Rising Artists to Watch This Month: The Next Wave of Sound
Forget algorithms and industry hype lists for a moment. The real thrill of music discovery lies in that electric moment when you find an artist on the cusp of breaking through—raw, undeniable, and speaking directly to the future. This month’s crop of rising talent is particularly rich, spanning genre-defying experiments, viral grassroots movements, and prodigious voices poised for the mainstream. These are the artists generating undeniable buzz, selling out their first headline shows, and creating the songs you’ll claim you knew about "way back when."
Here are the 10 Rising Artists You Need to Know This Month.
1. juliet (stylized lowercase)
Genre: Dark Pop, Alt-R&B
For Fans Of: FKA twigs, Sevdaliza, early The Weeknd
The Sound: Imagine a haunted ballroom in a digital void. juliet’s music is a masterclass in atmospheric tension, built on skittering, minimalist percussion, glacial synths, and her own voice—which can shift from a whispered confession to a soaring, aching soprano. It’s pop music deconstructed into shadow and light.
Start With: "mausoleum" – A chillingly beautiful track about love as a burial ground. The production is sparse, letting her evocative lyrics ("I built a home in your ribcage / Now I'm a ghost in the frame") and stunning vocal control take center stage.
Why Watch This Month: Her self-released debut EP, night garden, is generating a fervent underground following. She’s just been tapped to open for a major alt-pop act on their European tour, signaling that the industry is catching on to her unique vision.
2. The Scarlet
Genre: Garage Rock Revival, Punk Blues
For Fans Of: The Strokes (early days), The Kills, IDLES
The Sound: Unapologetically loud, dirty, and urgent. This NYC-based quartet deals in razor-sharp guitar riffs, pounding rhythms, and frontwoman Anya Petrova’s sneering, charismatic vocals. Their songs are short, explosive bursts of urban anxiety and rebellious euphoria, recorded with a "live-in-a-room" energy that’s desperately missing from much modern rock.
Start With: "Circuit Breaker" – A three-minute adrenaline shot. The propulsive bassline, dueling guitars, and Petrova’s declaration of emotional overload ("I'm a live wire, tripping on the ceiling") make it an instant classic for rock purists.
Why Watch This Month: They’ve just sold out three back-to-back nights at Brooklyn’s iconic Baby’s All Right purely on word-of-mouth. A major indie label bidding war is reportedly underway, and their next hometown show is the hottest ticket in the city's rock scene.
3. Mateo Royale
Genre: Chamber Soul, Baroque Pop
For Fans Of: Laufey, Jacob Collier, Bruno Major
The Sound: A 22-year-old multi-instrumentalist and arranger, Mateo makes soul music for a concert hall. He writes timeless melodies about modern heartache, then surrounds them with lush, surprising arrangements—fluttering woodwinds, dramatic string quartets, jazz-inflected piano runs. It feels both classic and startlingly fresh, bridging the gap between Stevie Wonder and Bach.
Start With: "Fool's Gold Standard" – A waltzing, heartbreaking ballad about valuing the wrong things in love. The moment the cello and clarinet intertwine behind his flawless, emotive vocal is pure magic.
Why Watch This Month: His TikTok videos of him composing complex string parts in his bedroom have gone viral, showcasing a rare musical intellect. His debut single is climbing jazz and adult alternative charts, proving there's a massive audience hungry for sophisticated, beautifully crafted songwriting.
4. LEECH
Genre: Industrial Hip-Hop, Hardcore
For Fans Of: JPEGMAFIA, City Morgue, early Death Grips
The Sound: Aggressive, experimental, and confrontational. LEECH is the duo (producer Void and MC Serrate) soundtracking the digital collapse. Tracks are built from distorted samples, glitching video game sounds, and punishing 808s, over which Serrate delivers visceral, often abstract bars with a palpable rage. It’s not for the faint of heart, but it’s pushing boundaries.
Start With: "CRYPTID.exe" – A chaotic, two-minute mosh pit in audio form. The beat switches three times, the vocal delivery is unhinged, and it leaves you breathless. It’s become an anthem in niche gaming and underground club scenes.
Why Watch This Month: Their self-released mixtape, ERROR CODE: 0xDEAD, is a cult sensation. They’re pioneering a new, internet-native sound that’s attracting attention from the high-fashion and avant-garde art worlds, signaling a crossover moment for extreme electronic music.
5. Sienna Blue
Genre: Cosmic Country, Desert Rock
For Fans Of: Mazzy Star, Orville Peck, Hand Habits
The Sound: Hailing from the high desert of Arizona, Sienna Blue’s music is vast, hazy, and sun-bleached. Her voice is a haunting, ethereal instrument floating over pedal steel guitars, slow-burning psychedelic grooves, and lyrics about isolation, cowboys, and the ghosts of highways. It’s country music viewed through a heat shimmer.
Start With: "Tumbleweed Heart" – A slow-rolling, cinematic beauty. The spacious production makes you feel the desert sky, and her melancholic melody lingers long after the song ends. Perfect for a late-night drive under open skies.
Why Watch This Month: She’s been championed by influential indie radio stations and is a featured artist on several "Next Wave of Country" playlists that are looking beyond Nashville’s mainstream. Her debut album, produced by a noted indie rock veteran, is due this fall and is one of the season’s most anticipated indie releases.
