Every new year poses intriguing questions. Who will be a household name by the time Christmas rolls into view again? Who will make a record that will be adored by generations to come? Who will release a sleeper hit that ignites just in time for festival season? Who? Who? Who? Well, why not this lot? In the spirit of answering January’s great hypotheticals for music nerds, here are 10 bands and artists who might have a breakout 2025.
Mereba
Out on Valentine’s Day, Mereba’s debut for Secretly Canadian is poised to be one of 2025’s most interesting, multifaceted projects. Debuting with 2019’s ‘The Jungle is the Only Way Out’ before joining the Spillage Village collective for the following year’s ‘Spilligion’, the Alabama native is set to dig deeper into characterful rap and fluid R&B, offering texturally adventurous work alongside simmering melodies. Investigating motherhood and creativity alongside the rich possibilities afforded by autonomy and DIY production, ‘The Breeze Grew a Fire’ is an exciting prospect.
Divorce
Out of Nottingham, this quartet place a winsome spin on indie-pop, channelling everyone from The Shins to Sharon Van Etten. Recorded with Catherine Marks, their debut album ‘Drive to Goldenhammer’ mirrors the airy elegance and grandiosity of the producer’s past work with Boygenius and Wolf Alice, but Divorce’s intertwined melodies and slightly-scuzzy jangle set them apart. With further swatches taken from country and woozy psych-pop, this is a potent blend that might well send them into the stratosphere.
Alt Blk Era
Fronted by Nyrobi and Chaya Beckett-Messam, Alt Blk Era’s dismissive attitude towards genre delineations has made them one of the buzziest new bands in heavy music. Melding everything from shoegazey noise to percussive trap-metal shoutalongs, their first album ‘Rave Immortal’ is poised to become a breakout release, primed for festival tents while also packing enough punch for a genuine mainstream crossover. Their spring UK tour will likely be their last in small venues.
Moreish Idols
Emerging from the Speedy Wunderground stable with a typically restless sound, Moreish Idols have enough about them to suggest that you do, in fact, want to hear from another London band using post-punk as a jumping off point for all sorts of melodic and rhythmic switcheroos. Their recent single Slouch was a syrupy delight that doubled as a tribute to the NHS, finding a sense of joy and low-key cool in a discussion of chronic illness. That’ll take some doing. You can see where they head next on their debut album ‘All In The Game’, which will land alongside some UK shows at the start of March.
John Glacier
A couple of years on from her debut mixtape, the London rapper is about to get into album mode with ‘Like a Ribbon’ in February. Early indications are that this will be a serious statement of intent, with the snippets we’ve heard so far pointing towards an expansive sonic palette, from glassy piano notes to fuzz-bass brilliance, punctuated by a measured, almost hypnotic delivery that’s heavy on patience and charisma.
Saya Gray
History has shown that if you want a great pop song, you should find yourself a weirdo to write it. Saya Gray falls into this truth beautifully, offering a fascinating approach to modern pop that will foreground acoustic instruments and wisp-like vocals one moment before serving up a deconstructed beat pattern or Led Zeppelin-esque bass riff. Following up her shapeshifting ‘19 Masters’ and the ‘Qwerty’ EPs, the Canadian’s first album, ‘Saya’, is out on February 21.
Crimewave
Sometimes an artist’s creative MO chimes perfectly with the tenor of the world around them. At the moment, unfortunately, Crimewave’s bleak, foreboding blend of out-there electronics and harsh shoegaze noise fits the bill. The Manchester-based producer’s ‘Altercation’ EP is an absolute must for anyone with a penchant for confrontational, heavily atmospheric music, reflecting back a circus mirror view of northern nightlife that’s more interested in the stomach-drop when a police siren hits than anything more euphoric on a dancefloor.
Firestarter
Hardcore’s moment keeps rolling on and on, with Turnstile announcing huge UK shows next summer just as Knocked Loose brought febrile noise to late night TV, and Firestarter are among a number of names worth keeping an eye on. The Los Angeles straight edge band play fast, serrated Youth Crew hardcore that’s obviously done its homework without losing anything of their own personality. Their recent single Tear Stained Youth featured a guest verse from Mark Porter of New Jersey legends Floorpunch, which says a lot.
Paris Texas
This LA duo are well worth looking up. Producer-rappers Louie Pastel and Felix have been tapped to open Tyler, The Creator’s world tour around ‘Chromakopia’ and it’s easy to see why. Their style is all over the place in a good way, with their 2023 LP ‘Mid-Air’ running heaving synths up against gloopy, introspective hip hop and something like the fizzing Everybody’s Safe Until…, which comes off like a more fatalistic Ghostpoet over reedy, overdriven bass.
Gus Baldwin & the Sketch
There should be a rule that you’re only allowed to call yourself power-pop if your hooks pass a series of stringent quality checks. If there was, then Gus Baldwin & the Sketch would have a seal of approval slapped on them so fast their heads would spin. The Texan group’s first LP ‘The Sketch’ was recorded in a day and it sounds like it — it’s raw, loose and totally addictive, with brain-rewiring melodies slamming into riffs that split the difference between old White Reaper and even older Hives. Rips.
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