Best New Artists of the Month (November)

Catch up on all the Best New Artists here, and follow the Best New Artists playlist on Spotify here.

When we used to put together these kinds of round-ups, we'd always have to put in effort to make sure it's a well-rounded list in terms of genres and styles each month. These days, we don't even have to try. Music is so all-over-the-place today that it would be impossible to make a list that isn't diverse.

This month's roster of Best New Artists is a sign of the times, and a sign of where things are going in 2020 and beyond. There is no "next big thing" in music, because what's next is everything all at once. 

These days, it's not surprising when an artist can jump from one sound to another. Most young artists grew up listening to all kinds of music, and their own songs reflect that. But BEAM is taking things to another level on his new EP 95. "This whole project gives a taste of everything I do," BEAM says. "I thought: What would Cypress Hill be in 2019? What would Sean Paul do today? I wanted to take those influences and put it in the beats, the writing, and the sound of my voice. There are sounds for every type of listener, and we designed this project to be heard front-to-back."

Born in Kingston, Jamaica and raised in Miami, BEAM was comfortable in studios from a young age. His father was an artist, and BEAM started making music himself when he was 10 years old. Eventually he was producing for artists like 2 Chainz, Yo Gotti and Lecrae and evidently, the experience paid off. On 95, BEAM jumps from genre to genre so much that a first-time listener would never be able to guess it's the same artist on each song. Title track "95" could be mistaken for unreleased Cypress Hill from the '90s, and "MAD GAAL" sounds like the next potential Drake remix.

On paper, 95 might look like the work of a overly ambitious artist dipping toes into different sounds while they find their own lane. That is not the case. BEAM is confident and proficient in everything he's making, and backed by his own top tier production, he doesn't miss. "UNDA ARMOR" is especially addictive and has been in constant rotation since we first heard it. Check it out below, and hear the entire project here.

"Once I became a father, I had to re-examine every aspect of my life. From relationships, to finances, to spirituality, reflecting on my childhood and constantly being forced to think about my future," Love Mansuy says. "When I started writing songs for Of Age, I noticed my songwriting had changed. I started to ask myself different questions and more of them... The process of writing the music for the EP was more about the act of being curious, investigating the present and thinking more about the past and future.”

The result of that self-examination is Of Age, an impressive introduction from the Montreal-born, New Jersey-raised, and L.A.-based artist. The EP is full of heartfelt R&B songs, with stellar production backing the deeply personal lyrics which give a window into the artist's life as he deals with love, family, and being a father. "Count On You" and "No Love" are polished and instantly accesssible, while things slow down and smooth out on songs like the delightfully langorous "Kids."

Love Mansuy wears his heart on his sleeve and arrives with a compelling, fully formed sound and message, which he also tells through a video that includes clips of all eight of the EP's songs.

With her debut album First Prize Bravery, Dublin's Sorcha Richardson has cemented a spot amidst Ireland's bubbling indie rock scene. Her delivery swings from buoyant to disaffected to incensed, the moods backed by a band that moves with Richardson's voice like a shadow. It's the product of eight years in New York and a return home in 2017—the singer/songwriter/guitarist/drummer has been at this with bandmate Eve Hewson since they were 10, and her ear for composition shows as much.

The crown jewel on First Prize Bravery is the title track, a hopeful, soaring anthem that neatly divides the album's more melancholy offerings. This is a chorus destined to follow you around all day, and much like the project's other nine tracks, there are enough electronic flourishes to keep the sound modern and exciting. She may already be a veteran at this music thing, but Sorcha Richardson took her time crafting a debut that leaves a long-lasting impression.

20-year-old Charlotte rapper MAVI offers a jarring alternative to the escapism so prevalent in popular music today. His recent 13-song project Let The Sun Talk is stacked with deep thoughts and dense raps, and his music isn't made for avoiding reality. "The goal has always been to bring freedom to culture through knowledge and understanding," MAVI says, "propagating at the speed of light to trace the shadow of the future."

MAVI's project is a standout from 2019, but he's not alone in the approach he's taking. "One of the most exciting things about hip-hop right now is the deep sense of community among certain like-minded artists," wrote Ross Scarano earlier this month. "Earl, MAVI and MIKE are but three rappers who share similar thematic concerns, who are driving for a new kind of unvarnished honesty about inner turmoil, while also searching for the pockets of hope you find in friends and family and art."

