Sharing our favourite new artists within the school community!

This year’s lockdown was an interesting experience when it came to people’s relationship with music. For some, it might have been the perfect opportunity to discover new artists and explore different genres, greatly expanding their music taste palette; while others might have used and abused their playlists to the point where they got tired of them and now don’t have anything to listen to. As a result, what a better time than now to share our favourite musicians with the whole school? This article is going to present several recommendations from OIS students (some are anonymous) of not so well-known artists and bands that they love.

Meet Me @ The Altar

Suggested by Margarida Raimundo (Y13)

“Pop-punk trio of only women. Recently signed to Fueled by Ramen for their energetic style of music.”

With pop-punk rising to popularity again, there is an exciting surge of new artists that are ready to offer their contribution to the genre. This is the case of the American band Meet Me @ The Altar. This trio of women of colour composed by Téa Campbell (guitarist and bassist), Ada Juarez (drummer) and Edith Johnson (singer), has been gaining popularity, in particular, after their release of the single “Garden”, that gathered a lot of attention during the first lockdown in 2020 for its uplifting message that seemed (and still seems) fitting to the situation. Last year, they signed with Fueled by Ramen, a label responsible for launching some of their biggest influences, such as Paramore, Twenty One Pilots and Fall Out Boy. This promising band is more than ready to make some noise and bring more diversity and freshness to the pop-punk genre.

Top song(s): “Hit Like a Girl”, a song made for Women's History Month, and “Garden”, a personal favourite.

Suggested by Margarida Janela

“I want to recommend this artist even if he's verified because I've never heard anyone talk about him and I listened to one of his songs and he deserves more recognition because he's really good… Also recommend him specially for people who like rap and chill music because he combines both.”

The independent Chicago rapper Saba (Tahj Malik Chandler) has gathered quite the attention for his authenticity in the rap scene, delivering beautifully crafted lyrics, often talking about quite heavy but not uncommon subjects, such as toxic relationships, internal struggles and systemic injustice. Saba had his breakthrough in 2016 when he released his debut album “Bucket List Project”, and he released in 2018 his second album “CARE FOR ME”, which focuses on the aftermath of his cousin John Walt’s death that happened in 2017. With a follow-up album coming sometime soon, Saba has still a lot more to give and many more people to reach out to – but it can already be said with confidence that he will turn into a big household name in the rap genre in the near future.

Photo by Qurissy Top song(s): The song’s name is “Ziplock”. It is Rap and it’s explicit but the song is great to listen to and relax because it is very smooth and everything fits together.

Beach Bunny

Chicago-based power-pop band Beach Bunny has been growing popularity since the release of their critically-acclaimed debut album “Honeymoon”. The band is composed of Lili Trifilio (vocals, rhythm guitar), Jon Alvarado (drums), Matt Henkels (lead guitar) and Anthony Vaccaro (bass), and Trifilio’s songwriting abilities are what sets Beach Bunny apart from other bands. Their songs often explore situations and feelings that people often experience but don’t have enough courage to talk about. For instance, the song “Prom Queen” tackles body-image insecurities and “Blame Game” deals with the aspects of victim-blaming in cases of sexual assault and harassment. All in all, Beach Bunny offers addictive songs with catchy and clever lyrics that people can listen to and connect with.

Top song(s): “Cloud 9” and “Rearview”

cleopatrick

Suggested by Matao Goey

“They're a really cool rock band from Canada that is releasing their very first album in a few days.”

cleopatrick is a Canadian duo comprised of childhood friends Ian Fraser and Luke Gruntz. Although many people would call them a rock band, the truth is that cleopatrick doesn’t identify with this concept. As Gruntz said in a 2018 interview with Femme Riot, “50 years in the past, the term “Rock” was synonymous with youthful, cliché defying musicians that shared their voices in whatever way they felt in a given moment. It was a frenzied, varying, and passionate kind of music that carried honest messages to its audiences”. However, the duo no longer feels that that is the case with rock nowadays. This perspective of theirs shows how much they value honesty and outspokenness, which are key elements in their music. With their debut album coming out on the 4th of June, cleopatrick is eager to defy the current notion of rock and bring back its original rawness and passion.

Wild Beasts

Photograph: Maxyme G. Delisle Wild Beasts are a British indie band, founded in 2002 that signed to Domino Records in 2007. Its members are Hayden Thorpe (vocals and guitar), Ben Little (guitar), Chris Talbot (drums) and Tom Fleming (bass). Wild Beasts were active for over a decade before splitting in 2017. They garnered much praise from critics and were even nominated for the Mercury Prize for their second album “Two Dancers”. Throughout their career, they distinguished themselves in the music scene for their unique sound and style, as well as their lyrics, which revolved around the themes of lust, masculinity. Even though a very well accomplished band, Wild Beasts still managed to remain out of sight for many people, so they’re music is really worth giving a try for those who haven’t already.

Top song(s): “Mecca”

Vitalism

Suggested by Rayaan Neem (Y11.1)

“They are relatively unknown and interesting, in my opinion.”

