Ones To Watch: The Top 20 Artists Set To Conquer 2023 – Part One

New year, new music.

After the turbulent year that was 2022, it goes without saying that we could all do with a quiet year. Lo and behold though, for it seems 2023 just looks to be as frantic of a year as the last. Thankfully, with the towering shadow of covid now withdrawing, it appears the world of music is bustling once more. Granted, to say to industry is in ideal health would be an utter fallacy, but never-the-less, we are seeing a mass emergence of new talent from all across the alternative contemporary spectrum. So with that in mind, we present the first part of the bands set to completely make 2023 their own.

Forlorn

Conjuring the bewitching consolidation of modern brutalised sonic mastery with the rapid spiral dance into Scandinavian pagan worship, the Big Smoke/Somersetonian quintet Forlorn carved a distinct mark on the heavy music community despite their stunted growth due to the endless flow of lockdowns that plagued the British isles. Upon being forced into an elongated respite only weeks into presenting their double debut singles ‘Erased’ and ‘Emotionless’, re-evaluations of the bands purpose and stylistic endeavours took centre stage as the possibility of touring became rather inconceivable; when inspiration sprouted surrounding a fascination with the contemporary classic folklore horror film Midsommar, it proved to be a delectable combination come experimenting with the dichotomy of savage etherealism on their late summer of 2020 single ‘Colour Lost’.

With such a milestone in their sacred evolution conquered, their 2022 string of enchanting singles which fully embraced the Swedish cultist aesthetic including ‘Old Wounds’, ‘Hold Me’ and ‘Redeem, Release’, were met with widespread acclaim and overwhelming elation come the promise of further reconnaissance into their immanent divinity. Such impactful creativity from these kindred spirits is to be an expected ongoing offering, one of which you would be a fool to pass up on. – Bennie Osborne

Going Off

Typically, a band’s moniker is a suggestion of their sound. Though saying that, Going Off’s namesake can’t do the band’s output the justice it’s deserves nor demands. Dealing in the kind of brutalising and borderline feral contemporary hardcore in vein of acts such as Gulch, Candy, Scalp and Times Of Desperation, Going Off are the sound of British hardcore in it’s most intense and violent form. As proven within the band’s two existing extended plays – self -titled and Destroy, both released in 2020 – this band forgo the gimmicks abundant in modern hardcore in favour of maximising the impact of their sound. There’s no callouts, samples or fumbled attempts in shoehorned genre dynamism to be found here; just fierce and bludgeoning hardcore optimised for maximum conflict and violence.

Appearances with the likes of Cruelty, Sworn Enemy and Full Contact have made this fact physically palpable – often to an injuring degree – but it’s the band forthcoming LP debut What Makes You Tick that’s set to see Going Off spin-kicking the scene into top gear. Released February 24^th via Church Road Records, the record is musical violence distilled into audible form, with the band adding further groove, haste and aggression into their mix. There’s nothing subtle to be found here, just hard and relentless music for increasingly hard and relentless times. – Dan Hillier

Sleemo

Taking a listen to Sleemo’s smattering of singles and EPs since their formation in 2019 you would be surprised to know that this Norwich trio have not been around that long and that they are much younger than many of their peers. The depth and maturity in their song writing is astounding. 2022 saw two new singles in ‘Dog’ and ‘For The Honest’ which continue to shape them as genreless to a degree within the realms of rock.

Incorporating elements of noise-punk, doom, post-hardcore and indie they are a gripping listen if anything else. ‘Dog’ is bass heavy with chaotic drums with a stomach grumbling breakdown yet the vocals set them apart from these features with Rival Schools-esque clarity and tone. In thanks to their skill, they have already found themslelves sharing stages with Jamie Lenman and Palm Reader whilst also winning ‘Best Alternative Ast’ at the New Music Generator Awards. As well as plays on BBC Introducing, people have been paying attention to what these three fresh faced talented gents have been up to and what is next. With a potential release coming this year on Beth Shalom Records you should keep an eye out too. – Adam Vallely

