New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ WiFi PR Group) When music fans and industry tastemakers look for new artists to add to their rosters and playlists, they often turn to industry-curated indie compilations to find up-and-coming artists recognized by the media, record labels and PR companies. At NXNE last month, WiFi PR Group released its own digital mixtape, Indie Anthems Vol. 6, the latest installment in their respected indie series.
NXNE, held this year in venues throughout Toronto from June 13-22, is a 10-day and night festival that draws over 350,000 attendees from around the world. This year, NXNE celebrated its 20th anniversary, and its usual music lineup, comprised of both emerging artists and major-label headliners, was as varied and well-received as ever. Headliners included St. Vincent, Spoon, Juicy J, Sleigh Bells,
Danny Brown, Spiritualized, Tune-Yards,
Future Islands, Jacques Green, Glasser, Araabmusik and more, and WiFi PR was there to pass out copies of Indie Anthems Vol. 6 to industry experts and fans interested in this lineup.
While many of the 3,500 download cards of Indie Anthems Vol. 6 that WiFi PR handed out at NXNE were to festival attendees, most copies landed in the hands of the industry tastemakers who discover and license the types of bands and musicians that WiFi PR represents.
While most mixtapes, particularly for independent artists, are created for music fans alone, WiFi PR curated the Indie Anthems series to suit the attention and agendas of those who are on the pulse of what's next in the world of music. These are the people who shape the landscape of popular culture today and predict the trends that are coming next.
Between YouTube, music streaming services, blogs and other online music and media outlets, the amount of music available overwhelms music lovers and experts, and it can be difficult to wade through it all to find what moves and intrigues them most. Indie Anthems Vol. 6 introduces a variety of artists that just might be the sounds they've been looking for.
Indie Anthems Vol. 6 represents an array of genres. SXTN ("Got a Hold of Me"), reminiscent of N.E.R.D. and Pharrell, and Middle Eastern-influenced rapper Tru Bloo ("Tru Starz"), who is often compared to Lauryn Hill, for example, take starkly different perspectives of hip-hop. Armed with a piano, singer-songwriter Rashon Medlock ("Next to You"), whose music resembles John Legend's, contrasts to fellow singer-songwriter
Sergio Rangel ("Love Loss") and his guitar, who sound more like
Dave Matthews and Jason Mraz.
As for rock artists, Bodhisattva ("It Can't Get Any Better") offer a psychedelic rock bent reminiscent of
Soundgarden meets Grateful Dead, and Awake At Last ("King of the World") takes a harder, more metal-like approach like
The Used and My Chemical Romance. Silent
Theory ("
Outta My Head") follows the indie rock route while moving the listener with lyrics that demonstrate tortured and hell-bent emotions.
Fans of
Fiona Apple and
Portishead will love the soft, ambient pop duo The Controversy ("Two Voices"), while Nate Tao ("Sugar and Spice") shows a brighter, funkier side of pop akin to
Bruno Mars and Maroon 5.
Stephanie K ("
Trouble") provides a sexy party track for fans of
Britney Spears and Demi Lovato.
Modern-day lounge group Ari & The Alibis ("
Bon Appetit") feature lambasting trombone lines and a sound á la Squirrel Nut Zippers, while the poppy, ukulele-wielding Dimestore
Zombies ("San Juan Skyway"), who sound more like
Neon Trees and Devo, front a lyrical personality that's all their own. Both groups aim to defy genre categorization.
All of these artists exemplify the breadth of scope for independently produced music today—much of which can be heard on this album.
Indie Anthems Vol. 6 is now available for download on its Bandcamp page, but only 1,500 download copies are available for a limited time.
WiFi PR will release more Indie Anthems additions in the future, including Indie Anthems Vol. 7, set to be released at Lollapalooza in August 2014. Past iterations of Indie Anthems can be found on the Indie Anthems Bandcamp page.
About Indie Anthems Vol. 6
SXTN - Got A Hold Of Me
Oh My Land - Orion
The Controversy - Two Voices
The Forty Nineteens -
Modern Romance
Bodhisattva - It Can't Get Any Better
The Wild Fruit - Slow It Down
Youth of the Beast -
Highland Park
Awake At Last - King Of The World
Ari & The Alibis - Bon Appetit
Nate Tao - Sugar and Spice
Stephanie K - Trouble
Tru Bloo - Tru Starz
Rashon Medlock - Next To You
Sergio Rangel - Love Loss
Thanai - You Never Know
Natalie Major - The Rescue
Vinci Vibe - Rise
The Afterwhile - IJ
Rod MacDonald - You're Already My Wife
Scotty Boy McCoy - California Cowgirls
Silent
Theory - Outta My Head
Sophia Santulli - Wolf Face
Susan Barth - And Yet
Dimestore
Zombies - San Juan Skyway
Indie Anthems Vol. 6 Bandcamp: https://indieanthems.bandcamp.com/album/vol-6-nxne
Indie Anthems Bandcamp: https://indieanthems.bandcamp.com
