This Is Pop?’s advice on artists to watch out for next year. Some are absolute up-and-comers, others are already on the right track, but they all have potential that could blossom in the coming months. This is part one, enjoy!

The Last Dinner Party

You’d be hard pressed to remember a debut single quite as impressive, as memorable and as striking as The Last Dinner Party’s ‘Nothing Matters’, which released in April 2023. 

Still yet to release their first album, The Last Dinner Party are lead singer Abigail Morris, with Emily Roberts on lead guitar, Lizzie Mayland on rhythm, Georgia Davies on bass, and Aurora Nishevci on keyboard. 

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Slate

In Wales, there are lines of poetry that are passed down like an heirloom: “To be born in Wales, not with a silver spoon in your mouth but with music in your blood, and poetry in your soul, is a privilege indeed.” Stanzas and prose run deep within the valleys as naturally as its rivers, as imperatively as the blood in its people’s veins.

Emerging from the depths of Cardiff’s burgeoning music scene, heirs to their country’s lineage of storytellers, are Slate. The four-piece band are barely touching their twenties, but together, they have a command of post-punk which rings with the gravitas of a death-knell; a grasp of atmosphere and melody which touches on the ethereal.

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University

Introducing University, “like getting punched in the face by a gorilla but then being cuddled afterwards”. “Notre Dame Made out of Flesh” is the second offering from the band, and the first via their new label home, Transgressive.

Speaking about the single, the band said, “Originally written on a casio keyboard while backpacking North sentinel Island, this rendition is a shameful recreation of a once prestigious and grand concerto.”

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English Teacher 

Recently signed to Island records, English Teacher came together during their time at Leeds College of Music. Influenced by the city’s vibrant music scene and genres like jazz, classical, folk and the post-punk resurgence, they aim to create music that is biting, punkish and melodic, with Lily Fontaine’s lyrics blend personal, political, poignant, humorous, and heavy themes. 

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Lifesize Teddy

Lifesize Teddy has brought a refreshing perspective to the scene. A 23 year old, born in the city of Port Harcourt, raised between the city and her hometown Bonny Island, heavily influenced by hip hop culture, moved to Lagos with big dreams as a teenager to pursue her music career. These unique experiences continue to inspire her artistry.