There are a lot more of you here since the last time I posted a Known Unknowns playlist, so let me explain what we’re getting ourselves into today.
Known Unknowns is an open forum to share your favorite small new artists
The second week of the month (that’s right now!), I put out an open call for your favorite new bands that practically nobody else has heard of. Normally, I ask you to give me artists with fewer than 5,000 monthly Spotify listeners, but I think that has been too limiting, honestly. Let’s loosen the belt to 20,000, shall we?1
I’ll always give preference to lower numbers for this playlist, though, as long as the quality is there.
Perhaps it’s…
Your favorite local band.
A totally random TikTok find.
Something that popped up on Spotify after you finished listening to the last album you put on.
Hell, even your band. Even if you’ve submitted your music to me before.
Please take a moment to share this post — the more new artist recommendations we get, the better future playlists will be! public so feel free to share it.
In that same post (this one, right here), I also share a playlist of the artists you recommended last month. This way we get a nice self-perpetuating situation going.
When I get a surfeit of recommendations, I sometimes try to pull a theme together. Otherwise, you just get a mishmash of my favorite tracks, mostly made up of your recommendations, but also music submissions I receive and other songs I’ve picked up here and there over the last month.
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As usual, I’ll walk you through a few of my favorite artists from this month’s edition below before sharing the whole thing.
1. Bench Press
I was shocked to read the other day about Australian music losing its global relevance, because it seems like every artist worth listening to lately comes from Australia (though I guess they’re mostly pretty underground). I may have to make an Oz-only playlist to prove this point. In the meantime, you can listen to Bench Press, who will satisfy your hankering for some seriously angular, plunky-bassed, staccato-guitared post-punk.
2. Jangus Kangus
This little bite-sized alt-country snack comes from a forthcoming LP that I’m now quite anxious to listen to. I get Neko Case or Jenny Lewis, with a warm, romantic sound and demure vocals concealing a darker message below.
3. It Thing
This might be the most addictive song I’ve heard in months. I get strong X-Ray Spex vibes, but there’s also something of the very lo-fi riot grrrl bands here too (think Bratmobile, Gravy Train!!!!). I got this strange sense of recognition listening to the vocals that I also got listening to Death Valley Girls and Sweeping Promises that I can’t really pin down. Blondie? Siouxsie? I feel certain one of you will tell me. (And this is another Aussie band! Take notes.)
4. Queen Kwong
I can’t believe I haven’t already featured our very own
! Not just an addictive essay writer here on Substack, but — it turns out — a hauntingly good songwriter, too. If you need a bit of spooky PJ Harvey “Down by the Water” energy, you’ll find it here.
5. Aux Meadows
The very first band I ever recommended on New Bands for Old Heads was called Cloakroom, and they described their 2022 release as a “space western”. It didn’t sound like one, though, which is a bit of a shame. If you’re after a real space western, Aux Meadows has your back with an ethereal spin on life in the desert (that might leave Ennio Morricone scratching his head).
Here’s the entire playlist. Enjoy with my blessings, leave your new small artist recommendations below (any genre, please), and if I didn’t include your suggestion, remember to plug it again next month!
Remember that this number is constantly fluctuating, though, so I might get it wrong and so might you. It’s fine! You get the intent: keep it as small as you can.
No need to loosen the belt for this 200 something listener band suggestion! I’m in a brand new band from LA called Pony Talk, and I think our second release “Dog With a Bone” might be right up your alley! We’re obsessed with the “loud quiet loud” approach and guitar riffs
Omg I’m a dummy! Thank you for the add!! Someday I’d love your guidance on newish bands with great guitar riffs so I can stop yelling at the clouds about it.
This delightful chamber-poppy EP was recorded by an alumnus of the music school where I work as a librarian. Her voice reminds me of Shara Nova/My Brightest Diamond, and her arrangements are skillful and beautiful (and she definitely fulfills the "small follower number" requirement).
There's a relatively obscure radio show broadcast in the UK called The Curve Ball which has been playing tracks from her new EP quite a bit lately. Here's the most recent episode in which she was featured: https://www.mixcloud.com/radioshoes/curve-ball-august-29-2024/
There is a Youtube channel I subscribe to called Underrated Albums (https://www.youtube.com/@UnderratedAlbums) and one of the artists I discovered is Libertree and she only has 12 monthly listeners.
