The Ephemeric

Welcome back to The Ephemeric's 2015 Hot List. We hope you enjoyed last week's entry covering the essential television in 2015. This week we will be having a look at the most exciting new music set to hit the airwaves in the coming year.



2014 was what some might call a quiet year for music. Most of the big acts stayed on the sidelines, and the once that didn't like Coldplay or Damon Albarn, all turned out to be slightly disappointing. What it lacked in AAA clout however it made up for in fresh ideas, with some very promising new musicians and debut albums. RAC and Electric Youth both wowed critics on their first attempt.

The year ahead could not be looking more different. While promising debuts are in fresh supply, 2015 is going to belong to the returning favourites. We've got some big names working on new material this year, and The Ephemeric can't wait to share them with you. So here's our list of the top albums to keep an eye on in 2015, starting with number 15:



15. "Kintsugi" by Death Cab For Cutie

One of those bands that seems to have been around forever, Death Cab For Cutie are something of an institution for people who were in their formative years in the early new millennium.

A critical and commercial success with such hits to their name as Marching Bands of Manhattan, I will follow you into the dark, and Transatlanticism, their newest album Kintsugi appears to be something of a reinvention of the band's style. While the band's most well known member, vocalist Benn Gibbard, remains ever constant, outgoing is founding band member Chris Walla, and incoming is new producer Rich Costey, who has previously worked with bands like Arctic Monkeys, Bloc Party, and Weezer.

If lead single Black Sun is anything to go by, then the result is something that is recognisably Death Cab, but with more of edge to it and fewer of the high school pop trappings that they have stuck to for two decades. A bit of a shake up can only be a good thing, with recent decent, but lacklustre albums causing many to declare that the band is in a rut.

Kintsugi comes out this Spring, keep an eye out.

Release Date: March 31st 2015


14. "The Scene Between" by The Go! Team

Brighton's enigmatic The Go! Team are the sort of band of whom many more people will recognise the music than the name. Essentially the work of one man, producer/songwriter Ian Parton, The Go! Team have found success in their unique brand of idiosyncratic pop, which takes influence from just about any genre, from hip hop to pop to bollywood to sample-based electro-swing.

Their repertoire ranges from commercially and critically successful traditional pop to dizzying instrumental-only tracks, and frequently have been used for backing audio and in media. The most recognisable of their hits include Ladyflash, Everyone's a VIP to someone, and Huddle Formation.

The group's fourth album The Scene Between is coming up, and allegedly it may be their final album. If it is then Parton wants to go out with a bang. The album's bombastic lead single The Scene Between seems destined to become a radio favourite this Spring and summer.

Release Date: March 25th 2015


13. "Lucid Dreaming" by Say Lou Lou (New band)

A remnant from our 2014 list, Say Lou Lou's debut album Lucid Dreaming was originally expected to drop sometime last year, but ultimately got pushed back to 2015. But now it will finally release, and has a date set sometime in February.

The duo's shimmering dream-pop has caught the attention of just about every industry insider and found it's way unanimously into all the most prominent 2014 and 2015 music previews. This time last year Say Lou Lou was arguably one of the most hyped bands in Europe, and there's still a great deal of excitement about this debut.

So far the signs are there that the hype is justified. Only a handful of songs have been revealed and they're all gorgeous, slow-burning pieces of music, beginning with their first single from a few years back Maybe You, and continuing with their more recent EP releases Better in the Dark and Julian.

Say Lou Lou's as yet untitled debut album is due this February, and the buzz is that they are set to make a massive impact on 2015.

Release Date: February 2015


12. Soak (New band)


A common feature on most 2015 music previews, Soak is the pseudonym of teenage sensation Bridie Monds-Watson. Despite her young age, Soak has toured with major acts such as Chvrches, George Ezra, and even performed at Glastonbury. She is headed for big things in 2015.

Soak specialises in soulful acoustic pop about teenage life and she's undoubtedly immensely talented. In particular everyone really needs to hear new single B a noBody.

If the rest of her debut album, due sometime later this year, is as good then it will be one of the more interesting debuts to look out for this year.

Release Date: TBA 2015


11. Charlie Belle (New band)

Another new band, this time from a big further afield. Charlie Belle, who hail from Austin Texas, are also a group of teenagers, but compared to Soak their sound could not possibly be more different.

One could be forgiven for being skeptical about a band of sunny teenagers, no doubt peddling some trashy Rebecca Black piece of irrelevance. The shock then is that Charlie Belle are really quite fantastic, writing songs with a maturity and style that could easily have been confused for 20something indie darlings.

In fact there is every possibility that Charlie Belle are one of the best new indie bands in many years. First single Get to know is a classic jaunty number that sounds like it could be written by Amy Macdonald or Stars, while the equally impressive Shake you off manages to combine the smokey indie swagger of Arctic Monkeys or The Smiths with the soulful American south.

No firm date has been given to their full LP, but their EP can be found on iTunes and all good music stores now. The full LP should be due later this year.

