Big for 2014

Every year; radio stations/music magazines/blogs, everyone in the music business claims their next big act(s) for the following year, so I’m following suit.

The New 12

Wolf Alice
Baby Strange
Skaters
Drowners
The Orwells
Deaf Club
Ballet School
Eagulls
Radkey
Naked (On Drugs)
Kult Country
Denai Moore

1. Wolf Alice (Chess Club)

They managed to takeover every music establishment in the UK in 2013 and plan to do further damage with their soon to announce debut album. Wolf Alice are a four piece band hailing from Northern London, consisting of Ellie Rowsell, Joel Amey, Joff Oddie and Theo Ellis. The band have links to Peace, Swim Deep, The Vaccines and even The Arctic Monkeys, you name it, they’re mates with em. With two colossal singles underneath their belt (Fluffy and Bros), alongside their EP Blush, home to the tracks Blush and She; Wolf Alice have shown that they’re not short of ideas at all. However, the real magic of Wolf Alice lies within two songs. Their first widely acknowledged track Leaving You (back in late 2012), and the B-side to Fluffy, White Leather with it’s XX vibes and swooning riffs. Wolf Alice are going to be the new band to beat for 2014.

Album release date: Spring/Summer*

You need to listen to: White Leather / Leaving You / She

For fans of: Swim Deep / The Joy Formidable / Daughter

2. Baby Strange (Chess Club)

Punk has never seen such energy, for a long time. I mean a long time. Baby Strange have the in your face, bursts of energy that early Holograms had, partnered with a more intrusive approach (Want It-Need It. These guys can cram more simplistic genius into 3 minutes than the London Underground can cram people into a single carriage at rush hour. Made up of Johnny Madden, Connaire McCann and Aidan McCann Glasgow’s Baby Strange are heading rapidly towards the top of everyone’s list to watch in 2014, with the Infamous Pure Evil and the emphatic Friend to back up these opinions. With a debut album yet to surface, the space is wide open for Baby Strange.

Album release date: Spring/Summer*

You need to listen to: Pure Evil / Friend / Want It-Need It

For fans of: Holograms / The Clash / Palma Violets

https://soundcloud.com/babystrange-1/friend

3. Skaters (Warner Bros)

Their debut online EP, raced past the 10,000 download mark. They released one of the catchiest songs of 2013 with I Wanna Dance in April. Their most recent single Deadbolt, matched the magic of early Strokes, whilst the B-sides Let The Heads Roll and Stood Up showed that they can switch from sounding like perfect pop music to having some quick fire aggression in seconds. With signing to Warner Bros early last year it’s now no secret that these guys are going to make it big. With their debut album due to grace everyone’s lives in February; Skaters are showing yet again, why New York produces some of the best talent across the entire world.

Album release date: Manhattan – February 24th (UK), 25th (US)

You need to listen to: I Wanna Dance / Deadbolt / Stood Up

For fans of: The Strokes / Violent Femmes / Palma Violets

4. Drowners (Frenchkiss Records)

Fronted by a model. Mates with the Vaccines / Arctic Monkeys clique. Quick, cheeky, Indie music. The Drowners have success written all over them (not literally). Surviving last year without even releasing a single with their previous EP Between Us Girls carrying the flag for the UK/US band everywhere. Touring with the Arctic Monkeys and The Vaccines, following in Palma Violets footsteps; Drowners quickly made a name for themselves with their brand of shimmering Indie Rock. With their debut self titled album expected towards the end of January, everyone who didn’t quite manage to see these guys will at least get a chance to hear the fuss

Album release date: S/T – January 27th

You need to listen to: Long Hair / Luv, Hold Me Down / A Button On Your Blouse

For fans of: The Vaccines / Arctic Monkeys / Spector

5. The Orwells (Autumn Tone Records)

Now some of you may be thinking: These guys were quite big last year. To a certain extent this is true. However, the success these guys made for themselves throughout 2013 with tracks Who Needs You? and Dirty Sheets, lays out the path to stardom for the Chicago band in 2014. They’ve already released an album, Remember When, and a hand full of EPs (unofficially) but the time for these guys to get noticed is now; with album number two predicted to shin through the rest of next years crop once released.

Album release date: Spring/Summer*

You need to listen to: Who Needs You? / Dirty Sheets / Other Voices

For fans of: Howler / Fidlar / Sonic Youth

https://soundcloud.com/the-orwells/the-orwells-who-needs-you

6. Deaf Club (Kissability)

Deaf Club have been poking around everywhere and anywhere for the last two years or so. With the release of their most recent EP, Take In Colour; these guys are ready to make the move from Indie no ones, to Festival must sees. The band have a slew of tracks that brim A grade quality. The dramatic Break It Slow. The more chilled Forest-Shore and the transcendent April. Deaf Club are the furthest thing from deaf, as to continuously make so many beautiful songs is no easy feat for anyone.

