Our regular look at artists worth paying attention to now.
Three acts with new music, growing momentum and a reason to get on your radar before everybody else catches up.
– WORDS BY JAMBALOO EDITORIAL TEAM
RIP Magic
London four-piece RIP Magic have quickly established themselves as one of the more intriguing new acts emerging from Britain’s underground music scene. Their debut album, 1,2,3, released October 30 through section1, brings together dance-punk, dub, hip-hop and experimental pop in a remarkably unpredictable collection of songs.
Perhaps most surprisingly, it’s essentially a rock album without guitars. Marco Pini, Felix Bayley-Higgins, Beth Boswell-Knight and Pedro Takahashi build their music around live drums, bass, synthesizers and samples, creating arrangements that frequently shift direction without warning. Recent single “Stadium Drive” captures that approach particularly well, combining hip-hop-influenced vocals with an enormous, almost carnivalesque production.
The group have already attracted some influential supporters. James Murphy produced their single “5words,” while extensive touring alongside Tame Impala, LCD Soundsystem and Fcukers has introduced their music to increasingly large audiences.
Their unconventional approach even extended to the album launch, which saw 1,2,3 played through approximately twenty modified car sound systems at a South London gathering.
With their first American headline shows scheduled for November, RIP Magic appear to be gathering considerable momentum. Their ability to bring together seemingly incompatible musical influences while maintaining an infectious sense of energy makes them a particularly exciting prospect.
Grumpy
Queens-based Grumpy have developed a wonderfully distinctive approach to alternative pop, combining irresistible melodies, eccentric production choices and songwriting that frequently explores surprisingly complicated emotional territory. Led by Heaven Schmitt, the project has evolved into a six-piece collective whose latest album, Unfindable Ring, arrived October 23 through Bayonet Records.
The record moves between distorted guitar pop, Americana, electronic experimentation and intimate balladry, often making dramatic stylistic shifts between songs. “Twenty Five,” one of its standout tracks, combines shoegaze-influenced guitars with a nostalgic pop melody while exploring love, identity and the possibility of traveling backward through time.
Elsewhere, “OBL” introduces an entirely different sound, drawing on country music with fiddle, communal vocals and a wonderfully exuberant arrangement. Beneath its celebratory surface, the song addresses the experience of touring America as a predominantly trans band, finding joy and solidarity despite the uncertainty and hostility its members sometimes encounter.
What makes Grumpy especially compelling is the collaborative nature of the project. Schmitt’s bandmates contribute to everything from recording and production to artwork and music videos, creating a shared creative identity that extends well beyond the songs themselves.
With Unfindable Ring, Grumpy have produced a record that is funny, vulnerable, musically adventurous and frequently unpredictable, revealing a band increasingly comfortable following its most unusual instincts.
Blind Yeo
Cornwall’s Blind Yeo occupy a fascinating space between psychedelic rock, experimental folk and hypnotic electronic music. Led by Will Greenham, the group began during lockdown before developing into a loose creative collective centered around Falmouth’s independent arts community. Their debut album, The Lemoine Point, released August 28 through Bongo Joe Records, brings those varied influences together in an absorbing collection of eight tracks.
The band’s formative years included a residency at The Cornish Bank, a community arts space that helped establish their collaborative approach to songwriting and performance. Rather than working within conventional structures, Blind Yeo frequently allow compositions to emerge through improvisation, repetitive rhythms and the interaction of musicians.
Recorded at a disused airfield near St Agnes, The Lemoine Point combines live instrumentation with atmospheric synthesizers, cello and additional strings. Tracks including “Today / Tomorrow,” “Colour Pillow / Kologo” and “Memory to the Soil” reveal a group equally comfortable exploring hypnotic grooves and more delicate, folk-influenced arrangements.
The album’s title references a geometric point of convergence, reflecting the band’s interest in bringing contrasting musical ideas and emotional perspectives together.
With their distinctive live performances and a growing reputation beyond Cornwall, Blind Yeo represent an especially interesting development in contemporary British psychedelia, creating music that feels deeply connected to its surroundings while remaining open to experimentation.