Another artist I love, who has 13.7k monthly listeners is an Australian singer named Jaguar Jonze. I love her work so much!
Your playlists are actually THE BEST, Gabbie. My band Local Bylaws is already on one of them with a ska song "Crystalline," but since then we have many more Old-Head-coded songs to choose from. Might I recommend our song "Impostor Syndrome" since the lyric video is literally comprised of my home videos from 2000-2004? I just included that video in my most recent Substack post, and would be honored for you to watch it and see if it provides the required nostalgia!
Shadwick Wilde also sings in the band Quiet Hollers who put out my favorite album of 2015. Shadwick’s solo stuff is a bit gentler and quiet. It feels like the perfect soundtrack to getting into your old beat up pick up truck on a cold morning and waiting for it to warm up while the sun rises. Think maybe if Noah Kahan was from Louisville and used to play in hardcore bands?
The next is The Exit. They were supposed to be big… they were signed originally by Walter Schrieffel to his Some Records label. Their record Home For An Island is a perfect blend of 00’s NY indie, reggae and post punk. They ended up jumping to Wind-Up Records and re-mixed the album (it’s this version here that available on streaming) and added a couple new tracks. The original Some Records album is one of my favorite albums of that era but the remixed version is quite good!
And lastly… some shameless self promotion, my old band Even Thieves.
We ended in 2017 shortly after I recorded vocals for our full length album because I was diagnosed with leukemia and went through treatment which took about two years. I’m very proud of the album, but it never actually got promoted or officially released. I uploaded it to Spotify in 2022. It was mixed by Sean O’Keefe and Stuart Richardson. I think you’ll hear echoes of bands like The Cure, The Killers, New Order, U2, We Were Promised Jetpacks and White Lies. Like modern new-wave/post-punk mixed with some indie rock vibes?
it's funny, i always think about what my cut-off is for "new." my immediate instinct is to say, "well this stuff is too old," because i'm always sharing artists from the last two years or so, with a very obvious bias to music that has come out in the last few months. but people who aren't paying attention to new music probably consider the last decade or so to be new. i think i might be missing a trick ignoring that entire time period. all that to say, thanks, i'm saving this for a rainy day!
I really boofed this one, I should have just stopped after Shadwick haha! “New”, “new to me” or “new to most” are very different things. I’ll do better next time! 😂😎
Couple local bands I'm friends with I'd love to see get more love. - Massive Nightmares - Worth It. Big time Replacements vibes, but damn solid hooks and shout-along choruses. The rest of their EP is great too.
Little Low - Move On especially from the Reasons to Grow EP. Starts out sounding like a slightly more emo Sleater-Kinney and then that bridge hits and moves to the chorus and it becomes something else entirely.
How good's that Bench Press album?! I've been digging the Bures Band, also from Australia, for some 70s type Laurel Canyon vibes. Looking forward to listening to the list.
I know what you mean about good Aussie music. Some of my favourites are from there: Eliza & The Delusionals, Clews, Elizabeth M. Drummond, Angie McMahon, & my absolute fave, Annie Hamilton. Mainly a mix of Indie/Pop/Rock.
There are more than 1 band with the name Sleepyhead. This one was around in NYC in the 90s. They did several shows with Yo La Tengo, and Love Child. Here is their website https://www.sleepyheadrockband.com/sleepyhead
I am kind of forced to share Spotify playlists (although I really need to put my new ones up on Apple and YouTube, I keep forgetting!) so the least I can do is embed Bandcamp in the feature section
So many amazing Australian bands lately (Gut Health have too many monthly listens for Known Unknowns)! I've been digging 'smol fish' from Perth/Boorloo though - their new single is fab but I really loved their Crocodile Tears EP from last year. Smol in name and Spotify listens but hopefully not for long!
Hi Gabbie. By way of introduction, I'm also an avid supporter of new music, hunting down obscure gems on Bandcamp and holding them up to the light by way of a monthly radio-style show (although it's not on the radio, just Mixcloud). The aesthetic I’m coming from is that I like a good tune (emphasis on melody & composition, rather than rhythm/repetition/rocking out), but I want to be surprised. Genre-defiance is the point, and it most often manifests along the lines of chamber-art-folk-pop.
