LORDE

I will first start off by saying that she is freaking weird. And that is one of the main reasons that I love her as an artist and a human, from far away. The just recently turned seventeen-year-old Kiwi made her mark in late May with her hit "Royals" awing the ears of literally everyone. Making her way across the globe, Lorde has continued to expand in her music and provide her listeners with incredibly unique and fresh tunes. 

I found myself vicariously living through her and her lyrics. "The Love Club" hits past the regular norms of teen angst and explores something new of growing up. She explores this more with "It's time the kid got free" and so much more about the freedom that we as youth experience and so badly want to unleash. Ella Yelich-O'Connor makes a good point about this concept of growing up that you we surround ourselves with people, cutting ties with those that "watched you grow up." Her music either reminds us of a time we were also in that dream-like paradise of adolescence or her songs hit home as you are also living in the years of youth. 

Her music has good feels and she is wicked talented and creative, I mean just look at the girl! She's a brilliant and cooky witch (I don't actually know if she is a witch, but she performs a good spell on her audience at all performance)! Good hair, good songs. You go girl.

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SWISS LIPS

Another one of those bands that Bastille introduced me to via the internet via their choice of apparel. Not a direct introduction, but another introduction to wicked music through the shirts that the band members sport. 

Sam Hammond // i do not own this photo

Swiss Lips is yet another band I have began to fancy from Manchester, England who specialize in music that I usually don't fancy: electronic pop. To me electro-pop has just been a compilation of beeps and bops and high pitched out-of-this-world laser tunes, but Swiss Lips showed me the beauty in electronic dance music. Each of their songs has such a rad beat and the lead singer, Sam Hammond, has a really cool voice that kind of has a hint of Mark Foster of Foster the People; I get the Vampire Weekend vibe here too. 


My favorite of their songs is "U Got the Power" which is accompanied by such a cool music video the band released to YouTube a couple years ago. Another sweet video they created, or what you help them create, is their interactive clip which is so fun and special for their song "Carolyn." It is so cool and I find myself singing along every time I play the music video. They also have a fun and casual video to go with their song "DANZ" which is another astoundingly brilliant piece. 

Swiss Lips brings a nice change of pace and has a fun vibe to each of their hits. Check out their Facebook page for more information on the band and also to explore the hilarious posts and pictures the guys share with their fans. 

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TO KILL A KING

Friends of Bastille and a new British folk/pop group that I have felt drawn to since the collab between Dan Smith and Ralph Pelleymounter on Bastille's "Other People's Heartache's" free cover album. Such a daunting band name, but I assure you they mean no harm. 

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To Kill a King hails from Leeds, England and are beginning to make a name for themselves in London. The band, though at the moment small, has such potential and they won me over with just a few chords in a cover song. 

There sound has a Mumford & Sons-esque feel to it, but something about them stands out. Maybe is the nonchalant voice of the vocalist with such pulsing passion or the simple chords that accompany each track which somehow make the song holistic and extravagant at the same time. Another thing that has made me love this band even more is their sense of community and their down-to-earth attitude that even emanates to someone from "across the pond." An acoustic video To Kill a King made with friends, who are each so brilliant, establishes such a fun and cool atmosphere where each voice and sound creates an immensely wonderful melody. All of the friends and musicians are so passionate and seem to love being among one another, which is so cool to see as a fan, but also awesome to see that music is created in a friendly environment, like doing this was something for fun (what a talented group of friends, right?) As a recent fan, I have loved coming across videos like this, and pulling out things from their musical past has been so fun and searching oldies is such a unique and sound experience for me, and I hope many people too. 

I am keeping this lovely band on my radar, soon enough they will sneak up and hit those charts hard. 

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THE 1975

Another one of those bands that falls under the "rock" genre. A genre I have always been on the edge about. I have been the avid folk-indie-alternative listener, but sometimes a girl just needs that dose of rock. The 1975 is that band that satisfies that one thing that we've all been missing.

The 1975

The 1975 has been going strong as a band for just over a decade, going under various names and titles, and more recently has become the talk of the town. The group of four boys come from Manchester and founded their name supposedly after the lead vocalist saw some scraps of old poetry dated "The 1975." 


Their songs are wicked, to put it shortly. I first heard "Chocolate" by them and fell in love by the twisted words formed by Matthew's accent and the thrill of the action and slightly criminal situation. All of their songs have such a unique and introspective story that I feel so connected and yet apart from; they are stories are personal, but show a sneak into what's going on with the carefully crafted lyrics.

A more haunting and slightly sombre song, "Me" get's to your head and hits you at the core as you listen to the repeated line of "don't you mind, don't you mind." It's massively powerful, I love it. If you are not looking for a depressing tune, check out "Sex" from their EP and try not to feel too uncomfortable; the chorus is catchy and don't be ashamed to call this your favorite song. It totally was mine of the week. 

Continue to check out more from The 1975, they're brilliant. They will be catching fire soon, and will rise massively to the heights of fame. 