Scowl

Californian four-piece Scowl have already been making some pretty big waves in the last couple of years with their uniquely unrelenting yet positive brand of hardcore. Releasing their debut album How Flowers Grow in late 2021, Scowl have toured consistently since including supporting big names like Touché Amoré, Limp Bizkit, The Bronx and Destroy Boys and with upcoming dates at Outbreak Festival and Coachella. Fronted by firebrand Kat Moss who’s backed by guitarist Malachi Greene, drummer Cole Gilbert and bassist Bailey Lupo, Scowl are an essential live band, with energy and stage presence to match the heavier aspects of their recorded material.

A highlight of their debut album is the single ‘Bloodhound’, with its ominous opening riff and booming drums leading into Moss screeching through a tight minute and a half of hardcore chaos. Don’t write Scowl off as one note, with tracks like ‘Seeds to Sow’ and their latest offering ‘Opening Night’ showing off their more thoughtful side with hardcore drums backing clean vocals and a haunting brass section. Through dedication to their live show Scowl are steadily becoming one of the most hyped bands around, they’re bound to be back before long – and with new music in tow. You’d be a fool to miss out. – Tom Bruce

Mutant Thoughts

If you like your music funky, experimental and full of atmosphere get ready to meet your new favourite band Mutant Thoughts. Hailing from Bristol, Mutant Thoughts draw on influences as varied as The Mars Volta, Holy Fuck, Alpha Male Tea Party, Mogwai and the Latin beats of frontman Han Luis Cera’s native country of Colombia. The trio, rounded out by bassist Josh Lennox-Hilton and Paolo Adamo, have become darlings of ArcTanGent Festival, receiving considerable praise for their set opening the festival in 2022, with an innovative and upbeat live show it’s easy to see why they’re catching tastemakers’ eyes.

A highlight of Mutant Thoughts’ career has been their single ‘Unwanted Song’ which really leans into their prog-rock inspirations with effect drenched vocals and prominent, swaggering bass building to a tight synth jam. For post-rock connoisseurs their track ‘Hold On’ is bound to become a firm favourite, combining understated piano layers and subtle vocals with an earworm synth line and inspiring chorus. Mutant Thoughts have spent the last few years building up steam, gaining buzz for their unstoppable live shows and unique sound, anyone looking for the freshest, weirdest, grooviest music around should keep this band on their radar. – Tom Bruce

Novustory

Manchester Rock band Novustory have been prolific throughout 2022 having dropped a few singles that culminated in the September release of ‘Give Me Fire’ followed by some relentless touring towards the end of the year. Largely supported by the devoted fanbase the band have built as well as crafting the means to enable them independence. This includes the studio (Esche Haus Recording Studios) they built from scratch, amassing a following on Tik Tok and instagram following as well as having an ethos of community and engagement that many bands and artists can’t keep up with, its a recipe for success. Novustory are showing how its done with their incredible DIY ethos and are unafraid to embed openness and inclusivity into their community bringing about a sense of unity in their unconformity.

Musically the band take hard rock and turn it up to 11 with high octane melodies and riffs, which combined with a powerhouse vocalist in Imogen Storey, they are largely unstoppable. The band are unsigned and therefore entirely in their own driving seat so the future is very much in their hands, and what that could mean for them in 2023 could be exciting indeed. – Jac Holloway

New Pagans

Those well versed in either in the burgeoning Ireland scene or brilliant indie-punk as a whole will no doubt be well acquainted with this band. For those not, something brilliant awaits. Inspired by the likes of Sonic Youth, Lankum and Pixies whilst tapping into the vein of indie-punk also a part of the autonomy of acts such as Milk Teeth, Cherym and Muncie Girls, New Pagans are a crucial proposition for anyone with even the slightest interest in this genre.

