Five Artists You Should Listen to Right Now

Tucker Cargile
Apr 28, 2020
3 min read

Updated: Apr 29, 2020

DJDS

My dad put me on the LA DJ and production duo a while back and they have been a lot of fun to follow over the years. Despite having one of the coolest names in the game (formerly DJ Dodger Stadium), the duo consisting of Jerome LOL (Jerome Potter) and Samo Sound Boy (Sam Griesemer) provided production to Kanye West's 2016 album The Life of Pablo and released their own pop driven album Big Wave More Fire in 2018. The album featured vocals from Khalid, Amber Mark, Vic Mensa, Charlotte Day Wilson, and many others. A few days back DJDS released two new songs "No Trust" and "Feel Nice", giving us big wave vibes when we need them most.

My Favorite Songs:

Why Don't You Come On

I Get By

Magic Loop

New Releases:

No Trust

Feel Nice

Briston Maroney

The new wave folk singer out of Knoxville, Tennessee definitely deserves your attention and released three rockin' singles in late February. After the singer and guitarist was recommended by a friend I was skeptical to listen, but once I checked him out there was no turning back. Maroney brings his own unique sound to a genre that I don't typically love and it is quite captivating. His 2019 EP Indiana made me a big fan, as the artist reveals an array of emotions through his raspy vocals. His newest release titled Miracle features three singles: "The Garden", "Steve's First Bruise", and "Chattanooga". This release is a success due to the rhythmic guitar, booming percussion, and passionate vocals that define Maroney. I advise grabbing a beer (or a La Croix) and kicking it to the alt-folk rocker's music on any given evening.

My Favorite Songs:

Caroline

Fool's Gold

Freakin' Out On the Interstate

New Releases:

The Garden

Steve's First Bruise

Chattanooga (a GREAT one)

Phoebe Bridgers

The LA based indie singer has been widely acclaimed for producing music that is extremely raw and visceral. This is definitely apparent when listening to her 2017 LP Stranger in the Alps, although it has been her two most recent singles that have really snatched my attention."Garden Song" was released in late February and features a soft melody as Bridgers self-reflects, while singing lines like “When I grow up, I’m gonna look up from my phone and see my life”. Her second single "Kyoto" was released April 9th and may be my favorite song of 2020. The singer stated that it "is about impostor syndrome” and playing music in Japan for the first time, something that Bridgers had dreamt of for years. Get hyped as Bridgers also announced her new album Punisher, which will be released June 19th.

My Favorite Songs:

Motion Sickness

Scott Street

Chelsea

New Releases:

Garden Song

Kyoto (also a favorite)

VHS Collection

One of my favorite bands out there, VHS Collection was my vibe all last summer and with new music on the way it is looking like that might be the case once again. There hit single "Waiting on the Summer" was my #1 song of 2019 according to Spotify and it still remains on repeat.The band also proves to have depth with two under appreciated EPs VHS Collection (2015) and Stereo Hype (2016), as well as a full length album in Retrofuturism (2018). The New York based synth-pop/indie rock group knows how to successfully combine new wave sounds with music that is reminiscent of 80s production, sometimes pushing the limit of catchy versus annoying but always managing to make it work.

My Favorite Songs:

Waiting on the Summer

Lean

Sign

So I Met Someone

New Releases:

Hopefully coming soon!

Deante' Hitchcock

The twenty-seven year old rapper out of Atlanta has had some success and garnered some attention through past projects, although Hitchcock is really about to blow up with the release of his debut album. The album is titled 'Better' and it is set to release May 13th with several notable features, including JID, Miguel, and 6lack. Hitchcock has already offered us two bangers,"I Got Money Now" and "How Tf", giving us high expectations for the rest of the album. I am calling for the RCA artist to impress with this highly anticipated album and to be trending for the majority of 2020. It is also a bonus that Hitchcock is a yogi and occasionally flexes on us with a gold grill (per his Instagram).