Guide: Artists For Your 2023 Radar

 

☆ By THE LUNA COLLECTIVE STAFF ☆

 
 

FEW FEELINGS BEAT FALLING DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE OF A NEW ARTIST YOU DISCOVER - and finding yourself with a new artist to love. Whether you find yourself deep into the Spotify algorithm or rely on your music friend to put you onto some new tracks or artists, you know just how fun it is to freshen up your heavy rotation.

We have the absolute pleasure of working with so many up and coming artists, that it can be hard to answer the question of “who should I be listening to?” This being said, we’ve put together some of your picks that are a must for your radar.

Read below to see who we’ve be listening to and who is sure to be a main character in 2023.

SOFT BLUE SHIMMER

In California, more specifically the San Fernando Valley, the band Soft Blue Shimmer is making a name for themselves in a burgeoning scene of shoegaze revival. The band, made of vocalist and bassist Meredith Ramond, guitarist Charlie Crowley and drummer Kenzo Cardenas, meets at the intersection of dream-pop, shoegaze and indie rock. In 2020, they made their debut with Heaven Inches Away via Disposable America (bedbug, Horse Jumper of Love), a delectable and shimmering record featuring singles “Cherry-Cola Abyss” and “Hold You In The Warm.” They would later sign to Other People Records (Soul Blind, Gleemer) under which they came out with Love Lives in the Body, their sophomore release, this year. Their music is something you feel in the navel instead of the head; it embraces you with a Hayao Miyazaki kind of wonder and warmth. Love Lives in the Body views love in a lucid retrospect with both pessimism and affection, Ramond’s vocals being the heart of every arrangement. Their soundscapes share an emotional warranty with Pinback and deal a head fuzz similar to Cloud Nothings, showing potential as obvious as their talent.

Blondshell

If Blondshell wasn’t blasting from your speakers in 2022, that’s quickly about to change. The New York native rocker is diving in head first for the new year after the release of their latest single, “Veronica Mars”. Effortlessly cool, Blondshell meshes intoxicating melodies with showstopping rock moments. The instrumentation of every track is laced with drive and nostalgia, but it’s the lyricism that’s the true star of the show. Blondshell pointedly describes feelings of hurt and betrayal in stand-out tracks like “Cartoon Earthquake”. Whereas she wonders why it takes so much effort to feel emotions throughout a relationship, until “it hits all at once, like sepsis”. It almost feels like Blondshell is single-handedly reviving the early 2000s alt-rock that made us who we are as listeners today. The band has only released a few tracks, yet they’re catchy enough to keep on repeat all day and night. As we find ourselves approaching the new year, Blondshell has already announced a slew of shows across the country supporting Suki Waterhouse. As well as a run of European solo dates.  So if you’re looking for an excuse to sing your heart out along with 2023’s indie rock “It” girl, you’ve got to keep Blondshell on your radar. 

SUDAN ARCHIVES

Sudan Archives has established herself as a musical artist with an ever-expanding sound that is all her own. "Sudan" is inspired from the actual country Sudan, located in North Africa. Originally from Cincinnati Ohio, Sudan Archives is a self-taught violinist, singer-songwriter, and producer. Growing up, she participated in her church's choir, where she learned to play the violin by ear. When it came to producing, she began by making beats on her iPad, eventually learning to work with more equipment to create fuller sounding productions. 

Ultimately, Archives decided to move to Los Angeles to pursue her music career more seriously. Between working day jobs, and studying her craft, she released her self-titled debut EP in 2017, her second EP titled Sink in 2018, and her debut album Athena in 2019 to critical acclaim. Her genre-bending encapsulates elements of modern R&B, traditional North African music, particularly Sudanese fiddlers (she has mentioned this before,) melodic rap, electronic sounds, and of course the violin. Sudan Archives is signed to Los Angeles-based record label Stone Throw Records.


As 2022 comes to a close, Sudan Archives is experiencing major success after the release of her second studio album Natural Brown Prom Queen. The album was released last September, and has since received widespread critical acclaim. The first single "Home Maker" (the opening track from the album) was praised for its idiosyncratic nature by major publications. "Selfish Soul," (my personal favorite) her second single is empowering, upbeat, and pure magic.

QUARTERS OF CHANGE

We have “Too Many Thoughts” about how much we adore Quarters of Change. 

This alternative rock band recently put out their debut studio album earlier this year, Into The Rift, which has quickly added another eleven catchy hits to their already lovable discography. The four-part band, consisting of Ben Acker, Attila Anrather, Jasper Harris and Ben Roter, was originally founded in New York City in 2017 as a high school cover band. They recorded their self-titled 2018 LP in their school’s basement - a stunt they were able to pull by hiding from security and sneaking down after hours. But hey, that’s rock and roll baby!

One of their most popular songs, “Kiwi,” is the perfect way to introduce yourself to this band’s spunk and charisma. The memorable guitar riffs and charming vocals are just a few key aspects of the incredibly cohesive sound that Quarters of Change has managed to achieve throughout their journey as musicians.