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LIMBECK

A total "throwback" to, say, five or six years ago when I was fully surrounded by the upbeat and sometimes mellowed out tune of Limbeck. I was completely under the influence of my queen sister and I fell for whatever she did. This spell-binding obsession, thankfully, was something that positively stood out for me. 

Limbeck was formed in my neighborhood, never met the fellows, but found out years later while backpacking in the Sierras that a close friend was actually really "tight" with the Limbeck boys. This connection would have been so beautiful and "fan girl"-ish for me pre-Limbeck separation. 

Besides the fact that I became so enthralled by Limbeck because of a similarity by a sibling, I started to actually like what they were doing for my own sake. I loved that they were singing about the world so close to me. In "91 Honda" Robb sings about cruising down the 5 and going through the streets of Santa Ana, and even the lengthy, miserable LA traffic; Limbeck felt like a A-List celebrity to me, but still personable and like a neighbor. Even if you aren't from the same place they are, they make you feel as if you are. They make you feel like we're all friends.

Limbeck 2007

After that complete infatuation with Limbeck years ago, I have began to pick them up again after looking back at my childhood desk where I painted a massive rendition of their album cover "Limbeck 2007." It brings back that weirdly happy nostalgia tingle in my feet (I always get it in my feet, at the tip of my toes), and reminds me of when I would listen to these songs while also wanting my sister to know how much I loved them too. I have never really been someone to fancy the "rock" genre, but Limbeck is that little exception. Rock has so many different categories, I guess, and can be broken down so tediously. I consider it more of a pop, indie, country rock (that's completely vague), compared to some head-thrashing-banging rock, for sure.

What I can say and I have felt confident in upon listening to them since a kid, is that Limbeck has a really cool feel. I feel so comfortable and relaxed when listening to "In Ohio On Some Steps." Listening to the story and the soft voice of the vocals can put me to sleep, in the state of "feel good" nostalgia, but can also be a great catch while driving down the 5. 

Though the band no longer tours and hasn't come out with a complete album in over three years, it is worth that good feeling of seeing or listening to the greatness that existed for a decade, and continues to rock on.

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SAN CISCO

San Cisco made its way into my happening as their cover of Daft Punk's "Get Lucky" popped up on my YouTube feed. The original song featuring Pharrell and Nile had me hooked, and I was game for another artist's rendition of the hit. San Cisco creates a new perspective on the song, weaving in another of Pharrell's songs, which makes their cover all that much more interesting. It's brilliant, watch it and repeat.

The Australian quartet led by Jordi on vocals and guitar has a quirky feel for the indie pop genre and their album out titled Awkward intrigues and satisfies that yearning for a new and strange sound. Watching their live performances seems like a cosy and intimate experience and each of the members, Jordi, Josh, Nick and Scarlett, seem relatable and comforted with the sound they provide for their audience. 

One of their first hits, "Awkward," also the title to their album, creates a strange but lovely interpretation of an experience that happens to many and the lyrics and overall sound create a fun and eccentric vibe. It seems that through each performance, Jordi and Scarlett tweak or slightly alter their performance with this tune, keeping their listeners refreshed and falling deeper for the band. 

My favorite of their songs is "Rocket Ship" and I can't help but feel good and well when this upbeat tune hits me. Probably one of the strangest music videos, but you can fully see San Cisco at their most alive, but finest as well as they show how to have a good time with friends. This might also inspire you to do something bold and slightly mad like San Cisco seems to do through each of their videos. 

If you have some time, watch this video of Scarlett, Jordi, and Josh at a sit down in the Big Room; these fifteen minutes made me love this small band much more and their presence seems so relatable and holistic. 

With their recent fame of the Daft Punk cover, there are high hopes for the small town kids from "down under." 

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PAPER ROUTE

When I was fourteen I went to my first concert. I had the idea in my head that opening bands were composed of a prerecorded tape of classical music, welcoming in locals before the real show started. Thankfully I was proven my wrongful misconception. We were first greeted by a petite woman in her twenties, sporting a deep parted, jet black main and the tattoos that suited her powerful and independent demeanor, known as lights. lights shared with the audience her twist on electro-pop, and even won me over with her fun and quirky sound. 

The band that followed her became the go-to band for my anytime-playlists, the songs that kept me interested and confused, and the lyrics made me rethink my disposition: Paper Route. I swooned at their ease on stage and the slow but oddly, relatable lyrics that JT preached to his crowd. Paper Route continues to connect and challenge me as they release various EPs and full length albums, their most recent being "The Peace of Wild Things," which is rad. This band was formed in Nashville, Tennessee and were previously referred to as For All the Drifters (check out the song "Perfect Machine"), but upon changing their name for themselves and the band, they were launched into what is now known as Paper Route.

This band weaves in so many powerful instruments that create a quirky and cool vibe that makes you want to tap your foot along to their wicked tunes.  Though their band has changed its grouping, now lacking one of its wingmen, Andy Smith, Paper Route remains steady and original in their sound and continues to wow their listeners. Here is a really cool acoustic version of their song "Are We All Forgotten" on the Absence album. If you really take a look deep into the lyrics, I hope this bands and their songs bring you a new perspective like it did for me.

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