It's understandable why so much music is crafted to help listeners escape; the world in 2019 is absolutely insane. But we're thankful that artists like MAVI are striving to provoke thought—it's an important reminder of the impact music can have and a crucial reality check.

"I don't know how to talk about making the music," says Remi Wolf. "I just made it and it was done. Kinda like when you take a shit. So, these songs are my cute little shits and y'all are my lawn!"

Rising Los Angeles-based artist Remi Wolf may not overanalyze her music, but her EP You're A Dog! is proof that whatever she's doing, it's working. She's already taken to stages alongside Still Woozy and Cautious Clay, and her project is an eclectic, colorful collection of songs that shows both impressive range and idiosyncratic charisma. From the soulful, lowkey funk of "Sauce" and "Guy" to the ridiculously catchy "Shawty," Wolf's music is fun and immediate but never basic.

The fact that it's performing so well is also a sign of the times, when the perception of pop music is being edited in real time. Even just a few years ago, Remi Wolf's music might have sounded like left-of-center indie—today it sounds like it could be the first chapter of an emerging new star's career.

Fred again.. is a British artist taking a unique approach to his mesmerizing dance tracks. All the music on his SoundCloud has an incredible sense of personality and a human touch that accompanies the electronic ebbs and flows which comes from the voices he samples. Whether it's messages from his friends and collaborators like Octavian and Mr Eazi or clips from interviews or Instagram posts, Fred takes vocal snippets from others and molds them into songs, pitching them up or down and recontextualizing them.

He calls his approach "actual life" and explains its origins. "I just wanted to try and make a kind of diary," Fred says. "The most beautiful world in the world. At the beginning it was just videos I found on my phone from nights out. Then I started stumbling across other peoples moments that struck a chord so the diary became more collaborative." His latest release, which is his first official single, is built around a live performance by Minneapolis poet Kyle Tran Mhyre, aka Guante, and also features vocals from Fred again.. himself. It's uplifting and moving, an affirmation of finding someone special that's been moved from a live poetry reading to a smoky, strobe-lit club.

Fred again.. has a lot going on beyond his solo work, too, as a producer working with British rappers like Mist, Fredo, Stefflon Don,  and Headie One. A quick scroll back through his Instagram and you'll find him in Johannesburg with JAY-Z or working with Stormzy, Ed Sheeran, and Burna Boy. On top of all that, he can call the legendary Brian Eno a mentor, and told us about the impacy Eno has had on him as an artist and person.

"I dont think at 16 you can quite appreciate the level he operates on, at least I couldn't," Fred explains. "But I'm so grateful he took me under his wing and these days I'm more grateful than ever to have him as a mentor and help me develop my music. There are a million stories, and I write them all down, but one that comes to mind from recently is I came to him explaining that I had been struggling to embrace the  state of chaos that is really necessary to make exciting things. While I was talking to him about this he quite quietly dragged about 500 pieces of music he'd made onto my hard drive. He said, 'From now on every time you start something you have to start from one of these.' I dont have enough space to go into why that is such an acute response to what I was saying. But I'll explain next time?!"

Watch the beautiful slow motion video for "Kyle (I Found You)" below and follow Fred again.. on SoundCloud here.

Like MAVI, Chicago rapper Kembe X's music is rooted in substance, but the formula is different. Speaking on the song "Voices," Kembe told Complex: "I wanted to make a song that feels light-hearted, but actually touches on something real and personal. It’s the backbone of the project in a way."

Kembe X's new project I Was Depressed Until I Made This paints a clear picture of Kembe X's perspective if you listen carefully, but even if you aren't paying attention, the project strikes with big hooks, aggressive bars, neck-breaking production, and contagious cadences. Kembe's a great songwriter, able to dish out warnings on the bass-heavy "Scoreboard" one minute and then slow things down on the spacey "LFTFF" the next. Throughout it all, there's a sense of urgency—Kembe X has been the underdog for years, and the increasing pressure has only made him stronger.