I’m not a Spotify user so, until you requested listener counts (in parentheses below), I had no idea how pitifully low these artists’ are. Here are a slew of my favorites that are all under 1000.
Cool to see Holly Henderson mentioned here! I’ve been following her music for awhile after seeing Pete Thorn talk about her on YouTube (he produced her Monday Green record.) She’s a hell of a player/singer/songwriter.
I don’t do the streamers. If you’re in the mood for lyrical lyrics paired with melodic melodies sung in a rich baritone, here I am https://treyroquemusic.bandcamp.com
Hi Gabbie! New subscriber here! Enjoying learning about your finds here! Mississippi Delta-born songwriter Will Griffith aka The Great Dying has a new LP of outsider Americana out called ‘A Constant Goodbye’. Record goes a lot of places: Southern Rock, Western Operetta, Shoegaze, Magnetic Fields stuff with beats, Buck Owens/Hag style Classic Country, Alt Country, etc.
One of the definites for my 2024 AOTY list is the NY band Amiture with their latest release “Mother Engine”. This is their second album after 2021’s “The Beach” and a 2022 EP. Perhaps they’re not recent enough? Just over 13k monthly listens on Spotify.
Me, I cannot go through a day or week without digging for music gold. There is always something new or interesting to explore or listen to. I turn 58 next week and have found more cool stuff in the last 5 years than most will in a lifetime, cos they all stop at 20-ish. My 30 y.o. niece visited the other day and she complained about being 'no good music anymore'. You know, and I know, that this is complete bullshit. I told her as much.
"This great such and such" by AP Macroeconomics is a fantastic album, if you don't know them. They deserve so much more! Also Zivsick, some cool jazz-rap from Canada, recently dropped a killer debut album.
I really like Elijah Mann's stuff. He's got 8k monthly listeners, deserves some more love imo. I'm rather new so not a clue what you're into, Gabbie, but figured I might give this recommendation thing a shot.
I have been digging Julie Aubé, an indie folk/alt-country/ contemporary Acadian singer from New Brunswick. I bought her 2022 album on a whim while in a small record shop in Saint John on a trip last month, and it's already in heavy rotation. https://open.spotify.com/track/4HzFhRUmzZXGtWjS0W6KZo?si=6wsbfygWTzy3snO_LDY7gA
I loved Bench Press mention. Another great Melbourne band in a similar mode is Pinch Points - cool songs, cool people and a whole lotta fun live. "Copper" is a fave song of mine.
No need to loosen the belt for this 200 something listener band suggestion! I’m in a brand new band from LA called Pony Talk, and I think our second release “Dog With a Bone” might be right up your alley! We’re obsessed with the “loud quiet loud” approach and guitar riffs
https://open.spotify.com/track/1c41DwFaQAvaELfDYgefgG?si=yrflZ_Z-SJ6pPOKPRGca1g
you might want to take a look at the full playlist :)
Omg I’m a dummy! Thank you for the add!! Someday I’d love your guidance on newish bands with great guitar riffs so I can stop yelling at the clouds about it.
that's a good prompt I gotta think about it!
This delightful chamber-poppy EP was recorded by an alumnus of the music school where I work as a librarian. Her voice reminds me of Shara Nova/My Brightest Diamond, and her arrangements are skillful and beautiful (and she definitely fulfills the "small follower number" requirement).
https://open.spotify.com/album/3xQPEBXK5dipwgEMQu3v65?si=dx5OuA3BTjiet3DUFiOcLQ
There's a relatively obscure radio show broadcast in the UK called The Curve Ball which has been playing tracks from her new EP quite a bit lately. Here's the most recent episode in which she was featured: https://www.mixcloud.com/radioshoes/curve-ball-august-29-2024/
Oh wow, that’s amazing! I’ll definitely let her know, thank you!
There is a Youtube channel I subscribe to called Underrated Albums (https://www.youtube.com/@UnderratedAlbums) and one of the artists I discovered is Libertree and she only has 12 monthly listeners.
Another artist I love, who has 13.7k monthly listeners is an Australian singer named Jaguar Jonze. I love her work so much!
nice thank you for the tip on both!
