Another month, another lineup. Here are six artist that caught our attention last month you should keep in mind as we move forward into the year.

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Ovrkast.

Hometown: East Oakland, CA

Monthly listeners: 233,666

Recommended tracks: "Face," "VENT," and "2 Minute Bars"

Artist and producer, Ovrkast., from East Oakland, California is on the rise with his soulful and storytelling craft. With heavy influences from Odd Future, Knxwledge, Questlove and Capital Steeze, Ovrkast. gets creative with his soothing production and lyrics. He is a self-taught artist as most of his projects are self-produced and self-written, such as his 2020 debut album, Try Again, which has features Mavi, Navy Blue, demahjiae, and Pink Siifu. He takes abstract hip-hop to another level with his simple and minimalist style in his instrumental production. Through artistry in music, he expresses his high-quality skills in lyricism, especially in his recent track, “Month In Brooklyn.” Some other tracks of Ovrkast. that are my favorites that deserve a listen are, “Face (featuring Navy Blue),” “VENT,” and “2 Minute Bars (featuring Mavi).”  - Marissa Duldulao

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Mikaela Davis

Hometown: Rochester, NY

Monthly listeners: 46, 310

Recommended tracks: “Homes in the Country” and “Far From You”

When the weather reaches a certain number between 25 and 35 degrees one cannot resist the urge to find the perfect combination of folk and country music and succumb to the heat. whilst constructing a strictly barely country music  playlist, I came across the perfect candidate to help me become one with the sun, Mikaela Davis.

Rochester New York native, Mikaela Davis has completed her fair share of rounds around the music industry. Having performed alongside contemporary legends, such as Bob Weir, Bon Iver, and Circles Around the Sun, over the years Davis has only proven her musical prowess and craft. Her upcoming album, And Southern Stars, due August 4th, which she’s described as being, “ more me than anything else that’s been released,” appears to showcase her penchant  for 60s psychdelia, and folk-rock – a sound achieved with the help of her bandmates Alex Coté, Cian McCarthy, Shane McCarthey, and Kurt Johnson - to perfection. Give a listen to her latest singles, “Home in he Country” and “Cinderella,” and get a taste of what’s to come. I promise you won’t regret it. - Olive Soki

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Walter the Producer‍

Hometown: Boston, MA

Monthly Listeners: 259,559

Recommended Tracks:  “Both of Us” “Velma” 

With his debut album, No Substance Mixtape, Walter the Producer simultaneously manages to be a product of his time and wholly ahead of it. The 20-year-old from Boston draws upon some of the most popular sounds of our era to develop a compelling project that he produced from end to end. We exist in a time in which it has never been easier for young talent to emerge, but Walter the Producer shows an understanding of where popular music has been trending for the last decade that is nothing short of special. 

No Substance Mixtape is a parade of tight guitar licks, synth notes, snares and falsettos that find the pocket perfectly to present a novel take on the alt-pop-rock genre. The opening track, “Both of Us,” features vocals at the high end reminiscent of the faraway vocal tracks from Kendrick Lamar’s “DAMN.” “Since September” has the synth and driving guitar melodies that remind me of a Tame Impala record without copying it. Instead, Walter the Producer draws on the foundational sound to create what I see as an advancement of the “spacey pop” niche. 

An artist must balance a respect for the popular elements of an artform with the desire to “push the envelope,” to make something new, and to step into what is next in a particular genre. Walter the Producer exists in this tension capably and gracefully. However, he shows a desire to take what the culture has enjoyed, and raise the bar with it. I think this is everything that true music fans want, and that Walter the Producer may represent one of those artists who pulls a genre into its next generation. And I'm gonna be here for it, are you?  - Joshua Zaucha

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Sidney Bird

Hometown: Phoenix, AZ

Monthly Listeners: 119,373

‍Recommended Tracks: “ Renaissance Man” and “Kisses”

Sidney Bird is originally from Arizona, but her music spans further than her home state, encompassing an expression of Western sound uniquely built through east coast-inspired alt-pop production. With two full-length albums already released in 2023, Bird’s singularity comes from her appetite for sweeping melodies carried by serene narratives of family, love, and the confounding nature of the two in the context of growing up. It's a style interlaced with Western narratives of folk reflections of family tales, as she does in “Renaissance Man”, but it's also a contemporary expression of womanhood, finding yourself among heartbreak and lessons, like she sings about in “Kisses.”

Her most recent release, “Bitters” is a satirical sketch plotted against immature men who view women as household objects, a portrait of her quirky yet elegant composure when it comes to lyrical and cinematic plays of inner experiences and thoughts. Both dramatic and vibrantly eccentric, her tracks live in a daydream, whether they’re haunting melodies written along winding production synths or scripts sprinkled with humous bits and pieces, you’ll catch yourself lost in between the lines every time. - Sundhya Alter

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Sammy Curcuru

Hometown: Detroit, MI

Monthly listeners: 1,331

Recommended Tracks: “messy room”, “look @ u”, and “i'm down if ur down”

I know I recently covered Sammy’s new single “Messy Room” on Sheesh, but his music is just so good I thought you needed to hear about it twice. Hailing from Detroit, Michigan, Sammy Curcuru is one of the most promising up and comers in the game right now. Although he only has three singles out, all of them are packed with enough quality to match up to any other artist's entire discography. Whether you’re hooked by the production that Sammy and his team have curated, or by the visuals that accompany his music through his latest music video and his Spotify Canvases; there is something to love about Sammy Curcuru for everybody. My favorite track of his right now is Messy Room, but let’s be honest, every single song he puts out will be in my rotation for weeks after its release. I promise if you give his music a try that you won’t regret it. - Riley Furey

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Dylan Gossett

Hometown: Austin, Texas

Monthly listeners: 356, 413

Recommended Tracks: “Coal,” “To Be Free”

Hailing from Texas, Dylan Gossett is the latest of artists to find virality on TikTok with his recent release, “Coal.” Following his stunning debut single, “To Be Free,” Gossett has followed it up with a home run. “Coal” has racked up just over 800k monthly listeners in just a week, and it is no surprise. His raspy vocals bring out the summer vibes we are all looking for. His music runs on the line of folk and country. It is the kind of tune you want to play at a barbecue with family outdoors. Keep an eye on Dylan Gossett, as he continues to build a long-sustaining fanbase for years to come. - Ian Hansen

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