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BINKI

Sunshine indie-funk from the buzzy Brooklyn dweller

If we had a pound for every time we’d been inclined to describe a new artist as genre-fluid recently, we’d be… well, substantially richer; these days, kids don’t give a fuck about traditional musical barriers, and 22-year-old Brooklyner binki is no exception. Smashing together hazy summer funk, rap, indie and bedroom-style production smarts, he’s all your faves rolled into one - with some earworms already in his arsenal to boot. LISTEN: ‘Heybb!’ is what you’d get if slowthai went funk. SIMILAR TO: A one-man, NYC-centric Easy Life.

FOLLY GROUP

Twitchy, tetchy sounds - for the back room pub gig and the club.

London’s Folly Group understand that a wise band in 2020 has their fingers in many pies - why limit yourself to one niche when you can have two? And so, following both of their taught, antsy post-punk releases so far (‘Butt No Rifle’ and ‘Fewer Closer Friends’), they’ve offered up ‘FG’s Club Flip Remix’ - gnarly, electronic reworkings of the tracks that take them to a totally different, yet equally intriguing, place. Get yourself a band who can do both. LISTEN: ‘Fewer Closer Friends’ comes on like early These New Puritans on their angriest day. SIMILAR TO: Your day-tonight playlist in one band.

FILM NOIR

Can Parisians get any cooler than this? Probs not tbh.

With a name like Film Noir, it comes as little surprise that this Parisian quintet also double as purveyors of dark and smoky garage-rock. Fronted by actress and film director Joséphine de la Baume, alongside her brother Alexandré, the band ooze a sense of effortless cool in exactly the way you’d hope: recent single ‘My Love’ is a woozy, bittersweet effort, while new EP ‘Tendrément,’ sees them venture into softer, more sentimental territory. LISTEN: Recent singles ‘‘Château d’eau’ and ‘My Love’. SIMILAR TO: A more melancholic Tarantino soundtrack.

BALMING TIGER

The musical collective reinventing K-Pop.

Self-described as a “multinational alternative K-pop band”, Balming Tiger are a hip hop collective crafting instantly-infectious beats paired with captivating visuals. The Seoul-based band - who currently have nine members - are gearing up to release a new compilation album towards the end of the year. Taking their name from the beloved Tiger Balm, they’re aiming on becoming just as much of a worldwide craze, and we’re here for it. LISTEN: In their own words, ‘Armadillo’ is a certified “scene steala”. SIMILAR TO: The cool new collective coming for BROCKHAMPTON’s crown.

BLACKABY

The London-based indie outfit soundtracking sadness in fun AF bops.

Spearheaded by songwriter and multi-instrumentalist William Blackaby, Blackaby have already been making their name in the London live scene and now they’re getting ready to try and infiltrate ears off stage too. With their debut EP set to land later this month, the group soundtrack sadness in glistening bops, perfect for when you wanna have a lil cry and dance simultaneously. LISTEN: Title track of debut EP ‘What’s On The TV?’ may be short but it’s hella sweet. SIMILAR TO: Sad undercurrents surrounded by sweet sounds à la Matt Maltese and Jerkcurb.