A couple artists I've been listening to as of late.
RAT WARS remains to be one of the best albums I've ever experienced. A great mix of noise rock and electronic with catchy sounds and a pretty cyberpunk dark tone in the mix. Some will recognise their contribution to Cyberpunk 2077/Edgerunners and Rockstar's Max Payne 3 & GTA V, but the group have a new album this December which is considered a continuation to their last album. So far it's a banger.
What surprised me about The Devil Wears Prada was how much they had changed since they formed over a decade ago. One of the most well-known in the metalcore screamo scene has evolved into a solid alternative metal tone and their last album was surprisingly good. It's been a few years since then but these new singles have been pretty promising for their next album scheduled this November.
YouTuber turned rapper Quadeca is up there with Joji for being one of the few YouTubers to really hold out on their own in the music scene. His last album I Didn't Mean to Haunt You had an amazing style and tone which he's continued through to his new record that released last July. With the theme centred towards boats and fishing, each song is distinctly different in style. FORGONE is predominantly a piano piece but is up there as one of my favourite songs of the year and the final track is so good that it has led me to listen to Maruja. Speaking of which...
Maruja have been around for a while but they've started to become more well-known for their unique style. It's a blend of protest poetry lyrics with jazz influences throughout and while it may be jarring at first, it eventually works out surprisingly well and their predominantly long tracks are one of my favourites of the year. Pain to Power is a really strong album that just got released in September and I highly recommend them. A drum & jazz dual-solo here and there lifts the mood pretty well.
Low Roar will be more known nowadays for their heavy contribution to Death Stranding, but let's not forget this unfortunate final album that came about last January, as the vocalist sadly passed away a few years prior. What we have is a sombre and peaceful end to a really strong band and while it may feel incomplete or B-side-esque, the songs were great.