Your playlists are actually THE BEST, Gabbie. My band Local Bylaws is already on one of them with a ska song "Crystalline," but since then we have many more Old-Head-coded songs to choose from. Might I recommend our song "Impostor Syndrome" since the lyric video is literally comprised of my home videos from 2000-2004? I just included that video in my most recent Substack post, and would be honored for you to watch it and see if it provides the required nostalgia!
https://open.substack.com/pub/ginpen/p/theres-such-a-thing-as-too-humble?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=l0exr
oh yay so happy to see you on substack! of course, I'll have a listen
https://open.spotify.com/album/1MYKIaNTldxjMjrk34v5bM?si=G0aRcXTfRc-szTD3ioEKNw
Probably my favorite of this year so far. Catchy, fun indie rock pop. Great songwriting. They are great (about 12,000 followers on spotify)
I’ve got a couple of artists I’d like to share!
Shadwick Wilde also sings in the band Quiet Hollers who put out my favorite album of 2015. Shadwick’s solo stuff is a bit gentler and quiet. It feels like the perfect soundtrack to getting into your old beat up pick up truck on a cold morning and waiting for it to warm up while the sun rises. Think maybe if Noah Kahan was from Louisville and used to play in hardcore bands?
https://open.spotify.com/track/0Duwq0w1v3Go4o18W8cFUK?si=wutTWgJAQZWGu8u-3JrfiA
The next is The Exit. They were supposed to be big… they were signed originally by Walter Schrieffel to his Some Records label. Their record Home For An Island is a perfect blend of 00’s NY indie, reggae and post punk. They ended up jumping to Wind-Up Records and re-mixed the album (it’s this version here that available on streaming) and added a couple new tracks. The original Some Records album is one of my favorite albums of that era but the remixed version is quite good!
https://open.spotify.com/album/7kt4JEjJWchoaoXy59bE3i?si=QHmoxEM-SMu8E5ofy6V3WA
And lastly… some shameless self promotion, my old band Even Thieves.
We ended in 2017 shortly after I recorded vocals for our full length album because I was diagnosed with leukemia and went through treatment which took about two years. I’m very proud of the album, but it never actually got promoted or officially released. I uploaded it to Spotify in 2022. It was mixed by Sean O’Keefe and Stuart Richardson. I think you’ll hear echoes of bands like The Cure, The Killers, New Order, U2, We Were Promised Jetpacks and White Lies. Like modern new-wave/post-punk mixed with some indie rock vibes?
https://open.spotify.com/album/0Aa27zLIzAl2kvGykfLJbA?si=0BM9-uNkQqmjJPILXm5hRg
it's funny, i always think about what my cut-off is for "new." my immediate instinct is to say, "well this stuff is too old," because i'm always sharing artists from the last two years or so, with a very obvious bias to music that has come out in the last few months. but people who aren't paying attention to new music probably consider the last decade or so to be new. i think i might be missing a trick ignoring that entire time period. all that to say, thanks, i'm saving this for a rainy day!
I really boofed this one, I should have just stopped after Shadwick haha! “New”, “new to me” or “new to most” are very different things. I’ll do better next time! 😂😎
NO please don’t! there aren’t actually rules here! this is an open-ended philosophical question!
I appreciate that! But I will find newer things to bring to the table.🤞
https://open.spotify.com/album/2H1gXPlJuXbtwkW7FZqkmD?si=qQScHG2LSSyqEZSNH_8OYg
Charity Kiss! A local band that’s very early/mid 2000s indie alt flavored, I’ve been going to shows since 2018 and they’re consistently awesome
I nominate myself... an original solo instrumental electric guitarist: https://music.apple.com/us/album/empire-of-light/494025538
very cool, thank you!!
Couple local bands I'm friends with I'd love to see get more love. - Massive Nightmares - Worth It. Big time Replacements vibes, but damn solid hooks and shout-along choruses. The rest of their EP is great too.
Little Low - Move On especially from the Reasons to Grow EP. Starts out sounding like a slightly more emo Sleater-Kinney and then that bridge hits and moves to the chorus and it becomes something else entirely.
