Freshmen Class of 2023
A couple of weeks ago, we wrapped 2023 up with a look back on our favourite music from Singapore last year. To bring that spirit forwards, we’re also spotlighting 10 exciting new voices in Singaporean music worth watching closely over the next year. Over the past year, they’ve emerged shown themselves to be shaking and shaping the scene in their own unique ways: we’re bringing you our own freshmen class of 2023!
Credit: Instagram (@deathvalleycc)
DEATH VALLEY COMMUNITY CLUB
Quietly beginning with several lo-fi moodpieces over the past couple of years (2022 re-release ‘Metrosexual’ is a ghostly highlight), Death Valley Community Club’s whispery folk-pop has secretly made for Singapore’s most beautifully understated atmospherics. With dreamy guitars and tape-recorder soundscapes to match, Phoebe Bridgers fans ought to beware: now a full band, they’re taking on a more decidedly emo-adjacent direction – an exciting foray to watch.
Check them out: ‘Respite’
Credit: Elgin Huang Jiale (@elgin_huang_jiale)
SCUMBOYS
Ready to blow out the subs at any rave, SCUMBOYS are finally ushering in their hyper/drain-pilled insanity with pride. Spearheaded by ringleader demostar and turbocharged by co-conspirators ITCHYNAPPER, vyndicate and jumble, the upstart quartet bring the distortion to match, all while marking the currents of what will surely be a growing sound on Singaporean shores.
Check them out: ‘X-ray Vision’
IG // Spotify // Soundcloud
Credit: Instagram (@nosedivedive)
NOSEDIVE
Shoegaze is having a big moment these couple of years, and that’s no different in Singapore too, having had a long-running legacy of the genre since the mid-2010s. Working upon a palette of twin-vocal harmonies alongside hooks equally speedy and swirling, Nosedive charm with elements equally reminiscent of Slowdive and LSD and the Search for God – currently recording their debut effort, they’re primed to spearhead a new generation of gazers in town.
Watch here: ‘Rocket’
IG // Soundcloud
Credit: Jesryn D’Souza (@trublujes)
FEELSLIKEYOU
Taking notes from shoegaze’s emo-adjacent faces (the band name a seemingly fitting Whirr reference), sludgy tones and downer moods rule for pedalstare newcomers feelslikeyou. Delivering tornado-like walls with tone worthy of their founding references, these upstarts are ready to relish in the reverb and fuzz: allowing their dreamy leads and anxious reveries take you away.
Check them out: ‘Summer’
Credit: Instagram (@daneshleonadi)
DANESH LEONADI
Packing lush production chops and a majestic, rich voice to beat, smoky singer-songwriter Danesh Leonadi’s sweeping pop confessionals aim for the heartstrings with plenty of bombast. The John Legend comparisons are welcome: hear the romantics of his single ‘Godsent Mistake’ and take yourself to town.
Check them out: ‘Godsent Mistake’
Credit: Farid Ilyasha (@faridilyasha_)
RHYU
With understated songwriting accompanied by an already well-mastered balance between radio-friendliness and lush experimentation, Rhyu’s gorgeous jazz pop already seems destined for great things. Whether it be cheeky bossa nova (‘Kaleidoscope’) to vulnerable sincerity (‘Falling Behind’) and heart wrenching refrains (her breakout ‘It’s fine’), her breathtaking vocal performances display a musical maturity beyond her years – all pointing to a star in the making.
Check them out: ‘It’s fine’
Credit: Instagram (@sleepyreggy)
REGINA SONG
Weaving tales of adolescent love and heartache with a charismatic pop sheen, Regina Song’s magnetic energy and spunky performances permeate through her exuberant hooks and playful lyrics. Whether it be pop-punk flavour on “heartache frenzy” to gentle earworms (“high school boy”), it's exciting to see where the singer-songwriter will take off in the following year.
Check them out: ‘heartache frenzy’
Credit: Venus Oh (@venusproblematics)
INTERMISSION
Whether it be channelling punk-adjacent classics (Talking Heads, The Velvet Underground), post-punk revivalists (Interpol, Parquet Courts), or Indonesian scene staples (The SIGIT, The Jansen), the rising quartet are dedicated students of their form with a refreshing concoction of influences on their sleeve. With great hooks and biting, absurdist lyricism, they write anthems for the reckless abandon that come with young Singaporean adulthood.
Check them out: ‘Enjoy Your Life’
Credit: Jesryn D’Souza (@trublujes)
BELLIED STAR
Writing big reverential love letters to ‘90s grunge and punk rock, Bellied Star’s chunky riffs and pummeling drums crank up the fuzz with ferocity that would make Dave Grohl proud. Having constantly gigged within Singapore’s underground circuit over the past year and a half, the young quartet bring back plentiful teenage angst and a relentless DIY spirit in their killer shows: rock ‘n’ roll baby!
Watch here: ‘Josephine’
Credit: Instagram (@icybp.ent)
Icy BP
I mean, just look at this photo! That really says it all for the duo if Ray Martin and MF Bill – there’s Carti-esque hooks and cut-throat verses, emotional Jersey-club bounce, and even reggaeton and nu-metal sheen ready to go. Bringing a genre-defying take on Singaporean rap, Icy BP’s future only teases more excitement on the horizon – TAK CUKUP waiting for sure.
