A great way to liven up the dreary winter season is to add some variety to your music library. Everyone has heard of on-trend artists like Ariana Grande, Panic! at the Disco and Drake, but there are also many underground artists who remain unrecognized in today’s music industry. All artists on this list have less than 2,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, with some having less than 100. Check out our playlist of hidden gems to tune in to less mainstream music without having to do all the digging.
If you like the Rolling Stones, try:
“All Dressed Up” — Hunck
Hunck has the highest number of monthly listeners on this list, with 1,959. This group from London self-identifies their music as ‘sob rock.’ Their members include Kieron Johnston, Michael-James Dent, Frederik Tyson-Brown, Thomas Wykes and Danny Geffin. They released the single “All Dressed Up” in 2016.
If you like The Killers, try:
“That Way” — Don’t Tell Dena
This band should sound familiar to fans of The Killers. With 204 monthly listeners, Don’t Tell Dena started in 2015 with members Chris Krummrich and Sean Kanaly. The Oklahoma City-based group later added Campbell Young and Triston Lightner. The group categorizes their music as psychedelic indie rock and released “That Way” in 2017 on the album “Phases of the Moon.”
If you like Owl City, try:
“Time Ain’t On My Side” — These Modern Times
This alternative pop band from Stockholm, Sweden has 101 monthly listeners on Spotify. Björn Aldén, Kristofer Arbeus, Vladas Dominus, Johan Enbuske and Lars Haukeland started These Modern Times in 2015 and released the EP “People Lie” in 2016. “Time Ain’t On My Side” is a single featured on this EP.
If you like Twenty One Pilots, try:
“Pretty People” — Phantvm
Described as electric pop, Phantvm has 28 monthly listeners on Spotify. Hailing from Cincinnati, their members are Bax and Jace on vocals and drums, respectively. They released the single “Pretty People” in 2018.
If you like Birdy, try:
“Quiet Company” — Nuclear Club
Nuclear Club members David Curran, Adam Streets, Mark Marshall, Ross Fraser and Marc Hill started the band in 2016 from Glasgow, Scotland. With 19 monthly listeners, they released “Quiet Company” in 2018 on the album “Pop Psych.”
If you like Cage the Elephant, try:
“Uphill Tack” — Pretty Voices
This garage-pop band from St. Petersburg, Florida is actually the combination of two former bands, The Crippled Masters and The Popular Mechanics. Matt Grimshaw, Roger Peterson, Mike Whitaker and Nick St. Hilaire have only six monthly listeners on Spotify and released the album “Jangular” in 2016, on which the track “Uphill Tack” appears.
If you like AC/DC, try:
“Little B.” — The Raunchies
The Raunchies released “Little B.” on the EP “Falk” in 2015. Members Gianluca Amato, Federico Ferrigno, Francesco Fiore and Luca Fiore have 25 monthly listeners on Spotify. This rock-and-roll band hails from Rome, Italy.
If you like Foster the People, try:
“Red Wine” — Follies & Vices
This indie-pop duo from Seattle, Washington has 1,387 monthly listeners. Members Rob and Tanner released the single “Red Wine” in 2019.