Having recently opened along with Last Dinosaurs on Bad Suns’ latest tour, Quarters of Change has racked up the experience, fanbase and musical intuition that is sure to keep them on an upward climb this coming year. Now ready to embark on their own headline tour that kicks off in Washington D.C. this February, they’ve absolutely distinguished themselves as an act to watch - and most definitely a band that you’re going to want to catch live at a show.

SKULLCRUSHER

Skullcrusher’s debut album Quiet The Room is a fragile thing to be held in the palms of your hand. Singer-songwriter Helen Ballentine builds a soundscape of whispered vocals cushioned by lush guitars and distant strings, an entire forest to tip-toe into if you’re heartbroken or reflective enough to dare. Ballentine draws startling similarities to songwriting giants who also find devastation in the banal: Elliot Smith, Nick Drake. Her voice, an elusive, sweet thing, can cut through the ambiance in a moment’s notice, her falsetto is to be reckoned with. This album’s closing track “You are my House” speaks to the way in which one becomes a home for their partner; they contain both their partner’s private sorrows and private comforts. Quiet The Room acts as both of these things for Ballentine, and we’re lucky enough to get to listen.

MONET NGO

Monét Ngo has had a transformative year.

While people everywhere are falling in love to the cinematic, hopeless romantic “Ruby Sparks,” the Bay Area native, Vietnamese-American rising star is busy being a elementary school teacher by day, musician by night with his new LA life. From the release of his debut single “Lonestar” to his first ever show performing at LA’s School Night showcase, Ngo’s every move in music has been rebellious, innovative and captivating. 

He’s inspired by Jean Dawson, midwxst, beabadoobee and Brockhampton alike–and you can absolutely hear the influence in his stellar, genre-mashing debut EP, After School Club. His production style is fearless, artistically cluttered with a primal maximalistic approach. The distortion on his voice goes from romantic to ruthless, depending on the mood of any given track. Sure, maybe Ngo makes coming-of-age music, but he does it in a way that makes the most painful pains beautiful while tainting beauty with pain. 


With less than a year of online presence under his belt, it’s hard to predict what is Ngo’s next move. Perhaps his hangouts with the ultra talented guitarist Nuffer, fellow alt-pop starboy Curtis Waters and other rising acts will blossom into musical collabs, or we will catch Ngo at the next week-night showcase down the block. Regardless of what’s next, now’s the time to put Monét Ngo on your radar.  

OGI

Ogi Ifediora, known as Ogi, was born just outside Chicago and raised in Madison, Wisconsin. Growing up, Ogi was surrounded by music — her parents played the likes of Nina Simone, Marvin Gaye, and T-Pain around the house, she played the viola and was a part of the jazz choir, and most importantly, her mother serenaded the house with traditional hymns. She credits these hymns as her first education in harmonies. This unique exposure finely tuned her musical ears, later leading her to create complex melodies and harmonies. In fact, she explains that her spellbinding cadence grew out of listening to the drum patterns she heard in the music and hymns that filled her Nigerian-American household. 

Apart from being a brilliant vocalist, she is also a captivating lyricist — taking on confessional topics with an inspiring sense of self-assurance. She has perfect pitch and stunning articulation creating an almost spell-like effect to her songs. Each of her lyrics holds onto the mind of the listener and her vocals intoxicate them into a trance-like state — you can’t help but stop and carefully listen to what she sings. After gaining mass attention from a cover of P.J. Morton's song “Alright,” and her 2021 I.D. produced single “I Got It,” Ogi has been working hard to build up her discography and performance skills. She saw her first EP, Monologues, released in 2022, as an audition for the music industry, and since it was released she received support from a variety of different artists such as The Marias and Mahalia. She has wooed audiences as the opener for acts like Snoh Aalegra and Paramore and continues to seduce the music world with her luscious vocals, tantalizing harmonies, and poignant lyrics. Ogi’s melodies have seeped into our brains over at Luna, leaving us with a sense of awe and wonder about what she has in store next. If 2022 is any indication of what Ogi has to offer, then we are so excited to see how she grows! 

JENSEN MCRAE

At 25-year-old, the singer-songwriter Jensen McRae is harnessing her gripping, sometimes haunting, vocals and free-flowing lyrics to create a safe space for everyone who has been told their entire life that they feel too much. With the raw authenticity of a journal being read out loud, combined with an arrangement of idioms and metaphors that radiate novelty, McRae’s stunning ability to story tell reaches another level in her debut album, Are You Happy Now?

The 15-track collection is a direct challenge to the stigmatized relationship between emotions and weakness as she embraced her own experiences - the good and the bad - as a young, Black woman. “I spent my whole life ashamed of my big feelings. But we don’t do that anymore,” she said in a social media post in early March. 

Following the album release, McRae joined indie-pop band MUNA on their North American tour while also filling crowds of her own during headlining shows at historic venues like The Troubadour in Los Angeles. With support from Grammy award winning producer Rahki (Kendrick Lamar, Eminem) and the attention of hit-makers like John Legend and Corinne Bailey Rae, this is just the beginning of Jensen McRae’s rise and impact in the music world.

 
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@cr1tter.n3t by @maloriekerouac for our 20th issue 🌱
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