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 September.

Born in Cleveland, OH and currently living in New York, Cautious Clay struck gold with "Cold War." It's a smooth track and for much of the time Clay's voice barely goes above a murmur, but it is exactly that restraint that makes the moments when he does let loose—backed by layers of angelic vocals—all the more powerful. The production is a winner too, and if Cautious Clay can keep this quality up he's in for a big end to the year.

"A lot of times, love for someone begets patience and/or complacency, but not the other way around," he says of this song. "That's why catching feelings is simultaneously uplifting and disruptive to personal identity for many people."

Gabe 'Nandez is a rapper based in Brooklyn, has a background in journalism, and cites artists like DOOM and Wu-Tang as influences. That alone will give you a pretty good idea of what to expect from Gabe's music. It's raw, intelligent, and has a timeless feel to it without sounding retro or stale. In a time when a lot of rappers are veering so far from the traditional sound that it's hard to even call it hip-hop, it's good to know that there are up-and-comers like Gabe 'Nandez who take their art seriously and strive to carry on the elements that the genre was built on. Plus, it sounds really good.

Read our interview with Gabe 'Nandez here.

Girlhood are a duo making music in a rather unique location—Christian and Tessa write and record on Christian's houseboat which he lives on in the canals of London. Connected by a friend when they were both in need of new inspiration, together they are making classic-sounding R&B and pop that is remarkably polished for such a new project. They've released four singles so far, and they haven't missed yet.

Philadelphia's Chynna proved her ability to make a hit back with 2014's "MadeInChynna," a collaboration with Hudson Mohawke. But she's reaching new heights in 2017, evidenced by last week's vibrant "practice."

Chynna's menacing monotone is perfect over heaven in stereo's sparse, bassy beat, but she has more than one speed—her dreamy verse on Desiigner's "All Around The World" remix proves as much. The best news? There's more coming: Chynna's Music 2 Die 2 will arrive very soon.

Virginia native Marco McKinnis is about to take off. His SoundCloud is already home to a collection of slow-moving, soulful songs that give a window into this artist's talent, not just in terms of vocals and songwriting but in terms of collaborators too. He's teamed up with forward-thinking producers like whoarei, DJDS, and most recently Medasin on new release "How I Feel." Marco is still young, but there's a timeless quality to the music he makes—if you're looking for some slow jams for tonight, look no further than his songs.

Marco McKinnis is currently working on his first project and he already has our full attention.

This prodigious 15-year-old Bronx native is turning heads, and not just because of his cosigns from Diddy and Kanye West. Smooky Margielaa has an undeniably versatile skill set, especially for someone so young.

The son of West-African musician Abdoulaye Diabaté, Smooky discovered his own musicality in the form of the balafon, which he agrees has had an impact on his vocal register as a rapper and a singer. Smooky’s performing presence, on display in his hit song “Stay 100," is something special. He's become comfortable in the spotlight, all thanks to a serendipitous meeting with A$AP Rocky outside a nightclub.

Writing love songs the way UV Boi does requires an aptitude for the abstract. The 21-year-old Australian blends concepts of pop, rock, and EDM into the love-fueled, melancholic project Returned Alone, the follow-up to his debut L-UV. This second EP is about “exploring the endless possibilities of what could have been."

His voice achieves an ethereal presence that echoes on songs like “Bleeding Out,” effectively capturing the ethos of love unfulfilled. Having received approval from Ryan Hemsworth as far back at 2014, UV Boi’s sound and spirit reflect a coming-of-age with rangy vocals and unique character, all of which are sure to attract a large audience.

Eryn Martin's vocals cut through the opening moments of "The Trip" like a hot knife through butter—her voice isn't overwhelming or especially grandiose, but it's immediately there, filling the space with an irresistible, carefree drawl.

It's the Canadian singer's debut track, and the future's looking bright—especially if Martin keeps laying her voice over CVRE production. 

New York's Delivery Boys are a rap collective unbound by their native city—they're blending all sorts of styles and regional influence on tracks like "Pissed Off" with Rich the Kid and "Old Days." It's not a knock—if anything, the group is using their collective powers to build something bigger. 

"New York’s been splintered and we want to help bring everyone together again," said the group's Goldwood. "If you look at the scenes coming from Atlanta/Florida/California, they’re all working with each other and helping each other build, but New York is cutthroat as shit with different aesthetics. We want to be working with and support other NY artists to get the city back as the spot, because the city’s bubbling and shit's about to pop.​"

It is easy to hear the influence of D33J’s multifaceted background—the artist lived in Germany for some time before vacillating between Los Angeles and San Francisco. He's one of the founding members of the WEDIDIT crew—they've known each since the high school, so D33J is certainly not new to the music scene at large. With close friends like Corbin, Shlohmo and Melons, D33J's breakout moment was only a matter of time, and it's arrived in the form of Death Valley Oasis. 

It's a return to form—we're using the term "new artist" loosely, but D33J has been relatively quiet since two excellent EPs in 2013.  "It came about over a couple of years," he told us, "so it’s definitely more of an exploratory process. I’ve worked on it in various places—on tour, here in L.A., there’s some songs I made back in Germany. All these different time capsules have come together."​

As much as South Florida is known for its vibrant rap scene, it's not often that you hear about a rapper from Bradenton. The relatively small city on the South West coast of Florida is the home of Van Buren, who recently resurfaced to take music a little more seriously. After dropping a project all the way back in 2014, he's back and ready to up the levels.

With production from Blank Body, Van Buren is providing something more strange and a little less in your face than much of the rap coming out of Florida right now. Atop sci-fi production, he rap-sings in a way that sounds sunny and inspired. Inspired to write something that acts as an extended reference to Game of Thrones, he's got his best track yet with "Baptized."

Atlanta rapper Uno The Activist is in position to have a breakthrough moment any day now. The Atlanta rapper is Playboi Carti's cousin and has deep connections among rising artists in the rap game. His new project Live.Shyne.Die features Kodie Shane, Lil Duke, Famous Dex, and Trippie Redd, and it shows a lot of potential. Uno's got deceptively catchy melodies and his music feels charmingly underdeveloped, so instead of feeling formulaic and overproduced, tracks like "Go With The Flow" have a raw edge to them. Uno hasn't had a mainstream hit yet, but he's got millions of plays on SoundCloud and it's a pretty safe bet that he'll be in a much brighter spotlight in the near future. Check out "Go With The Flow" below, and listen to Uno's full Live.Shyne.Die project here.