I love the name massive nightmares for a band
How good's that Bench Press album?! I've been digging the Bures Band, also from Australia, for some 70s type Laurel Canyon vibes. Looking forward to listening to the list.
so good! I'll check out your rec ASAP
I know what you mean about good Aussie music. Some of my favourites are from there: Eliza & The Delusionals, Clews, Elizabeth M. Drummond, Angie McMahon, & my absolute fave, Annie Hamilton. Mainly a mix of Indie/Pop/Rock.
ok it really sounds like I need to make that playlist
You could make it Aus/NZ & include The Beth's too!
I love the Beths soooo much
https://open.spotify.com/track/3XpuB3AZjYD4R75NvJAIwc?si=Gb936i0GQrKO9JXrxmnajg
Hoping That Your Lonely by Sleepyhead The band has been around since the 90s but to my ears their new songs are some of their best
thank you! the name sounds so familiar to me...
There are more than 1 band with the name Sleepyhead. This one was around in NYC in the 90s. They did several shows with Yo La Tengo, and Love Child. Here is their website https://www.sleepyheadrockband.com/sleepyhead
The Tiarras are a Latina power trio from Austin who play hard-edged rock/pop. Very entertaining, no nonsense band. Also, they are sisters.
Sounds right up my alley
I just want to note that I love that you share bandcamp embeds rather than spotify embeds! It's so much friendlier to the artists!
I am kind of forced to share Spotify playlists (although I really need to put my new ones up on Apple and YouTube, I keep forgetting!) so the least I can do is embed Bandcamp in the feature section
Parker Woodland’s new album! Erin Walter is a friend of Herizon Music 🎶
https://open.spotify.com/album/3cqAhur7SZKPuHD0n8smxN?si=vTow9RyoR6WPRMVnrXz0tw
Empris is a great band out of Tulsa, OK. Check em out!
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/empris/1710896397
So many amazing Australian bands lately (Gut Health have too many monthly listens for Known Unknowns)! I've been digging 'smol fish' from Perth/Boorloo though - their new single is fab but I really loved their Crocodile Tears EP from last year. Smol in name and Spotify listens but hopefully not for long!
Oooh Bench Press made me reach for the nearest Ought record (I’m in the gym, I reached my finger into my iTunes and pressed on ‘Ought’)…
Hi Gabbie. By way of introduction, I'm also an avid supporter of new music, hunting down obscure gems on Bandcamp and holding them up to the light by way of a monthly radio-style show (although it's not on the radio, just Mixcloud). The aesthetic I’m coming from is that I like a good tune (emphasis on melody & composition, rather than rhythm/repetition/rocking out), but I want to be surprised. Genre-defiance is the point, and it most often manifests along the lines of chamber-art-folk-pop.
I’m not a Spotify user so, until you requested listener counts (in parentheses below), I had no idea how pitifully low these artists’ are. Here are a slew of my favorites that are all under 1000.
A.L. (Alice Louise) Lacey (9)
Rasmus Dahl (17)
Paul Garside (24)
Philippe Crab (43)
Yael Hayem (77)
Quincey May Brown (89)
Edward Randell (129)
Alex Pester (212)
Rosie Miles (316)
Holly Henderson (322)
The Carmelittles (322)
Sara Wolff (453)
Tex Patrello (482)
Middle Sattre (673)
Bly Wallentine (804)
The Junipers (905)
Babi (968)
a treasure trove -- thank you.
the listener count is just a shortcut, really, and one that seems most accessible given Spotify is the most used streaming platform
Cool to see Holly Henderson mentioned here! I’ve been following her music for awhile after seeing Pete Thorn talk about her on YouTube (he produced her Monday Green record.) She’s a hell of a player/singer/songwriter.
I’ll check out the rest of these artists!
I don’t do the streamers. If you’re in the mood for lyrical lyrics paired with melodic melodies sung in a rich baritone, here I am https://treyroquemusic.bandcamp.com
Hi Gabbie! New subscriber here! Enjoying learning about your finds here! Mississippi Delta-born songwriter Will Griffith aka The Great Dying has a new LP of outsider Americana out called ‘A Constant Goodbye’. Record goes a lot of places: Southern Rock, Western Operetta, Shoegaze, Magnetic Fields stuff with beats, Buck Owens/Hag style Classic Country, Alt Country, etc.
https://open.spotify.com/artist/4tA5OIywhtSMAfUAstZDVb?si=73yfLRaIR6yod8qJ9iKNig
very cool! I'll check it out (and welcome!)
