Five to Discover: Acts You Need To Know

In this – the age of the Coronavirus – many of us are stuck at home, isolated with only TV screens and the glow of laptops and phones to keep us connected. In other words, there isn’t much to do.

Videos by American Songwriter

However, one thing that is available to us all is the wide world of recorded music. And now is as good a time as ever to get to know some bands you may not have heard of but ones that you will assuredly enjoy, dear reader.

So, buckle up and get ready for a digital ride around Seattle, Los Angeles (twice!), London and Auckland (New Zealand).

Gibraltar, “O Devilish Sailor,” Seattle
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Over recent years, some shortsighted pundits have presupposed that the guitar was “dead,” that people would now only be making music with computers and digital equipment. Hogwash! And Seattle rock band, Gibraltar, is standing at the front of that line, thumbing their noses and shaking their six-strings in the face of those false prognosticators. With “O Devilish Sailor,” they likely inspire many more to grab their axes and shred. Boom!

YutaY, “Run,” Los Angeles
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We love artists who make their own video games. And we also love artists who write compelling, bouncy, buoyant music like YutaY has with this new track. Percolating with rhythms, synths and a restrained, rough voice, the L.A.-based musician has created a work that, after it bubbles, it erupts with Trent Reznor-like precision and sonic lava.

Faux Real, “Spooky Bois,” London
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The U.K.-based group is like an artist’s palate. You’ve got some Alizarin Crimson, Thalo Blue, Canary Yellow, Dark Sienna and Midnight Black and they twist and wrap and twirl and mix into music that emanates from speakers like an alien landscape where trees grow upside down and rivers run backwards between the clouds. In short, Faux Real finger-paints with sounds and creates something quite new and magical.

Malia Civetz, “Broke Boy,” Los Angeles
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What a song for the time! What an example of an artist with her ear to the ground! Few of us these days have the money and bank accounts we’ve dreamed about – fantasized about – but that doesn’t mean we don’t deserve love, right? L.A. artist, Malia Civetz, knows this and with each note her powerful voice produces, she lets you know that you deserve love, too! Civetz is a relatively new artist and while this video and song are a hit, keep an eye out for her next compositions and support this supportive performer.

Jessy & The Volunteers, “Time Is Laughing,” Auckland
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This funk from the other hemisphere gets feet moving, hips shaking and beads of sweat plopping and dropping off your forehead. This New Zealand group has picked up the hottest vibe from the ether and transfered it to listeners with powerful, sharp vocals and rhythms that get your toes twinkling. The group has style and smirks in spades, too. Likely the type of band to play a show, meet you at the merch table and then drink you underneath it.

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