Pigeons & Planes' Best New Artists of the Month

Finding new artists is easier than ever, but this creates a problem: it's harder than ever to filter through it all and keep tabs on what's really good.

With so many artists popping up every day, it's impossible not to miss out on some fresh faces and new sounds. With that in mind, we'll be highlighting our favorite new acts each month. Here are the best new artists of April.

It's 2017—where does a rapper like Lou The Human fit in? That's to be determined. The 21-year-old Staten Island MC is a real spitter, favoring technical skills over melody-laden sing-alongs. That alone sets him apart, but his twisted approach and no-fucks-given attitude also make him a unique character. He told us that Eminem was a big reason he started rapping in the first place, and he's not afraid to stir the pot: "I just enjoy fucking with people and pushing people's buttons."

So we'll see. We're loving what he's done so far, but he definitely doesn't fit in with the new wave of hype hip-hop, and that could be a barrier to entry. It could also be exactly what some rap fans want right now.

Austrian duo LEYYA (Sophie Lindinger and Marco Kleebauer) make creative modern pop music, drawing on far-ranging influences. We only discovered them when the song "Zoo" landed in our inbox, but last year they released their debut, Spanish Disco, and they've toured heavily in Europe. Their track "Superego" has even broken two million of streams on on Spotify.

"Zoo" starts off with a flourish of sitar and gentle vocals, but when that hook comes in it's all systems go, with brass and bouncy percussion. “The Idea for ‘Zoo’ came while watching a sitar lesson on the internet," LEYYA explains. "It set a certain mood we wanted to transfer to our song, as well, so it’s quite meditative, but combined with our way of songwriting.”

Squidnice is fast becoming one of New York City's most exciting young artists. The success of SoundCloud hits "Everywhere I Go" and "Trap By My Lonely" has the Staten Island rapper carving out his own lane, and his next release—The Craccen—is coming up soon. I​f his latest release ("Nina") is any indication, Squidnice is leaning into the sound that landed him on Frank Ocean's Blonded radio show. It's only a matter of time  before this kid blows up. 

Def Jam's latest signee is making a huge first impression. "Wish You Well" is one of those songs that hits the sweet spot between R&B and hip-hop, and Amir Obe is making it sound easy. 

It's the standout off Obe's None of the Clocks Work release, but the rest of the tracklist, especially "Cigarettes," occupies that same sullen, expressive space that feels truer than most. Having Mike Dean master the whole thing certainly didn't hurt, either.

But despite the big names and label moves, Obe prefers to record in his hometown of Detroit. "I like changing environments for perspectives," he told us, "But I like coming back to record. That’s where I can let things marinate and know what to speak on. That’s always my reference point, going right back to Detroit and being around family."​

Bruno Major has been releasing one song per month for about eight months now, and more and more people are starting to pay attention. Working at his piano late at night at his home in Camden, North London, Bruno's timeless pop songwriting and intimate lyricism provides the backbone for all his releases.

There are a lot of slow jams and hushed singing, but there are also some bright and bold moments, as in the second half of "Just The Same." You can listen to all the music in the A Song For Every Moon project so far here.

Steve Lacy has been playing with The Internet for years, but his six-track Steve Lacy's Demo showed us the seemingly limitless bounds of this teenager's talent. 

The latest evidence is his production on Kendrick Lamar's "PRIDE," which originally started as a collab with Anna Wise. The song is instantly recognizable as a Steve Lacy product. Smooth, unhurried guitar chords, a minimalistic bass that fills in all right gaps, and a stripped down drum beat. Simplicity is at the center of Lacy's style (that helps when you record through an iPhone), but it comes from a deeply musical place. His songs never have more parts than they need. They are balanced, hypnotizing loops that get better and better with repeated listening. "Dark Red" is case in point: 

Playboi Carti has been building up momentum for a while now, but it all came together on his self-titled mixtape. Songs like "wokeuplikethis*" and "Magnolia" aren't your typical polished, radio-friendly hits, but they've become the soundtracks to the youth movement in rap. Carti's got a knack for turning seemingly oversimplified repetition into addictive hooks, and phrases like "In New York I Milly Rock" aren't going to get out of your head anytime soon. Resist all you want, but Carti's got the juice right now.

Full disclosure, we're a little late on Ninajirachi. Her pop-perfect debut "Pure Luck" came out three months ago, but it wasn't until we heard some of the music she has coming up next month that we woke up.

The giddy electronic production makes "Pure Luck" more electrifying with each passing listen, and Freya Staer's vocals are suited perfectly to the vibe. It should, for as long as these two have known each other. "[Freya] and I have been friends since we were 10 years old," Ninajirachi said, "So to be able to work with her vocals on this song has been really special." 

NUE is a 23-year-old artist from Toronto, and he's two for two. His debut track "Obvious" was smooth, and "Alaska" is just as catchy and has the same kind of sleek, euphoric feel to it. NUE has an ear for melody, and unlike a lot of rappers experimenting with melodies, he's got a natural songwriting ability that gives these songs enough structure to stick. For now, "Alaska" and "Obvious" are all we've got, but look out for a project on the way.

NomBe returned from a year's hiatus with the smooth "Wait" at the beginning of 2017. "Young Hearts" came a month later, another example of his genre defying sound that mixes electronic, pop, and indie rock, and a huge cosign was soon to follow.

Pharrell chose "Can't Catch Me," featuring New Mystics, as the official theme song for his HBO documentary series OUTPOST. When asked about NoMBE, the legendary artist had this to say: "He makes music for the subconscious with colorful layers and unexpected water slides. He writes and produces dream sequences."

High praise from a legend. Look out for more music from NomBe's album They Might've Even Loved Me ​to drop soon—he's releasing one song a month from the project.

Brooklyn-based Norwegian artist Charlotte Dos Santos has an EP on the way, and if "Red Clay" is any indication, it's going to be special. The Cleo EP is out soon via Fresh Selects, but as of right now we have "Red Clay" and its mesmerizing video on repeat.

Of the video, which visually references the metamorphosis from larva to butterfly, Dos Santos explains, "By using the body as a canvas we are with this video reclaiming female bodies from a sexual gaze and looking at the transformation into womanhood and the emergence of a new awakening through a repeated cycle."

Anne Dereaux only has one song out, but what a song. Channeling multi-sensory groundbreakers like FKA Twigs, Dereaux's "Mo(u)rning" is a lovelorn look at a lost relationship. Her tormented lyrics and emotive delivery fit perfectly over sparse electronic production, and the video serves as a vivid, kaleidoscopic mirror to the song.

The former architect has already racked up one major co-sign, too. After "Mo(u)rning" dropped, Rick Rubin summoned the artist to his legendary Shangri-La studios. "He had the most radiant spirit," Dereaux told us, "and in all of his legendary greatness, was happy and excited to hear my story and listen to the songs I created over the past year in my closet... For the first time I'm excited to have homework. We also talked about how amazing his door jambs were; nerdy architecture vibes to top it off."