9 Local Music Acts for First Time Listeners
Local music, composed and written by our very own home-grown talents, has gained more popularity and support over the years. More people are listening, buying and supporting music acts from this sunny island, and it is heartwarming to see these artistes spreading their tunes to fans around the region and around the world. After delving deep into the estates of Singapore, we have come up with our own list of up and coming local acts that will be great introduction for local music for first timers. Read on and discover them all.
Photo credits: Taketwosg Instagram
Indie quintet formed within the musky walls of NUS studios have finally launched their first EP – PAIRS. Take Two started out as a casual band that covered songs they loved and one day, covering popular music just ain’t enough anymore. The 5 men set out into songwriting and pursuing their secret dream.
Photo credits: Todayonline
Here is a singer-songwriter who writes about life, death and love (or the lack of it). Started off as a regular in the local open mic circle and has gone to perform at major music events such as Baybeats and is now also a recipient of the Noise Singapore Award for music. Her EP has also been described as “gorgeous folk-pop suite dedicated to lost love” by Power of Pop.
Photo credits: ATC Bandcamp
What began as an solo career by guitarist Adel has grown to a family of five since it’s inception in 2006. Amateur Takes Control creates emotionally charged music that is undeniably diverse in style and influence, yet still manages to showcase a seamlessness that justifies their identity as a group.
Photo credits: Charlie Lim Facebook
Stretched far between acoustic melancholia, post-rock, indie R&B, and electronic pop are the extremities that mark Charlie Lim’s music which has the ability to move with heart-wrenching honesty. His latest release TIME/SPACE, a double EP containing two collections of songs with TIME reflecting his folk-rock songwriting sensibilities and SPACE is a manifestation of his DIY approach to experimental pop production.
Photo credits: Monstercat Facebook
Lush, melodic folk tunes driven by intense imagery and delicate instrumentation. Fragile yet powerful, their music echoes the ebbing of your subconscious hurt. Despite drawing from a host of genres, the record focuses on creating intense, melodic rock songs while keeping the band’s trademark vocal harmonies.The Violet Hour boasts 13 tracks that fuse the worlds of organic and synthetic sounds.
Photo credits: B-Quartet Bandcamp
On hiatus but still an inspiration to many active and upcoming local acts, B-Quartet remains one of the key labels in singapore’s burgeoning indie rock scene. They made their recording debut in 2005 with the 5 track EP The Smitten Bard, the inaugural release of Aging Youth Records. Following that, they then released their own full-length album debut, Tomorrow Is Our Permanent Address in 2008.
Pleasantry
Photo credits: Pleasantry Bandcamp
The quintet crafts music out of each member’s disparate listening backgrounds. Synapses is a ten-track album that features material gathered from a variety of influences. Drawing inspiration from dreamed-up scenarios based on real-life scripts, their compositions showcase simple lyrical tones offset by the accompaniment of rich instrumentation and varied song structures.
Theodora Lau
Photo credits: Offkey Singapore
This latest up and coming singer-songwriter entered Noise (music mentorship progamme) and Baybeats fearlessly, recalling how she had nothing to lose as a singer songwriter. Rabbithole - her current EP - was written for her auditions for Baybeats and also has brought her into the spot light of the local music scene. Listen to Theodora here and support her upcoming EP.
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