals, tribal drubs and dirty guitars.” All of that sound is on display in her detonating first release “Start A Riot,” which we presently refuse to stop jamming.
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After our initial disappointment that Dan Croll wasn’t the guy featured in Azealia Banks’s “212” video, we began actually listening to his music. We’re definitely able to forgive him for his hip doppelganger because his music is simply huge. The debut “From Nowhere” has the best instrumentation of the year, and his Christmas track “Just Like Christmas” is bringing in some serious Jens Lekman meets Beirut meets Dan Croll vibes that we are pretty into.
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Angel Haze is the freshest, most unique voice in hip-hop right now – solidified with her shockingly honest re-take on Eminem’s “Cleanin’ Out My Closet.” She’s dropped multiple mixtapes with some serious smashes – “New York,” “This Is Me,” and “Werkin’ Girls.” She’s featured on the current Rudimental single “Hell Could Freeze,” and she’s hotly tipped to take over the next twelve months. We couldn’t be happier/more ready.
Our favorite (with explicit lyrics, as it is hip-hop):
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We’ve been heavily geeking over MS MR since their super vague introduction into the music sphere with their first single “Hurricane,” a grimy little shoulder-shaker. We (really only I) stalked them at CMJ and saw them perform at Brooklyn Vegan’s day party, and these two are ready to be huge. Lizzy (the MS of MS MR) said in an interview her goal for the band is to headline Glastonbury, and they will certainly get there if they continue with the energetic live shows and carefully-crafted songs like on their EP Candy Bar Creep Show. The full-length is finished and waiting for release. They have a song off the currently untitled record that will go down as one of the jammiest jams of the year.
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Disclosure have come out of relative obscurity to dominate the dance world in the UK this year, and it is so righteous. Their song “Latch,” my definitive party anthem of 2012, surprised even the brothers of the group by doing incredibly well on the radio and charts. Their remix of Jessie Ware’s “Running” also received massive airplay, with the help of radio goddess Annie Mac. The two just completed a quick mini-tour of the United States, and their record is slated for a March release. We’ll be postponing all parties until then.
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While this is certainly not the most indie/rootsy choice for an artist to watch in 2013, it is undeniably an important one. Ella Henderson was featured on this year’s X Factor television show. Criminally, but probably for the better, Ella did not win the competition. Why she’s one to watch is simple – her talent is unrivaled. She’s a songwriter who is wise – lyrically and melodically – beyond her years. She’s been signed to Sony and will start recording her record in the spring. If they don’t let her write her own songs, there will be an issue from millions of people across the globe.
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Rudimental only know how to do tracks that are epic. The Hackney quartet have released three of the most colossal singles of the year – “Feel The Love,” “Not Givin’ In,” and “Hell Could Freeze.” There’s not much else to say about these guys other than their songs soundtrack anything important – they don’t waste their time with minimal. The debut album is set for a February release, and I hope the world is ready.
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If you can release only two songs in two years and still manage to make it on “Best Of” and “Sound of [insert year]” lists, you’ve got something special going on. That’s Jai Paul, the elusive musician signed to London’s XL Recordings. His first song “BTSTU” was sampled by Drake and Beyonce. His second track “Jasmine” has received comparisons to Prince. Jai Paul gets a spot on this list in the hope that one day – possibly in 2013, we’ll see some more music from him. I’d do for another single – I’m not delusional enough to anticipate an EP or full-length, although I wouldn’t protest.
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Former rave girl Charlotte Aitchison has been on the music grind since the playground. More recently, she’s gone under the moniker Charli XCX and provided the world with some of the grimiest pop tunes of the past few years. She’s released an EP, two mixtapes, and multiple singles. Additionally, she penned one of the sneakiest anthems of the year – Icona Pop’s “I Love It” – and opened for massive headliners (Coldplay, y’all). She’s been in the studio preparing the record, and it’s expected to be released in the spring.
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AlunaGeorge, cleverly comprised of Aluna and George, had a moment in 2012 when they released their first commercial track “Your Drums, Your Love.” The magic of this duo is the defining roles each one plays – Aluna brings in the smooth, R&B vocals, and George takes the production to the next level with a techno minimalism that sounds like no one else on the decks. Here’s to the madness and vibes their 2013 first album will provide.
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Josh Weller, much like Sky Ferreira, has been around in the music world for years. I first discovered him when he did a duet with Paloma Faith on a very gloomy Christmas song back in 2009. He’s released a few songs, opened for some hugely credible artists, and dropped an EP in 2009. 2012 saw the resurgence of Mr. Weller with his delicate ballad “Swan Dive.” Word on the street (which in 2012/2013 just means “the Internet”) is that his debut LP will be released in the next few months. Until then, I’ll be attempting to copy his hairstyle.
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Ms. Barnes is a favorite of our Artist Relations Director Kenneth Laubbacher, and rightfully so. She’s a Californian singer/songwriter with a voice unlike any other artist out there – but really. She’s been very elusive of late, preparing to release some seriously quality music. If you scour the Internet, you can find two widely circulated Cillie tracks – “Hey Hi” and “Indian Hill.”
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It seems a bit comical putting the Haim sisters on our list of people to look out for in 2013 because they have been one of the defining acts of 2012 for us at Invisible Children. As soon as you see them live, you’re sold on the fact that they’re one of the best, tightest bands out there right now. They came out blazing with their debut single “Forever” and have followed it up with the catastrophic “Don’t Save Me.” The entire collection of HAIM glory is entering the world in 2013, and we predict global dominance.
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The same as HAIM, Icona Pop have defined 2012 but are on path to actually become the biggest band of 2013, if there’s any justice. There is nothing about these Swedish females that cannot be described as “infectious.” An Icona Pop live show will be the highlight of your life – it was surely the highest point of mine. They’re ushering in a new age of electro-riot grrrl, and we are all about it. Their EPs are the only thing that should be played at parties, and we couldn’t help but use their song “Top Rated” in our film MOVE. The debut album was just released in Sweden, and the rest of the world will be blessed with that in the forthcoming months.
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She has appeared on nearly every Sound of 2013 type list, and it makes total sense. Her debut single “She” was one of the freshest, clock-haulting moments in music this year. Laura has such a refreshing take on melody. Her EP is criminally not available in the United States, but you can stream many of the tracks with a swift Tumblr search. Sing To The Moon, the debut record, is due for a release on March 4.
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Like Night Terrors of 1927, we were utterly sold on The Colourist when they played our 4th Annual Holiday Benefit Concert in Los Angeles. They literally filled the entire venue with their sound. With a recent signing, 2013 is going to be a year for the books for the members of The Colourist with the debut of their first full-length LP.
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“The Mother We Share” by this Scottish band was my favorite song of 2012. They do pop unlike anyone else trying. Their choruses are massive, and they are so clearly unaware of how incredible they are. I’m expecting seriously large pop anthems from their debut, and I wouldn’t be shocked if it sits near the top of my favorite records of 2013.
Our favorite:
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