Best New Artists of the Month

These days, BIA is spending much of her time as an opener for Pusha T's Darkest Before Dawn tour—a tall order as is—but we're discovering how much she can hold her own as a solo act. "Gucci Comin' Home" is the giddy, infectious tribute track 2016 needs, and BIA's previous work is just as strong—"Whip It" is a jagged proclamation of superiority, and last year's #CHOLASEASON shows the hard work she's put in to get here.

First off, congratulations to this Danish quartet. LISS just signed to XL Recordings, and they celebrated by releasing "Sorry." It's a pristine piece of pop ingenuity that manages to be as inventive as it is catchy, a rare feat. These guys have style—last year's "Try" sounds like the musical baby of Prince and Vampire Weekend, and they've only gotten better since.

“'Sorry' is about different ways to save a relationship and make it work," the band recently told us. "But it doesn’t work—because what really needs to be done is to speak about the problems face to face."

Bonzai's music as been described as "punk R&B." It's the kind of catch-all phrase that could easily gain traction in the coming months, but it doesn't do this American/Irish singer justice. Her Sleepy Hunger EP is so much more, multi-faceted to the nth degree, capable of urgent, hushed confidence ("Where Are You Now") and dubby dance bangers ("No Rest") in equal measure.

The EP also features production from P&P favorites Mura Masa and Royce Wood Jr.—it's a major release from the young artist, and her arrival is a breath of fresh air.

The Paul Institute is a joint venture between notoriously reclusive producer Jai Paul and his brother, A.K. Paul. The Institute's first track is also A.K.'s solo debut, the deliciously inventive and jarring "Landcruisin."

This music thing obviously runs in the family, and while we don't know what form the Institute's final product will take, "Landcruisin'" is definitive proof that the brothers Paul aren't done sharing their gift with the world.

Scandinavia does it again, and this time it’s music from Norway that has us under its spell. Smerz, the duo of Henriette and Catharina, conjure up pop with a dark twist on the eminently danceable “Because,” their second track after the more sketch-like "Move." Gentle, hypnotic vocals glide above a bass-heavy loop, the influence of club music creeping into this modern song of love and heartbreak. An impressive introduction.

With just one song on her SoundCloud, Saya is the very definition of a new artist.

That song is "Wet Dreams," an appropriately sensual cut that ebbs and flows like the vivid, watery imagery Saya employs in her lyrics. It's clear that the singer is having fun on the track. She's trying out different voices and volumes, from coy to confident. It's an approach that goes well with Saya's vintage, half serious persona—her artwork is full of plastic hearts and Polaroids, relating an energy that seeps out of the speakers and into whichever room it's soundtracking.

Now that Majid Jordan has an album out in the world, it's dvsn's turn to be OVO Sound's next big thing. The still fairly mysterious act's album Sept. 5th was released earlier this week with a sumptuous cover of Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On," the perfect song for the Nineteen85-produced group who sound like they're happiest when making music for the bedroom.

Oy may not be revealing too much about their musical process thus far, but there's no denying the raw energy of "so so." Those fuzzy vocals are a perfect complement to the distorted guitars, and "so so" uses a classic musical device—the introduction of a new instrument or sound for the outro. It's subtle, but extremely effective, a tactic that hints towards many more great songs to come.

Sweden wins again, but it's not what you might expect. Scandinavia's musical products often take on melodic, soothing tones or head straight to the dancefloor, but ShitKid's "666" is raw in the best of ways. This is a cut that demands attention from the opening notes of Åsa Söderqvist's unapologetically raw vocals. It's a song that surprises, too—when those drums hit, you know it's real.

"666" is off ShitKid's self-titled EP, which is due out at the end of this week.

Pollàri's frequent collaborators are some of music's hottest young acts—Allan Kingdom, Shlohmo, and Metro Boomin' are among those who have teamed up with the Atlanta rapper, and now it's his turn in the spotlight.

Pollàri has been moving fast since last year's OFFWITHHISHEAD EP, releasing a string of singles through SoundCloud and touring relentlessly. Keep your eye on this kid—he might just be the next rapper to break out of Atlanta.

Painful as it is, a broken heart can draw out some of our most expressive emotions. That's what Matt Woods is tackling on "Ain't No Use." The London singer described the song thusly as being "about accepting that some people will always have a hold over you no matter how much you’d like them not to.”

Ice cold, but true too often.