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 October up-and-comers, artists picked for their standout sound, from menacing jazz-punk to Seattle indie rock.
Read more: 25 best albums of 2024 so far
Maruja
Earlier this month, experimental Manchester quartet Maruja returned with “Break The Tension” — their first release since the Connla’s Well EP that came out in April. Culled from improvisation rehearsal sessions, “Break The Tension” is jazz made for slam-dancing, convulsing with squalling sax, suspense, and a vocal performance from Harry Wilkinson that encompasses the conviction of a hardcore singer. Meant to “delve into the darker side of the human psyche — the hunger of vengeance, the anxiousness of feeling trapped by your own narrative, or the loneliness of never being heard,” the band’s unremitting noise provides an escape from that feeling and results in spellbinding but unruly live shows akin to an exorcism. Think of them somewhere between Henry Rollins-era Black Flag, Swans, and John Zorn’s Naked City, where they embark on a whirl of freewheeling world-building while tossing in funk, post-rock, and hip-hop touches whenever it feels good.
Shower Curtain
Within her first few years of living in New York City, Shower Curtain bandleader Victoria Winter penned the songs that would comprise their hazy debut album, words from a wishing well, which came out this month via Angel Tapes/Fire Talk Records. Self-produced by Winter and guitarist Ethan Williams, words from a wishing well flesh out those formative memories overtop a swirl of shoegaze, grunge, and indie rock. Throughout nine songs, Winter sings about the frustrations in her life, seeing her emptiness reflected in a partner, and burning it all down, all while trying to suffocate her anxiety with noise. There’s a jagged hypnotism coming from all sides, resulting in tracks that point to their heroes (DIIV, Pixies, Cherry Glazerr) while making them an enticing new voice within the din of NYC’s music scene. “If one wishes into a wishing well, I’d like to believe that there is a reason why that wish would or wouldn’t come true,” Winter says of the album title, reflecting a hopefulness that stretches across the band’s music. “words from a wishing well speaks to the return of that wish from the universe.”
Spiral XP
Few cities have a voice that is as storied as Seattle’s. From the grunge renaissance to a new breed of introspective indie-rock groups, the Pacific Northwest city has spawned countless luminaries. It’s only fitting that Max Keyes of Spiral XP tapped into the local scene for his debut album, I Wish I Was A Rat, inviting city veterans Lena Farr-Morrissey (bass, vocals), Jordan Mang (guitar), and Kyle McCollum (guitar) to experiment with his songs. In turn, they became brand new, traversing slacker rock, trip-hop, and shoegaze under the despair of a society ruled by corporate greed. Following a series of EPs, Spiral XP are only continuing to grow their sound, best reflected in standouts “Luna” and “Sinner,” the latter of which revolves around “trying to figure out what’s important and what we value as we navigate and grow in a superficial world. It takes on the perspective of someone navigating these things with blind confidence and the hubris that brings. It’s not judgmental and tries to capture the feeling of chasing after something real and authentic in its own way, even if it’s in a completely fake and frivolous world or social scene.” In November, Spiral XP will play a handful of shows on the West Coast in support of the release.
jasmine.4.t
Jasmine Cruickshank, who records vulnerable indie rock under jasmine.4.t, became the first U.K. artist on Phoebe Bridgers’ Saddest Factory roster in the summer. The initial single, “Skin on Skin,” that accompanied the announcement was just a preview of her forthcoming debut album, You Are The Morning, which arrives in January and was produced by boygenius. Recorded over 12 days at Sound City Studios with an entirely trans backing band, jasmine.4.t brings together hurt and healing as she unravels the intricacies of queerness. Recent song “Elephant,” for one, was written early in her transition and details her first trans for trans love. “It’s about when it hurts because you’re trying to be friends, but you both want to be more,” she says. “My life in Bristol fell apart when I came out and, having no safe place to live, I was staying on queers’ sofas in Manchester, traumatized, and in no place to start a relationship.” Featuring contributions from boygenius, Claud, and the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles, You Are The Morning allows jasmine to fall back on her community while holding light and darkness in both hands. The overriding theme, though, is that hope eventually breaks through the surface.
Cold Court
Philly’s music scene remains an epicenter for underground and DIY music, and Cold Court are tearing up their city with chaotic rock music that pulls from Death Grips, the Mars Volta, OutKast, and Blonde Redhead. Led by brothers Mini (guitar/vocals) and Jojo (guitar/vocals), who formed the band, along with Jeff (drums), Charlie (sax/keys), and Theo (bass), Cold Court’s magnetic, furious recorded work — right now just a bootleg tape and debut single “Twin” on Bandcamp — is only heightened by their equally intense live performances, which they have earned a reputation for. Having opened for black midi, Lip Critic, and Deerhoof, it’s easy to hear how those groups feel like kin, possessing the same flair for tension and release that feels revelatory by the end of the night. No matter what they do next, it’ll be sharp, wielding passion, promise, and energy in spades as they chip away at their debut album.