Ooooh this is fun (new subscriber here)!!
One of the definites for my 2024 AOTY list is the NY band Amiture with their latest release “Mother Engine”. This is their second album after 2021’s “The Beach” and a 2022 EP. Perhaps they’re not recent enough? Just over 13k monthly listens on Spotify.
If you have a chance please give it a listen: https://open.spotify.com/album/6nzUNhv2m52ETJKp67PLZ2
Hey Gabbie,
Just dug up an awesome article on why most folks stop seeking new music: https://theconversation.com/why-do-we-stop-exploring-new-music-as-we-get-older-200080
Yep, there is science behind it.
Me, I cannot go through a day or week without digging for music gold. There is always something new or interesting to explore or listen to. I turn 58 next week and have found more cool stuff in the last 5 years than most will in a lifetime, cos they all stop at 20-ish. My 30 y.o. niece visited the other day and she complained about being 'no good music anymore'. You know, and I know, that this is complete bullshit. I told her as much.
Just gotta keep on exploring...
Wow, I just love all your playlists! You know exactly what I like :) Here are a few from my 2024 To Listen playlist:
Anyway by La Sécurité (<20,000 listeners)
https://open.spotify.com/track/3UxA34eO5Ueii16F9FklMY?si=46da73d96e1c4879
Con Licencia by Orquesta Akokְàn (<20,000 listeners)
https://open.spotify.com/track/4RWVRYKPD4PzM3HLSGDB0k?si=9c5fad724fea4259
Hydrosphere by Andromeda Turre (<1,000 listeners)
https://open.spotify.com/track/6IAyiwKxkgSD8UXq6KYVV1?si=6f181689ce274c77
Beat by Aluminum (<2,000 listeners)
https://open.spotify.com/track/4gZQV8KLVazvTde7oSnYTU?si=c2c18ad3046d4d00
(I think you'll especially love this one)
And I finished my AllMusic.com Editors Choice playlist for August:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0u9CsdG2CIhn9dbS1qb7XL?si=adcc69d0915e4e8f
"This great such and such" by AP Macroeconomics is a fantastic album, if you don't know them. They deserve so much more! Also Zivsick, some cool jazz-rap from Canada, recently dropped a killer debut album.
Gabbie, are you familiar with Midnight Rodeo? They don’t have a ton of releases yet but what is there is really good and their live set is awesome
https://open.spotify.com/track/6eE7zONzz6wYXh2yvPZ8p6?si=kRHg8FTuSmGK9iR7VWJrCA&context=spotify%3Aalbum%3A0LcoaIJnq6YxE3RQ5qgboS
they actually nearly made it into this list!!
I really like Elijah Mann's stuff. He's got 8k monthly listeners, deserves some more love imo. I'm rather new so not a clue what you're into, Gabbie, but figured I might give this recommendation thing a shot.
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2TErkwv1p8mwuBB2Cc99ND?si=jvuKklA4STyXSb3iGVxQZw
Don't worry about genre -- I try to recommend all kinds, regardless of my personal listening habits
I have been digging Julie Aubé, an indie folk/alt-country/ contemporary Acadian singer from New Brunswick. I bought her 2022 album on a whim while in a small record shop in Saint John on a trip last month, and it's already in heavy rotation. https://open.spotify.com/track/4HzFhRUmzZXGtWjS0W6KZo?si=6wsbfygWTzy3snO_LDY7gA
I loved Bench Press mention. Another great Melbourne band in a similar mode is Pinch Points - cool songs, cool people and a whole lotta fun live. "Copper" is a fave song of mine.
nice, thanks! saving them now
https://open.spotify.com/album/469HJWdUEfT5EdeB3KBpQR?si=pkKVpD3ITdCKeiTEXx7YzA
Molly from copenhagen. Their latest offering. Nestled in the sweet spot between husker dü, dinosaur jr and the wipers.
all reference points very up my alley
https://open.spotify.com/artist/1YParpSuHJhb7mzAHVF8PQ?si=I03rtZ_DRMey7c9FLgShGg
New here and wanted to share a mostly local band here in central PA.
local-ish! I'll check it out ASAP