Five indie artists under 21 you should listen to

Are you in your college years? Are you somehow not already famous? Have no fear! These emotions will only deepen as we go over five young artists that have already reached significant fame.

Gus Dapperton (19)

Hailing from New York, Gus Dapperton transcends what it means to be an artist. Rocking a sharp bowl cut, pastel eyeshadow, and over-sized pieces, Dapperton’s music is not just about his sound, it’s about his image. In his music videos, which seem like short films, he presents an image Vogue has described as “‘90s-normcore-meets-Balenciaga.” Along with his non-conforming fashion and dance moves, Dapperton is a fearless musician that has a sound unlike anyone else today. Having just released his new album, You Think You’re a Comic (2018), Gus has already started this year with more of his bona fide sound. Gus Dapperton will be performing at San Francisco’s Rickshaw Stop on Sunday, April 22.

Clairo (19)

Currently on the cover of Spotify’s “Bedroom Pop” playlist, Clairo at age 19 is possibly one of the only genuine Bedroom Pop artists on the indie scene, considering she actually doesn’t use a recording studio¹. To create her unique style of music, all Clairo needs is Garageband and Photobooth to accompany her natural voice. Not to detract from her character, there is a reason Clairo is famous and the dozens of other cover artists on YouTube are not, a reason that is fairly hard to pinpoint. Watching Clairo’s “Pretty Girl” music video sums it up in a very indirect way. From the few costume changes to the 90s sing-a-long captions, Clairo’s effortless and fun style gives us something we want to listen to without anything to dislike. If Clairo changes everything or nothing at all, her newly-found fanbase is loyal.

boy pablo (19)

The indie scene has welcomed yet another hopeless romantic with a new sound, but this time he plays a Vox Mark III electric guitar. boy pablo at the ripe young age of 19 is a fresh Norwegian export of indie pop. As of 2017, the previously unknown 5 piece group, who captions their musical endeavors on Facebook as a, “heartfelt bedroom pop from a young norwegian-chileno,” has EP’d Roy Pablo (2018). Yes, the band, the singer, and the album are all named Pablo. Echoing melodic tunes reminiscent of Homeshake’s riffs and Summer Salt’s easy going beats: Pablo is here to stay. After going viral off of their music video “Everytime,” boy pablo is currently on tour in Europe.

Small Crush (15-18)

Berkeley’s own high school indie band can’t be left out. Just releasing their EP Blush (2018), and previously covered by the B-Side, Small Crush is living the high school indie dream. Small Crush’s new album showcases the powerful voice of Logan Hammon along with an impressively layered backup composed of Jackson Felton, Hank Herbert, and Will Scherer. Evoking the sounds of Alvvays or a young Sky Ferreira, Small Crush is still original and authentic. Catch them performing across the Bay and stay updated on their Instagram @smallcrushjam.

The Regrettes (17-20)

Though signed by Warner Bros, The Regrettes are still worthy of some extra attention. The garage pop four piece band led by Lydia Knight is a must hear head banging rock group full of attitude. Though seemingly easy to compare Knight to other female acts such as Angel Olsen or even Cyndi Lauper; Knight presents her own, almost militaristic, take on just how a zealous young female rock artists can be. Recently releasing their single, “Come Through,” the Regrettes are rolling into 2018 solidifying their sound. The Regrettes will be performing at Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco on Friday, March 16th.

Article by Benjamin Micallef

1. (side note: the “Bedroom Pop” playlist on Spotify is not real bedroom pop. Bedroom pop is when an indie pop song is recorded in a literal bedroom, on a computer, and not in a recording studio. Even if it sounds within a genre that is too ambiguous for you to pinpoint @Spotify, do not group true Bedroom Pop with the elaborate and established processes that are performed by conventional studio recording)