Rock
Hailing from Brighton, England, The Kooks have been known to explore a wide variey of genres, including Britpop, funk, and reggae. Their first studio album, Inside Out (2006) was the epitome of success. It hit quadruple platinum in the UK, and went platinum in Australia and Ireland. It contained their first singles “You Don’t Love Me”, and “She Moves in her Own Way”. Their 2nd studio album, Konk (2008) saw a similar amount of success, featuring their singles “Always Where I Need to Be”, “Shine On”, and “Sway”. They have released 5 studio albums total, with their most recent album, Let’s Go Sunshine, releasing this year in August 2018. The album contains 5 new singles: “All the Time”, “No Pressure”, “Fractured and Dazed”, “Four Leaf Clover” and “Chicken Bone”. The Kooks are currently on tour promoting their new album.
Folk
Sam Ervin Beam, better known as Iron & Wine, began writing, performing, and producing his own music in 2002. He has come a long way since then. He has released 6 studio albums, 8 EP’s, and quite the list of singles. He is best know for his songs: “The Trapeze Swinger” (2009), “Call it Dreaming” (2017), “Boy with a Coin” (2007), “Naked as we Come” (2004), and “Tree by the River” (2011). His music has been featured in countless soundtracks of movies and shows including House M.D., Friday Night Lights, and Misfits.
Pop
Vampire Weekend was formed by Ezra Koenig (lead vocals and guitar) and Rostam Batmanlij (multiple instruments), Chris Thompson (drums), and Chris Baio (bass). The band self-produced their debut album, Vampire Weekend, in 2008. The 4 singles on this album, “Masford Roof”, “Oxford Comma”, “A-Punk”, and “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” gained them a great deal of popularity. They have released 2 additional studio albums, Contra (2013) and Modern Vampires of the City (2013). They are set to release a new album this year, however that is still TBA.
R&B
In 2011, Frank Ocean released his first mixed tape, Nostalgia, Ultra. The success of the tape led him to releasing his first studio album, Channel Orange (2012), which featured the singles “Thinkin Bout You”, “Pyramids”, and “Sweet Life”, and was certified for platinum. His next studio album, Blonde (2016) was also certified platinum and contained the single “Nikes”. The same year, Ocean was featured in Calvin Harris’ song “Slide”. Since then, he has been working on collaborations with artists like Jay-Z, Tyler the Creator, and Travis Scott.
Electronic
Harrison Mills and Clayton Knight formed the band ODESZA in 2012 out of Bellingham, Washington. They released their debut album, Summer’s Gone, in 2012, followed by an EP (My Friends Never Die) in 2013. Despite the success of these albums, they did not have any singles until the release of their 2014 album, In Return. This new album featured the singles “Sun Models”, “Say My Name”, “All We Need”, “Light” and “It’s Only”. They had just as many singles on their new album, A Moment Apart (2017). ODESZA has gone on to create their own record label, Foreign Family Collective, and has been named #10 on the Billboard 2018 list of dance musicians.