Genesis Owusu – What an Inventive and creative artist. It was a great suggestion for the podcast that has stuck far beyond our mandated month of listening. There is the obvious Young Fathers comparison to make, but Genesis is far from a redundant overlap. He embraces buoyant R&B elements to achieve just the right balance, where hooks are not sacrificed for indulging in weird experimentalism. It’s always a good sign when you end up digging around in an artist’s back catalogue to add albums to your queue.
Matt Paul
Samia – I’m full of regret that I literally saw some of Samia’s set at a Maggie Rogers gig last November and was probably heading to the bar unaware that her upcoming album would become one of my favourites of 2023. I was immediately enthralled by Samia’s album Honey on the podcast playlist and its blend of genre and lyricism. Songs like ‘Amelia’ and ‘Mad At Me’ quickly became staples for me and I’m hoping for even bigger and better things from Samia in the future. Here’s hoping I don’t ignore her next time she’s on a stage near me.
Sam Atkins
Bawo – It’s an easy way to get someone’s attention: sample one of their beloved artists. So when I heard Bawo’s ‘Stay Close’ on Benji B’s Radio 1 show earlier this year with its prominent Burial sample, you could consider me interested. But on delving further, it was clear that this wasn’t a cheap usage of iconic artist. This was symbolic of Bawo’s craft and musicianship. This is a UK hip hop artist who has a clear love of ambient and electronic music. The instrumentals of his exceptional Legitimate Cause EP are marvels in their own right. I could listen to the gentle keyboards of ‘Turn & Face’ and imagine I was hearing a Boards of Canada demo. And on top of those, his flow is calm and precise, not rushed. Bawo is an artist with substance. His music was an exciting discovery for me this year, and I am hugely excited to see what he does with a longer project.
Tom Burrows
Gently Tender – I think I say this at least once on this list every year, but I discovered this band while I was listening to a playlist of artists from a festival I was planning to attend. Gently Tender instantly spoke to me. Their debut album Take Hold of Your Promise! is full of rousing, captivating songs, fantastic vocal performances, engaging lyrics, and superb musicianship. What more could you want? Listening to their record I was occasionally reminded of Elbow before Elbow turned shit, while at other times feeling like I was listening to a folkier The National. But while watching them perform live at Float Along Festival, I was thinking that comparisons will soon be totally unnecessary – they’re going to be a much loved band entirely of their own making.
Fran Slater
Caroline Polachek – Ok it’s not actually true that I discovered Caroline in 2023. But what I did discover was that she was great and that I really liked her music. Desire I Want to Turn Into You had a big part to play in that, but it was watching her on TV at Glastonbury that really made me sit up and pay attention. Her music is infectious pop, but with dark and unexpected twists. The more she subverts what you expect from a pop star, the better it gets. She takes influences from some objectively shit turn of the millenium music (see Dido turning up on the album) but entirely without irony…and somehow it works. Another lesson for me this year in investing time in albums so that I’m not later annoyed that their follow-up tour is already over by the time I’m interested. I won’t make the same mistake with Caroline again.
James Spearing
Feeble Little Horse – I always love when an album I check out on a whim pans out. I was immediately delighted when I chucked on Girl with Fish. It’s a kooky album with equal parts fuzz, jangly guitars and charming vocals. What really sets it out from a lot of the alt rock scene right now is the level of experimentation incorporating a variety of styles. For every straightforward rock track like ‘Steam Roller’ (which is still exceptional), you also get something weirder. My favourite being ‘Sweet’ which at first relies on a loud and brash riff at the core, but then finds space for a drum and bass breakdown. It’s bizarre. But it works. If you are someone who loves the fantastic Wednesday release, you should give Feeble Little Horse a try.
Matt Paul
Blondshell – Blondshell’s debut album grabs the attention with its forthright lyrics in the first instance. Songs about love, loss, addiction, recovery, and murder fantasies all thrum with the personality of the person performing them, her words often biting, brutal, and funny. It’s an album that mixes genres – skirting close to grunge at times, skate punk at others, and with choruses that can reek of pure pop. Watching her perform, it feels like Blondshell has been at the top of the music business for a long, long time – if she gets the notice she deserves, she might eventually be there.
Fran Slater
Kara Jackson – I didn’t know of Kara Jackson when the clock struck midnight on 1st January. Within a month however I was hotly anticipating whatever she was going to do next.
What grabbed me immediately on listening to ‘Dickhead Blues’ was her voice. Deep and full-bodied in the manner of Nina Simone, it commands attention and forces you to listen to every word.
When her debut album arrived in April, I found it to be not quite the instant album of the year I thought that it would be. Some of the songs were a little meandering for my liking, but when it hits, it hits hard. The title track is frankly devastating – not only in Jackson’s lyricism, but also in the sublime production that winds with the narrative. I found 2023 to be a year where truly great musical moments felt lacking, but this was one to cherish.
Tom Burrows
Holysseus Fly – now this one was a genuine new discovery, and a brand new artist as that. ‘Within the Water’ gently filled my ears from the radio early one morning. When challenged with the question of ‘what sort of music is it?’ when casually mentioning I was going to her gig, I clumsily called it ‘like a jazzier Self Esteem’. That’s of course incredibly reductive, but there is some truth in it – she started off in a jazz band (Ishmael Ensemble) and is now making feminist pop anthems, and putting on live shows that far exceed the scale of the venues she’s performing in. There’s dance, drama and incredible musicianship to be seen. An album is due in 2024 so I recommend you get listening and discover her, and her live shows too, for yourself next year. In the meantime her excellent ‘Birthpool’ EP is ready and waiting for you to listen right now. So go. Get on with it!
James Spearing
Picky Bastards 
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