“The most important thing to me, aside from the music, is making sure that I’m consistently representing self love, self awareness, and pure self expression at all times," he says. "Whether people kinda like it or super love it. If I can keep doing that, I’m satisfied.”

grouptherapy. is an L.A.-based collective made up of core members Jadagrace, KOI, Rhea, TJW, and executive producer Dee Lilly, and supported by a larger creative and behind-the-scenes team. It's still early, but the group has released four songs with videos for three of them, starting to introduce the members and their world. The visuals are fast paced and fun, and the sound is rooted in modern rap but with a flexible approach to genre that is becoming more and more common amongst young creatives.

The collective has been formally assembled for about a year, and it's about more than the music. "We come together to work through our problems," they tell us. "Whether it be through the music we make or the support we give each other, we lean on each other like a real-ass group therapy session would, and we extend that invitation to the listeners too." They add that grouptherapy. is, "a philosophy, a way of life. We run together but we’re all separate artists. Like the Power Rangers but we’re all the red one."

grouptherapy. plays a show on February 6 at The Echo in L.A. More info here.

Brahny is an artist and producer from Mississauga, a suburb of Toronto, mixing influences like R&B, jazz, folk, and rock with sparkling, elegant results on his new EP, Moon. He's been studying music and learning instruments from a young age, and there's a depth to the writing and production that rewards repeated listens.

"I've always connected more to art and media that is personal and honest," Brahny says. "In order for me to create work that connects on that level with other people, I want to draw inspiration from what is genuine to me, and a huge part of that is my Chinese background and culture. I spend a lot of time unpacking my upbringing and all the complex cultural collusions that made me who I am and I think that naturally comes out in the content I seek to create."

"I grew up surrounded by diverse cultures of people who would split their time between Canadian work/school and drastically different family lives so everybody was kinda in their own worlds," he continues. "As a result, I feel like people grew up more introspective and observational. I think that community definitely reflects in my music, as its more meandering and understated, tending to sit in the background and take its time."

With a dreamy falsetto and a clearly defined aesthetic that stretches from his cover art to his visuals, Brahny is making an impressive introduction. His debut EP Moon is out now, listen here.

Sub Urban's song "Cradles" has been used over a billion times on TikTok, making it the second largest song on TikTok to date—outnumbered only by "Old Town Road." One might associate that kind of viral success with a social prodigy, but Sub Urban isn't that.

Sub Urban is Danny Maisonneuve, a 19-year-old singer/songwriter/producer from the suburbs of New Jersey. He battled manic depression and chronic insomnia in his teenage years, and spent a lot of time on the internet playing video games before really focusing on music as a way to cope. During his sophomore year of high school he dropped out to do music full-time, and he fell into an extremely isolated lifestyle.

Just as Sub Urban isn't the obvious breakout hit-maker, "Cradles" isn't the obvious breakout song. It's a genre-agnostic track that blends playful, end-of-the-world pop with electronic edge and a hint of grunge. It's not an easily defined trademark sound, but it's consistent across Sub Urban's handful of other official releases like "Broken," "Sick Of You," and "Isolate."

Sub Urban might not be the stereotypical breakout star, but in 2019 he's perfectly suited and relatable to a new generation of music fans who use the internet to connect and look to music for a crucial outlet. Thanks to "Cradles" (and TikTok), now he's got millions of people paying attention.

Deaton Chris Anthony's new project BO Y is all over the place, but it seems as if that is exactly the point. "BO Y is about speed," he says. "I wanted to make it seem as if I was in a car with my friends going 1,000 mph." Take a ride with Deaton Chris Anthony and sounds, styles, and voices will flash past, starting to blend together like scenery outside the window of a racing car. 

The songs vary from party starting electronic beats through bass-heavy rap to sprawling, dreamy pop, with features from Clairo, Jean Dawson, Omar Apollo, and more. "Music is most fun for me when I make it with my friends, encouraging them to meet me outside of their comfort zones" he explains. "Each feature on BO Y adds flavor to what the album tastes like as a whole."

Deaton Chris Anthony is a succesful clothing designer as well as artist, and he even got the legendary Tony Hawk in his last video—what is there not to love? Listen to BO Y here and catch him on tour with Dijon at the beginning of next year.