6. Kaiyo
Genre: Afro-Futurist Electronica, Soul
For Fans Of: Blood Orange, Solange, Ibeyi
The Sound: British-Nigerian producer and vocalist Kaiyo creates soundscapes that are both organic and digitally pristine. She layers traditional West African percussion and harmonies with sleek synths, complex rhythms, and neo-soul vocals. Thematically, she explores diaspora, identity, and technology with a poetic, optimistic grace.
Start With: "Ojú Àlà" (The Mirror) – A mesmerizing, rhythmically intricate track about self-reflection. The blend of talking drum patterns with a cool, contemporary bassline is genius.
Why Watch This Month: She just performed a stunning, critically acclaimed set at a major European festival (like Glastonbury's BBC Introducing stage), winning over a massive new audience. Major fashion houses are using her music in their shows, cementing her status as a defining voice of a new, global aesthetic.
7. The Static Age
Genre: Post-Punk Revival, Gothic Rock
For Fans Of: Interpol, She Wants Revenge, Molchat Doma
The Sound: Moody, driving, and impeccably dressed. This trio revives the dark, danceable heart of early-80s post-punk with a modern sheen. Think propulsive basslines, shimmering, chorus-drenched guitars, and a baritone vocal delivery that’s equal parts detached and intense. It’s music for crowded, smoke-filled clubs at 1 AM.
Start With: "Neon Wounds" – An instant classic of the genre. The bass hook is irresistible, the guitar lines are razor-sharp, and the chorus is hauntingly catchy. It sounds like it traveled through time from 1982.
Why Watch This Month: They’ve built a massive, dedicated following on TikTok by perfectly nailing a specific, nostalgia-tinged aesthetic. Their DIY tours are selling out, and the resurgence of interest in post-punk has positioned them perfectly to lead the new wave.
8. Lola Menthol
Genre: Hyperpop Adjacent, Bedroom Glitch
For Fans Of: Charli XCX (PC Music era), underscores, 100 gecs
The Sound: Unpredictable, sugary, and digitally chaotic. Lola constructs pop songs from the detritus of the internet—glitched vocals, video game sound effects, pitched-up samples, and unexpectedly tender melodies. It’s bubblegum pop put through a woodchipper and reassembled into something strangely beautiful and emotionally resonant.
Start With: "dial-up heart" – A frenetic, two-minute blast of longing. The track uses the iconic sound of a dial-up modem connection as a rhythmic element, framing a surprisingly sweet lyric about digital connection and loneliness.
Why Watch This Month: She’s at the forefront of the post-hyperpop movement, where digital chaos meets genuine songcraft. Her collaborations with other niche online producers are becoming legendary in certain circles, and she represents the sound of a generation that grew up authentically online.
9. River Whyless
Genre: Appalachian Folk, Progressive Americana
For Fans Of: The Lone Bellow, Watchhouse, The Oh Hellos
The Sound: A quartet from the mountains of North Carolina, their sound is deeply rooted in folk tradition but fiercely innovative. Complex four-part harmonies, virtuosic fiddle and banjo work, and poetic, nature-based songwriting are their foundation. But they aren't afraid to incorporate elements of art-rock, complex time signatures, and expansive arrangements.
Start With: "The Fox & The Falcon" – A narrative tour-de-force that builds from a gentle acoustic beginning into a roaring, fiddle-led crescendo. The storytelling is vivid, and the musical interplay is breathtaking.
Why Watch This Month: They are the darlings of the NPR Music and folk festival circuit, winning awards and earning standing ovations for their live shows, which are known for their raw power and communal spirit. They are redefining what "American folk music" can be.
10. OMI
Genre: Alternative R&B, Trip-Hop
For Fans Of: SZA, James Blake, Tirzah
The Sound: Intimate, textured, and hypnotic. OMI’s music lives in the space between sleep and wakefulness. Her production is built on warm, dusty loops, muted beats, and submerged bass, creating a hazy cocoon for her breathy, confessional vocals. The lyrics dissect modern relationships and anxiety with a sharp, poetic eye.
Start With: "Static" – A slow-burning masterpiece of tension. The minimalist production focuses entirely on the ache in her voice as she sings about a relationship stuck in place. It’s devastatingly effective.
Why Watch This Month: After quietly releasing a series of stunning singles, she was handpicked by a superstar R&B artist to open on their upcoming arena tour—a career-making opportunity that will expose her deeply personal sound to millions.
How to Stay Ahead of the Curve:
Follow Curators, Not Just Charts: Seek out Spotify playlists like "Lorem," "Junkyard," or "Altar" and Apple Music's "The New Rock" or "Future Soul."
Dig into Festival Lineups: Look beyond the headliners at festivals like SXSW, Governors Ball, or Primavera Sound. The artists on the second and third lines are often these future stars.
Trust Your Local Scene: The artists selling out 200-500 capacity venues in your city right now are likely the national breakouts of next year.
The future of music isn't a mystery—it's being written right now in bedrooms, practice spaces, and small clubs by these very artists. Dive in, listen closely, and you can say you were there from the beginning.