Vitalism is a Progressive Metal/Djent band based in Rio de Janeiro. Founded by guitarist Ed Garcia in 2014, its other members are Lucas Moscardini (guitar), Marvin Tabosa (drums) and Andre Casagrande (bass). The band holds an interesting array of influences that go from jazz and samba to different kinds of metal, namely death, prog and thrash. This can be seen in their work, which mainly includes heavy riffs and captivating melodies, but with the occasional addition of some elements of samba and jazz, for example, with the use of the saxophone. Therefore, Vitalism is an interesting band to have a listen to, especially for fans of progressive metal and djent.

Top song(s): “Yamí Obi”

Inhaler

Suggested by Camila Simões (Y12)

Inhaler is a relatively new band that is part of the Ireland rock scene that has been particularly active these past few years. Comprised of Elijah Hewson (vocals and rhythm guitar), Josh Jenkinson (lead guitar), Robert Keating (bass) and Ryan McMahon (drums), the band offers a fresh new alternative rock sound, whilst still referencing back to earlier rock styles provided by bands such as Joy Division, The Stone Roses and The Strokes – the band members’ main inspirations. However, the band’s influences don’t stop here – there is also a big interest in rap, hip hop and EDM, adding more excitement and unpredictability to the band’s work. With their debut album coming out this summer (16th July), many already predict the rise and consequent impact Inhaler will have on the present-day music scene.

Top song(s): “When It Breaks” and “We Have To Move On”

IU Suggested by Margarida Almeida (Y11.1) Source: ILGAN SPORTS “She is an amazing South Korean singer! Her real name is Lee Ji-eun and she was born on the 16th of May 1997. She's quite known in Asian countries, especially in South East Asia, but barely known in other regions of the world. Her first song didn't go so well, and she received a lot of hate for it. She was only 15. Nevertheless, 2 years later, she had a hit song that took everyone by surprise (it's called "Good Day"). Even with the kind of weird 2010's "aesthetic" (to put it that way) of the song and MV, it's still a very loved song among fans. Although her music has come a long way since then, the incredible high notes at the end are "Boom" to anyone who hears it. Throughout her career she has covered so many genres of music in songs. She's known to have a specific way of singing that makes her stand out from the crowd as well. I'd describe it as a bit of a sweet soft husky voice, but I don't think it's the right way to name it…” Top song(s): Oh, so many! She does a great range of music genres, having albums and singles that incorporate Ballad, Jazz, Soul, R&B, Pop, and a bit of K-pop, (though she is known for being at the edge of the K-pop spectrum, which contrary to popular belief, includes a huge range of genres):

Earlier work: · “Good Day”, the song that made a boost in her career. · “Hold My Hand” became a very beloved song as well. Adaptation of Korean classics: · The album “A Flower Bookmark”. One of my personal favourite songs is "My Old Story". This album has more ballad songs. · “A Flower Bookmark 2” features songs such as "Autumn Morning" (which low-key reminds me of the "Spirited Away" soundtrack) and "Last night Story", which is more electric guitar-based with a 60s pop vibe to it. Jazzy: · “Modern Times”/ “Modern Times - Epilogue” albums, especially the song "Cat" that she did with another singer, Sunwoojunga. To cry to: · The song "Love poem" is about when you find a loved one isolating themselves, and you feel like you can't do anything about it. · "Above the time", with a folksy and orchestral ballad vibe. R&B: · The single “BBIBBI” Eclectic albums: · Her mini-album "CHAT-SHIRE" features very attractive songs, such as "Twenty-Three". I absolutely love this album of hers, and I think it has a good balance of ballads, such as "Knees" or "The Shower", and more upbeat ones like "Red Queen". · Her album “Palette”, which was almost entirely written by herself, had amazing songs and collabs as well, such as "Through the night", a wonderful ballad, "Palette" ft. G-DRAGON, which is leaning more on the R&B genre, and "Black Out", which is more electric guitar-based and one that I really like. More recent work: · Last year, she released the single "Eight", ft. Suga from BTS. This was quite a hit song, and it was actually the acoustic version of this song that made me get to know her, and come to like her work!!! · “Lilac” is her most recent album. My favourite songs are "Ah Puh" and "My Sea", in which she reaches AMAZING high notes, as well as "Coin", which has an amazing funky vibe to it!

Honourable mentions

These are some artists/bands that were also suggested by OIS students but that didn’t make the list because they can be considered to be already quite popular. However, they are still completely worth giving a listen to, for anyone who hasn’t already:

· AC/DC

Suggested by Nicolò Faibene (Y6.1)

“They are one of my favourite bands, and they are very cool.”

Top song(s): “TNT”, “Back In Black” and many others

· NLE Choppa

· Bruno Mars

Suggested by Frederico Sousa (Y6.2)

“I recommend him because he just released a new song called “Leave the door open”. He started singing at 3 years old and now he is a successful singer and there is a story behind everything. Therefore, I think it would be interesting if he could be added to the next edition of the school newspaper.”

Top song(s): “Leave the Door Open”

· Shawn Mendes

Suggested by Arthur (Y8.1)

“He has a beautiful voice and his songs are amazing!”

Top song(s): “Senorita” (ft. Camilla Cabello)

By Camila Simões Year 12