Album release date: Summer*

You need to listen to: Break It Slow / April / Forest-Shore

For fans of: SEASFIRE / Death Cab For Cutie / Cave Painting

https://soundcloud.com/tonalex-mastering/deaf-club-break-it-slow

7. Ballet School (Bella Union)

Bella Union truly are getting some of the most unique bands around right now with Ballet School the newest faces on their list alongside: M O N E Y, Wild Nothing and Beach House to name a few. Ballet School are glimmering Dream-Pop with a pinch of Chairlift’s Caroline Polachek’s soaring vocals and a dash of 80’s electronic vibes with modern mixing to sound similar to Grimes. Rosie Blair’s angelic vocals, truly give Ballet School that further push to stand alongside the likes of Sky Ferreira, Lana Del Rey and many other strong female vocalist of the moment.

Album release date: Spring/Summer*

You need to listen to: Yaoi / Crush / Heartbeat Overdrive

For fans of: Veronica Falls / Chairlift / Grimes

8. Eagulls (Partisan Records)

Leeds five piece Eagulls, have been brewing up their mixture of Indie Garage Punk for quite sometime now, and had only just started to get noticed by most early last year with the revealing of Nerve Endings and it’s questionable music video. Take the focus away from the dissected brain, and you’ve got a band who have jumped around genres similar to one another for nearly four years and it seems to have payed off. The stupendous Council Flat Blues could be played upon the main stage of any major festival. Nerve Endings has enough of the bands Indie charm to get those pedantic Indie kids to mosh out properly; whilst new singles Tough Luck and Opaque mix everything the band has done to date perfectly.

Album release date: S/T – March 3rd

You need to listen to: Nerve Endings / Council Flat Blues / Opaque

For fans of: Flats / Mazes / Drenge

9. Radkey (Little Man Records)

As mentioned in my review of their Devil Fruit EP, Radkey have claimed the crown as kings of Punk. Their big hit Romance Dawn, saw them steal the spotlight away from the Scandinavian Kings of Punk Holograms and Iceage. Earlier releases from their Cat & Mouse EP, bordered on approaches of Metal rather than their Punk Rock formula of Devil Fruit. N.I.G.G.A (Not Okay) screamed pissed off Punk from the beginning later matched by the equally malevolent Little Man. Each release sounds angrier, crisper, punk-ier than the last, and one day Radkey are going to turn into a weapon of mass-destruction and kill us all (after a few albums of course).

Album release date: Summer*

You need to listen to: Romance Dawn / Start Freaking Out / N.I.G.G.A (Not Okay)

For fans of: Baby Strange / Sex Pistols / Flats

10. Naked (On Drugs) (Sway Records)

Possibly the weirdest band you may see in 2014. Naked (OD) appeared very quietly in 2013 with their debut track Death Dance on Manchester’s (Salford’s), Sway Records. With it’s creepy piano and failing bass, it was easy to see why Sway signed these guys. The band then dropped Lee Ann’s Skin, sounding more serious than their first attempt but yet keeping the peculiar sound that the band have now become recognizable by. Paired with the potassium filled video for Lee Ann’s Skin, the band have made a small name in a short space of time for themselves. An album may not appear this year, but another single and an EP is definitely on the cards.

Album release date: Winter at a push*

You need to listen to: Lee Ann’s Skin / Death Dance / Araki Dinosaurs

For fans of: M O  N E Y / The Cardigans / Kult Country

11. Kult Country (Sway Records)

One of Sway’s most recent signings; Kult Country take small steps to sound vastly different. The band drifts in and out of consciousness from dreamy, smooth sailing Indie pop on Slowburn, to loud, disruptive and confusing punk infused mayhem on Amongst The Dead Forever. They stay true to the DIY approach of Indie Music, with pretty much all of the band’s sounds made by themselves (One member purely rocks out on stage with a tambourine, she’s brilliant). Kult also spent most of last year and will spend some of this year touring with M O N E Y, so surely they’re going to make something great hanging around with them.

Album release date: Autumn Winter*

You need to listen to: Slowburn / Amongst The Dead Forever

For fans of: M O N E Y / A Grave With No Name / Halls

https://soundcloud.com/sways/kult-country-slowburn

12. Denai Moore (Because Music)

Denai Moore has the voice to go far  and when partnered with her charming lyrics, she can produce stunning collections of acoustic pop which will melt your heart, as shown on her EP, The Lake. Denai Moore is my wildcard entry. Stumbling across her productions a mere two months ago, I knew I’d struck gold. The tingles of early Daughter recordings Peter and Youth burst from Denai’s songs whilst the vocals reign high with deeper progressions found with Cold Specks. Even though Denai confides to the acoustic-singer/songwriter genre; she could easily become the next Lianne La Havas.

Album release date: N/A

You need to listen to: Wolves / The Lake

For fans of: Daugher / Cold Specks / Lianne La Havas

3 choices per vote

Disclaimer= *Albums that yet to have a due date dropped are a rough estimate on my own behalf, based upon current releases from the band and the progression of the band from the previous year. I have no information from labels or bands to deny nor confirm these predictions