This year to put it nicely was long. However, if anything came from it, it would be my discovery of new (and old) music. Which is why this years’ end-of-year list, won’t be as binary when it comes to genre….or taste. Hopefully, you can find your next favorite artist in it or at least someone new!
8 New Artists of 2020
Corpse Husband
He’s been trending for various reasons (mainly his voice) these past few weeks ever since he blew up from a Among Us stream with Pewdiepie. Beyond his deep voice and the established YouTube career as a horror story narrator he also (re)released music this year. The best label would be alternative rap for his music and it’s that reason he made my list. I had a falling out with heavier music and Corpse Husband put the whole Alternative Hip Hop/Rap Metal genre on my radar.
Yungblud
Yungblud is the one and only livestream concert I attended all year. He was the first artist in the punk* scene that held a “big” livestream event back in early quarantine with his The Yungblud Show. It created some normalcy in the scene when the entire music community was understandably spiraling. His most recent project, Weird!, which was released early this month was a good follow up to his EP Underrated Youth. While the album obviously covers emotional trials and fears that go beyond the Covid Blues, it’s an album that provided the feeling of being heard in a time that’s tough on a lot of people.
Machine Gun Kelly
Despite MGK’s recent unpopular opinions, his album Tickets to My Downfall did breathe life into the Pop-Punk scene. For the short period it lasted, everyone was in agreement that the album was at the very least okay, and a renewed interest was brought in. It also, for me personally, was the album I was looking forward to listening to the most this year besides Lil Wayne’s Funeral.
The Kid Laroi
F*ck Love (Savage), was an album drop that I stumbled upon and after only listening to a handful of songs by Kid Laroi beforehand. Kid Laroi is definitely making waves in the rap space and it was cool to find out about his friendship and mentee status with the late Juice Wrld. The Kid Laroi’s music was most definitely a mood during the height of the summer.
Glass Animals
If you know me in real life, you know I go all year never mentioning Glass Animals only to – without fail – rave about Glass Animals at the end of the year. I won’t be breaking that tradition this year. “Tokyo Drifting” was very much an out of nowhere single drop (at least for me) after a four-year silence that still lives in the back of my mind constantly. I would very much recommend listing to their entire album Dreamland, which dropped back in August, but especially “Tokyo Drifting.”
Donovan
“Season of The Witch.” The song is iconic and I – very reasonably – feel like it should make my list as it was my most played song according to Spotify.
The Maine
The Maine is another band that has been pretty busy over the course of quarantine. Between livestreams, merch drops, and virtually touring on their most recent album You Are OK and Halloween Forever, their fans aren’t lacking content. A few of the songs on You Are Ok have been reimagined as orchestra numbers, poetry, and more. With each reimagining, the song took on new meaning and resonated differently.
The Wonder Years
Are we surprised that The Wonder Years are on this list? The Wonder Years have always been that band for me and as I get older their music retentates even more. “Passing Through A Screen Door” feels way different at twenty than it did at thirteen. However, The Wonder Years returned with a new song (for me to fixate over) a few weeks back called “Out On My Feet,” which holds that classic pop-punk sound that’s uniquely The Wonder Years.
If you’d like to see some of the other year-end lists here at Bearded Gentlemen Music, check out Aaron Cooper’s here, Dane Jackson’s here, and Brandon’s here.