Up next for our Artist and Bands to Watch in 2023 are some promising acts that have been on repeat in Grimy Goods headquarters. Tune into ELKE, Flash Amazonas, M(h)aol, Sunny War and All Things Blue.
11. ELKE
Elke creates avant-pop music inspired by every corner of the music world
To say singer-songwriter Kayla Graninger’s avant-pop project Elke has had an eventful year is putting it lightly. On top of her 2021 debut album, No Pain For Us Here, she followed up with the genre-bending EP My Human “Experience.” Covering genres ranging from punk rock to bossa nova and everything in between might seem ambitious for a new act, but the EP accentuated Graninger’s growth as a musician. Oh, and she opened up for Paramore in LA, a spot she’ll continue filling for the band’s South America tour in March next year. Seeing as though she’s amassed quite the following in a relatively short time frame, the sudden rise in prominence is sure to be a smooth transition for Elke.
You can keep in touch with Elke through her socials that can be found on her official website.
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12. Flash Amazonas
Get weird with funky duo flash amazonas
A collision of deliciously eccentric tastes is what fuels the funky dynamo that is art-rock outfit Flash Amazonas. At its center are Colombian and Japanese artists Julián Mayorga and Ryota Miyake, two friends and musical soulmates who melt their myriad influences into surreal dance tracks. They also unveiled their second album this year with the release of uva-uva, a resplendent and rhapsodic collection of buoyant electro-pop odyssey that dazzles as the two weave in and out of their English, Spanish, and Japanese lyricism. Which often deals with narratives as bizarrely transfixing as their music — itself the aural equivalent of being trapped in a kaleidoscope.
Visit Flash Amazonas on their Bandcamp to stay updated on new releases and tour announcements.
13. M(h)aol
M(h)aol disrupts the status quo with unapologetic punk-rock
Hailing from Dublin, Ireland, punk-rock outfit M(h)aol’s unabashedly honest lyricism speaks volumes to the struggles of gender no matter where you live. Consisting of five members, their grinding guitars, which sound a lot more like razor blades than musical instruments, pair nicely with the sarcastic, yet brutally honest songs delivered by singer Roisin Nic Ghearailit. Despite bearing a resemblance to punk bands of the 70s and 80s, their messaging is firmly placed in the modern day in tracks like “Asking For It,” the first single off their debut album. Interweaved with cold facts concerning rape culture and the biases some of us may still blindly hold, the single punctuates the importance of bands like M(h)aol, who are unafraid to call out the issues pressing the social conscience.
Tickets to their UK and European tours are on sale now at their website. Visit M(h)aol on their Bandcamp and Instagram to stay updated on new releases and tour announcements.
14. Sunny War
Sunny War makes music between the lines of folk and punk
With her new album Anarchist Gospel right around the corner, Sunny War is sure to embody the paradoxical nature of her folk-punk sound that works time and time again. Born in Nashville, the LA-based singer-songwriter is constantly in a state of metamorphosis on tracks like “Lucid Lucy,” a gentle lullaby that will rock you into a trance, whereas recent singles “No Reason” and “Baby Bitch” rock for different reasons. From the sound of it, her upcoming album seems to be embodying its namesake of how contradictory its influences sound together. But in the case of Sunny War, she’s able to combine reference points from opposing sides of the music world and bring them together in a sound unique to her and only her.
You can now buy tickets to Sunny War‘s Spring 2023 North American tour on her website, where you can also follow her on her socials.
This post may contain affiliate links. Ads and affiliate links are how independent blogs like Grimy Goods can operate and pay our staff. Thank you for supporting our work and being a part of our music community.
15. All Things Blue
All Things Blue creates dream pop with a 70s psychedelic streak
The music video for “Dicking Around” perfectly encapsulates dream pop duo All Things Blue and their unique brand of bedroom pop and fixture on 70s psychedelia. Self described as “dream-punk,” LA-based singer India Coombs and guitarist Jon Joseph certainly show some garage rock ambition amid their mind-bending sound. What’s most unique about the duo is their acid-dipped guitars, a trait that remains when they’re experimenting on tracks like their most recently released “Song to Myself.” It’s a delicate portrait of uncertainty, with Coombs doubting whether or not music is the right path. Based on their recent output, the two are exactly where they need to be.
Visit All Things Blue on their Bandcamp and Instagram to stay updated on new releases and tour announcements.
