Skip to content
Premieres

SPIN Picks: 8 Undiscovered Bands Worth a Listen

The-Kindness.jpg

Recently, SPIN and music community website Sonicbids teamed up to bring worthy new bands the attention they deserve. Tonight at midnight EST, Boston radio station WFNX will broadcast the latest installment of the SPIN/Sonicbids Emerging Artists’ Showcase, featuring eight cool new bands from around the world, hand-picked by SPIN.com staffers from more than 500 submissions. (Tune in to 101.7 FM in the Boston area or listen live online via wfnx.com). Scroll down to meet these up-and-comers, snag a song from each, and click their website links to find out more!

To be considered for future shows, click here to find out more.

Golden Bloom

Hometown: New York, NY
Recommended if you like… Wilco, Matthew Sweet
Why we picked them: We’re admittedly big Wilco fans, and “Doomsday Devices” feels like a great b-side from the Summerteeth era.
Links: MySpace | Official siteListen: Golden Bloom, “Doomsday Devices”(DOWNLOAD MP3)

(Full disclosure: After we selected Golden Bloom, we discovered that the band’s drummer was Michael Azerrad, a frequent SPIN contributor.)

The Plastic Pals

Hometown: Stockholm, Sweden
Recommended if you like… XTC, True Love
Why we picked them: Their danceable power pop hooks feel forged on the dancefloor of some great ’80s high school movie, and Håkan “Hawk” Soold’s deep baritone adds crooner charisma.
Link: Official siteListen: The Plastic Pals, “She’s Going Back”(DOWNLOAD MP3)

Receptors

Hometown: Roanoke, VA
Recommended if you like… Super Mario Bros.!
Why we picked them: As kids, we couldn’t even beat Tetris on a GameBoy. This electronic producer, aka Jeremy Kolosine, makes full-blown dance anthems out of Game Boy sounds.
Link: MySpaceListen: Receptors, “Drill Baby Drill”(DOWNLOAD MP3)

On Blast

Hometown: Long Beach, CA
Recommended if you like… She Wants Revenge, Kill Hannah
Why we picked them: SoCal has an insatiable thirst for gloomy, Joy Division-inspired dance rock, and On Blast is their new vodka-Red Bull.
Link: MySpaceListen: On Blast, “Wanna Lose Control”(DOWNLOAD MP3)

The Soundscapes

Hometown: New York, NY
Recommended if you like… Interpol, Editors
Why we picked them: The post-punk dance scene might be waning, but these Brazilian-born brothers aren’t ready to relinquish their droning guitars and insistent rhythms.
Link: MySpaceListen: The Soundscapes, “Tides of Time”(DOWNLOAD MP3)

and the relatives

Hometown: Nashville, TN
Recommended if you like… The Black Keys, Catfish Haven
Why we picked them: This trio has no desire to adorn their teeth-gnashing, blues-rock riffage with frills or filler. Succinct, straightforward, and soulful.
Link: MySpace | Holly House MusicListen: and the relatives, “Cowboy Jazz”(DOWNLOAD MP3)

The Kindness Kind

Hometown: Seattle, WA
Recommended if you like… The Rosebuds, The Submarines
Why we picked them: This quintet’s refined, twinkly-eyed pop provides a backdrop for Alessandra Rose’s flapper-era vocals to shine.
Link: Official siteListen: The Kindness Kind, “Beautiful Souls”(DOWNLOAD MP3)

Elusive Parallelograms

Hometown: Milwaukee, WI
Recommended if you like… Chester French, the Von Bondies
Why we picked them: Who says psychedelia-influenced, shoegazer guitar riffs need to last five minutes a pop? These fellas have a knack for condensing the fuzz.
Link: MySpaceListen: Elusive Parallelograms, “Asleep”(DOWNLOAD MP3)