Welcome to AP&R, where we highlight rising artists who are on their way to becoming your new favorite. Below, we’ve rounded up a handful of names from around the world who either just dropped music or have new music on the way very soon. These are the June up-and-comers, artists picked for their standout sound, from DIY punk to heartfelt indie rock.
Read more: 24 of the most exciting rising artists to watch in 2024
urika’s bedroom
urika’s bedroom, the left-field indie-rock project of Tchad Cousins, surfaced last summer with his first single, “Junkie.” Now this past June, nearly a year later, Cousins returned with the self-produced song “XTC” before heading out on tour supporting kindred spirit Nourished By Time. Mixed by Chris Coady (Beach House, DIIV), the track sees Cousins embrace the same mesmerizingly lo-fi approach that made his debut so alluring: bleary reverb, strange textures, and pop touches that culminate in a singular sound. The song came with a video directed by Cousins and Donovan Novotny, featuring the artist immersed in a rural environment, interpolated with cuts of The Creature. Of course, Cousins says it best: “Even if it takes all night, liquid silver burns the tongue, and the language of devotion echoes.” It’s a poetic description that feels just as haunted as its visual. —Neville Hardman
Taleen Kali
Taleen Kali is a Los Angeles native, and a fixture in the city’s underground music scene — the latter being a result of Kali’s truly unique take on punk rock. Informed by the motifs, visually and sonically, of her Armenian heritage and parents’ roots in Lebanon and Ethiopia, and grounded in riot grrrl spirit, Kali’s music is an amalgam of Britpop, shoegaze, and the noise pop it originated from — darkwave, psychedelia, and grunge. And it’s ever-changing — over the years, Kali has refined and reshaped her sound, and as a result, its impact has only gotten stronger, and gotten her a co-sign from Henry Rollins, who played the 2022 track “Crusher” every week for six months on his “Fanatic” radio show. Last year, Kali released her first full-length, Flower of Life, produced by the Smashing Pumpkins’ Jeff Schroeder and Josiah Mazzaschi, and the synthy, dark, romantic record is without a doubt proof that Kali’s not kidding when she claims her seat as a real LA punk — which she continues to take pride in during her live sets. All without smudging her cherry-red lipstick or smoky, Siouxsie eyes, she gives her all to a performance — she’s rough, tough, sweaty, and moving without pause, emanating electricity. As founder of the “cult favorite” DUM DUM Zine, and independent record label DUM DUM Records, Kali is basically our DIY queen. She never stops going, never stops exuding old-school punk energy. Having just released “Ava Adore,” a spunky Smashing Pumpkins cover, she just wrapped up DUM DUM Fest, “LA’s first dark, queer, DIY festival,” which she both hosted and performed. It’s a perfect way to kick off the rest of the summer, which she’s spending on tour with Ringo Deathstarr. —Anna Zanes
Faux Real
Like their name suggests, Faux Real strike a slippery duality that permeates everything they do. Formed by siblings Elliott and Virgile Arndt in 2018, the duo combine strains of glam rock, punk, and electronic, plus an inimitable sense of fashion, to create maximalism at every turn — something that’s better to be seen to be believed. Simply head out to their wildly extravagant live shows, which erupt with satire, boy band choreography, and sexuality, earning them nods from giants like Duran Duran and Paramore. With their latest song, “Walking Away From My Demons,” an upbeat electro banger that slides between the past and the present sonically, and a battle between good and evil thematically, the band fixate on an obsession with hurtling forward — symbolized through the use of treadmills in the accompanying video. It’s another triumph that sets them apart as they gear up for their debut album, Faux Ever, and a European tour with Los Bitchos in the fall. —Neville Hardman
Queen of Jeans
Since 2016, Philly’s Queen of Jeans have been delivering tangibly heartfelt, fluid indie rock. They occupy an overlapping area on the proverbial Venn diagram that features stripped-down, singer-songwriter folk-rock, loose, growling grunge, dreamy ’60s soft pop, and sentimental, melodic second-wave emo. Following their previous releases, 2019’s if you’re not afraid, I’m not afraid and 2022’s Hiding In Place EP — each produced by Will Yip (Anthony Green, Title Fight) in his famed Pennsylvania studio — the group are back, with a substantial, shiny new full-length, All Again. The album unravels the very real, and relatable, ingredients of a relationship — loneliness, fear, mirth, joy, anger, to name a few. But this isn’t just another relationship project — this has true depth and weight, and draws on vocalist Miri Devora and guitarist Mattie Glass’ real-life partnership, both in sonics and in the weighted lyricism. Urged along by Devora’s massive, progressive singing swings from a light touch like Lucy Dacus to the kind of deliciously, larger-than-life belt we’ve heard from Hayley Williams, Glass’ guitar part proves to be the album’s vital grounding force — preventing any edges from getting too soft with rock rhythm and grunge-informed style. Also featuring a brand-new rhythm section, with bassist Andrew Nitz and drummer Patrick Wall, All Again takes on much-uncharted territory, dabbling in new and ambient sounds, an engaging contrast to Queen of Jeans’ strong, sing-along choruses. The end result is an album that feels fuller, brighter, and more complex than any QoJ project yet. The album is out June 28, but you can listen to the prereleased singles now. —Anna Zanes
Ratas En Zelo
Punk rock is lawless, and abides by no rules — at least, that is the ethos it’s been built upon for over half a century. Ratas En Zelo doesn’t only take this to heart — they push it far further. The New York City-based quintet, made up of Latina immigrants with a “putazo of estrogen madness,” have constructed a band and sound that’s unlike any other. Intentionally leaving out guitar from the lineup, they instead replaced the punk-rock fixture with accordion — an unlikely instrument, though proven to have as much potential to make for fiercely rowdy punk as it has to carry a folk tune. Theirs is a balance of brash, poignant messaging, and tongue-in-cheek humor, all seen through the lens of Latina women in today’s America. During a live set, you can find them feverishly thrashing onstage in plastic rat ears while professing disdain for puercos (cops), la migra (U.S. immigration), and many forms of pinche cabrones (motherfuckers). Their latest releases, singles “Cheesus” and “Desvergue,” offer a powerful taste of their style, with cheeky, energetic punk drum parts and, of course, the prevailing accordion, which is somehow both an unhinged and anchoring force in each track. After a wild set at NYC’s Punk Island earlier this month, Ratas En Zelo will be playing their next show at Brooklyn’s Starr Bar on July 27. —Anna Zanes
Mallavora
Bristol alt-metal crew Mallavora fight to make room for inclusivity, safe spaces, and the voice of the underdog. Just in time for their Download Festival appearance earlier this month, the band unleashed the bruising, crushingly heavy new single “Skin.” Recorded at The Marshall Studio after signing a deal with the revered label and produced by Mikey Demus of Skindred, the cut revolves around “feeling different and being utterly defiant about it,” according to vocalist Jessica Douek. That feeling of alienation and frustration drives the track as the band launch into a chugging heft that elevates the depth of the songwriting. It’s truly a song for outsiders, prioritizing individuality and staying true — but ultimately rising above, too. The four-piece will open for Calva Louise in Birmingham next month and have plenty more on the way, so stay tuned. —Neville Hardman
