Just some new music we’re already completely obsessed with

Am I out of the woods yet? Uh, I mean, am I the only one that loves discovering new and awesome music to fall in love with? Sorry, I’m just obsessed with Tay’s new song. When I’m not listening to “Out of the Woods,” I’m looking for incredible new artists to follow. Probably one of my all-time favorite ways to discover new bands is attending the CMJ Music Marathon (which took place last weekend). This event is pretty incredible. Over a thousand bands from all around the world come to NYC to show off their skills and hope to be discovered. And as a fan, it’s just a fun way to find new music that’ll soon be played on repeat.

Now, I may have fallen in love with the following artists at CMJ, but even if you didn’t attend, these are the singers and musicians to get familiar with, and keep an eye on.

1. Jack and Eliza

Two college kids making waves in the indie music scene with their dreamy ‘60s surf-rock harmonies. They are native New Yorkers and currently college sophomores (Jack’s at NYU and Eliza’s at Columbia). They met back in middle school and formed the band around two years ago. Thankfully, family and friends kept encouraging them to write and play together. Now, they’re creating beautiful music together for our ears to hear.

Fun fact: when Eliza was 15, she won the International John Lennon Songwriting Award.

I saw Jack and Eliza perform at the Rockwood Music Hall and they captivated the audience. It’s just the two of them on stage with their electric guitars and that’s all they need to get us hooked. Their music video for “Secrets” was actually filmed in my favorite place–Montauk! (Which is also the home of Ditch Plains, where Eliza likes to surf.)

2. Parlour Tricks

I’ve written about this band before, so they aren’t a new act, but I’ve just discovered their new music and I’m loving it. The band features Lily Claire on lead vocals, Angelo Spagnolo on guitar, Terry Moore on drums, Brian Kesley on bass, and Morgane Moulherat, and Darah Golub on backup vocals/harmonies. With their vintage rock vibes mixed with newer indie-pop beats, they’ll hook you in. You think I’m lying? Check out their music video for “Requiem.” where they all learn/put together a dance routine throughout the video.

I caught them at The Living Room in Brooklyn and they were great. Lily’s passionate facial expressions, the girls’ dance moves, Angelo playing guitar right up on Morgane–it all just shows how much fun they’re having, and bands having fun on stage is contagious.

3. Highs

The talented Toronto-based band is composed of guitarist Doug Haynes, keyboardist Karrie Douglas, guitarist Joel Harrower, drummer Melvin Murray, and bassist Paul Vroom. Their indie-pop music has afro-beat rhythms, stellar harmonies, and has been compared to Vampire Weekend and GIVERS. It’s the kind of music you want to listen to on a road trip or a beach day or even a snow day that you wish was a beach day. Wait, I guess it’s just good at all times. You know what’s cool? When the people in the band are just as awesome as the music they play. I hung out with Karrie after the show, talking about bands we loved, TV shows we watched (Gilmore Girls on Netflix!) and everything in between. We probably could’ve talked all night, but I had to catch some other bands. I can’t wait for them to come back to NY!

4. Vérité

One artist I really wanted to see, but missed out on was VÉRITÉ. The 24-year-old Brooklyn singer/songwriter has some Lana Del Ray and Lorde vibes going on, but definitely makes the music her own. Her vulnerable lyrics mixed with the electro-pop beats come together in perfect harmony. The Echo EP is just full of potential hits. It’s blowing up the indie-pop music scene–Nylon’s crushing on her and it looks like Sophia Bush is too! I can definitely see her songs featured on TV show and movie soundtracks. Oh, and the best part, you can download VÉRITÉ’s EP for free on NoiseTrade!

Also, while seeing Rocket & The Ghost, I found out that the lead singer, Kiyoshi Matsuyama, is getting married to the Lily Claire, the lead singer of PARLOUR TRICKS!

Here is this year’s CMJ mix tape of bands I saw and artists I didn’t get a chance to see live, but loved their music. Hopefully you fall in love with some of these new jams just like I did.

Featured Image via Jack and Eliza’s Facebook. Other Images via the artist’s sites/Facebook pages here, here, here, and here.