Polish duo BORDER impress intensely with their recent single Fading. Something of a nostalgic pop-punk effort with more punk-rock and grit than anything purely pop-inspired, the track features an immense rock set-up of distorted guitars and explosive drums, but counters and contrasts this brilliantly from one moment to the next.

Hard RockPunkPunk RockRock

I’ll Be Your Dog is a rather simple but stunning folk-country single, something like Micah P Hinson, but perhaps more joyful – a mellow groove, a colourful vibe, and a beautifully interesting voice. The single is self-defined as an ode to Bob Dylan’s Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid, and welcomes an Americana set-up that quickly transports you to the centre of the live performance.

AcousticAmericanaCountryFolkSongwriter

Taiwan’s sykii blends the atmospheric nostalgia of electronic trip-hop and lo-fi production, with mellow but sharp, smart bars, and a distinct vocal tone that naturally helps set the sound apart.

Hip HopRap

Brilliantly confident, quiet but up-tempo, unforgiving and loaded with lyrical gems. Osaragi is an insanely good modern hip hop track, and is simple in set-up but immediately distinct. Lefistos! clearly brings something fearlessly original to the scene, and his intelligent writing style and modest vocal tone unite with seamless swagger and charm.

Hip HopRap

Poetic songwriting is key, finding a new way of framing a somewhat familiar sentiment or introspection, and then building a story and song around that central idea. The Architect encapsulates the value of that approach, quite literally in fact, and while the style is nothing ground-breaking, it doesn’t need to be.

Folk PopPopSongwriter

Spellbinding acoustic folk, a familiar style with divinely intimate vocals, reflecting on a subject matter with poignant vulnerability. Wren Arkose unite poetic short lines with a deeply introspective account of a life lived amidst the struggle of anorexia, for the powerful and gripping single Bones.

FolkSongwriter