Whilst their 2021 debut The Seeds, The Vessels, The Roots And All stood as a fantastic albeit underappreciated introduction to this band, it was one that highlighted the band’s introspective approach to emotive fuzzed out songwriting and also a platform that propelled the act to appear alongside Skunk Anansie, Frank Turner and Dinosaur Pile-Up alongside appearances at the likes of 2000 Trees, Lost Evenings and OK? Festival. Now with their namesake established, 2023 is the year where they surge to the big leagues. This week the band will be releasing their brilliant second record Making Circles Of Our Own via Big Scary Monsters. A major step up from their debut record that was already great in it’s own right, the album is one that showcases the band’s intricate songwriting and vocalist Lyndsey Mcdougall’s provoking and poignant lyricism and storytelling. With a highly anticipated tour through our shores forthcoming and with further appearances no doubt impending, New Pagans are undoubtedly a band that one will be encountering a lot this year, and for brilliant reason too. – Dan Hillier

Real Terms

Despite being an amalgamation of genres that’s often at the receiving end of bewildered intrigue, math-pop has slowly but welcomingly become a dotted fixture in the contemporary music sphere. Whilst acts such as Tricot, Don Caballero, Battles, TTNG and Minus The Bear helped place the genre on the international radar, it’s been fresh faced names such as Orchards, FES, Lakes and Sleep Outside that have placed the UK scene near the circumference of focus. Now, Real Terms are here to help jettison our native scene into the forefront. Endorsed by the arbiters of the genre Delta Sleep and signed to their own label Sofa Boy Records, Real Terms are a haplessly lovable creative wonder that fuse mature and jazz-orientated songwriting with a sense of charming childish wonder. The group’s debut 2020 EP Housework wonderfully showcased this, with it’s enduring and expertly composed contents drawing comparisons to the likes of the aforementioned likes of TTNG and Tricot alongside acts such as Everything Everything and Dirty Projectors in thanks to it’s eclectic and wide-angled sound. However, it’s set to be their forthcoming debut Vantage that is set to truly showcase their prowess.

Released on February 24^th and inspired by a broad range of acts that span the alternative music spectrum as a whole, the record is an intricate documentation of fluid creativity as a whole. Full of pop hooks and calculated songwriting, Vantage is a body of work of universal appeal and lovable charisma, and with a tour forthcoming in support of the record, 2023 is the year where all with a love for experimental guitar driven pop will get to terms with this brilliant band. – Dan Hillier

Blank Atlas

Like emotive and touching rock music? Also love your emotions gut punched with big riffs? Then look no further. Blank Atlas are a UK rock trio hailing from Bristol and are firmly living in a world where they can be as unhinged and creative in their writing process as they wish. The band have been releasing a string of singles since August 2022 and it would be safe to say they have been as diverse as they have been impressive.

Take their latest release ‘Beautiful Morning’, a beautifully solemn anthem that would be for fans of Fatherson or Holding Absence, or perhaps ‘Eat Thy Neighbour, a crunchy, hard-hitting slab of math rock with brilliant chaotic time signatures combined with melodies akin to the like of Press To Meco, Blank Atlas will not be confined to a box and nor should they. With these singles being the first releases we have seen in a couple of years from the band, it is safe to say it feels as though they have returned with a sense of refreshed vigour and it is exciting to see what might be next. – Jac Holloway

BENZO QUEEN

Five minutes thirty seven seconds. That’s how long BENZO QUEEN need to get their point across. Self described as “horrible noise punk with synths,” the Bristol threesome grab you by the short and curlies and drag you face first through an onslaught of speedy punk style drumming and swirling psychedelic synth lines reminiscent of early Genghis Tron. Their latest EP SEE YA! landed on 27 January, and even despite the short EP only being their second body of work, their EP launch party alongside Skin Failure and Peach sold out in advance. That is a testament to the noisy buggers’ sardonic playful style epitomised through their release last year, You Never Take Me Anywhere Nice. Punny track titles, catchy synth, and fuzzed out bass lines, make it hard not to see BENZO QUEEN going from strength to strength in 2023. Their abrasive chaotic style is hard not to like, it’ll have heads bobbing, pits forming and (no doubt) elbows being thrown in a (hopefully) friendly manner. – Rob Bown