Release Date: TBA 2015


10. "Panda Bear meets the Grim Reaper" by Panda Bear

Panda Bear might be one of the most divisive artists alive today, both for his solo work and his work with the equally divisive Animal Collective, of which Panda Bear is a founding member and lead songwriter.

Panda Bear and Animal Collective have long been known in the music community for their audacious experimental sound that tends to be in equal parts "wow" and "wtf?", with songs such as Fireworks, and most famously My Girls. More recently Panda Bear's solo work has seen notable hits like Person Pitch, as well as collaborations with big names like Daft Punk in Doin' It Right.

New album Panda Bear meets the Grim Reaper sees no change from that pattern. The first two singles Boys Latin and Mr. Noah make that clear. These are songs that will confuse and bewilder as many people as they delight. Panda Bear's penchant is for music that sounds like it's from another planet; utterly unique, near incoherent, and strangely memorable.

Release Date: January 2015



9. "A Head Full of Dreams" by Coldplay

"But Coldplay only just released a new album a few months ago," We hear you say. And you would be correct, but bizarrely enough Coldplay are dead serious about releasing a new album already, titles A Head Full of Dreams.

Pretty terrible title, and can another album so soon after the last one really be of high enough quality? Many doubts linger.

However Coldplay have a more than good enough record of producing fine music to merit a place on the Hot List, after all Sky full of stars only just won the Debbie for best song of last year. But keep an eye on them this year in particular, as Head Full of Dreams appears quite possibly to be the last Coldplay album ever, if rumour is to be believed. Probably just a hype building marketing tool, but either way, you'll want to be around to find out.

Release Date: TBA 2015


8. Sunset Sons (New band)

A band with an interesting origin story. Sunset Sons started as a group of English tourists in Val D'Isère, united by their love of snowboarding and music. Once assembled they starting touring various venues around the Alps, and created such a buzz that before long the big record label execs were flying over just to hear them play.

Now with a new record deal with Polydor records, Sunset Sons' debut album is on the way and due for release sometime later in 2015. Early signs are good for some old fashioned, radio-friendly, soulful pop, the kind that seems to be all the rage at the moment. Lead singles She Wants and Remember have been received strongly so far and seemed destined for chart success.

In the meantime they can be found touring around Europe, but we will certainly be expecting to hear these guys on the radio a lot once that album drops.

Release Date: TBA 2015


7. "Gliss Riffer" by Dan Deacon

Baltimore legend Dan Deacon is about as far from mainstream as an artist can get. A writer of beautiful and astoundingly complex music, Deacon is especially known for his live gigs which are more like theatrical extravaganzas, often featuring audience participation in bizarre and creative ways.

Recent years have seen him touring with much more mainstream groups like Girl Talk and Arcade Fire, while recent album Bromst indicated a new turn towards the mainstream for Deacon, which much more radio-friendly songs like Snookered and Build Voice. But far more typical of the classic Deacon style would be tracks like the bewilderingly ambitious 11 minute epic Wham City.

The first track from Gliss Riffer, titled Feel the Lighting suggests that this new album will be a step further in the direction of accessibility, which can only be a good thing if it means more people will be able to appreciate the man's energy and creativity. The album releases in February, definitely one to watch.

Release Date: February 25th 2015



6. Låpsley (New band)

Another of the very much hyped debut acts for 2015, Låpsley is considered a real contender for the Brit Critics' Choice Award this year and it's easy to see why.

An 18 year old from Southport, Låpsley is a one-woman songwriting machine, writing, performing and producing all her own music. It's a rarity for anyone, let alone such a young girl. Her music itself is that most critically pleasing of understated, soulful pop; think Laura Mvula or The XX.

The debut album is due to come later this year, but so far her EP has given us a few good hints at what to expect. The best of the bunch is Station, a real treasure of a song. A big name to keep an eye out for this year.

Release Date: TBA 2015


5. Brandon Flowers

Another remnant from our 2014 list. The Killers may have cemented their position as one of pop music's megastar bands, but when frontman Brandon Flowers decided to bud off into solo work his debut album Flamingo was met with lukewarm reception.

With his notoriously off-the-wall creative stylings free from the shackles of his fellow band mates the result was as variable as one would expect. Some songs were a hit, like Jilted Lovers and Broken Hearts and lead single Crossfire, while others smacked of pretention and over-the-top production, case and point: Only the Young.

In 2013 Flowers announced his intention to produce a follow up solo album while The Killers are on hiatus, but ultimately no album appeared in 2014. The latest word is that it is now definitely on for a release some time this summer. The good news is even if the album is no better than his first, that means it will still have at least one or two great songs on it.

Release Date: TBA 2015


4. "Goon" by Tobias Jesso Jr. (New band)

Tobias Jesso Jr. is one of the most exciting new artists we've heard in a while. And what a bizarre story it is for the young Canadian, who by all accounts had been a complete blow out on his first attempt at a musical career in LA. It was only after giving up and returning back home to Vancouver that his compositions started to take shape, and quickly he started to attract the attention of some of the biggest producers in the music industry.

Debut album Goon has a decidedly singer-songwriter sound to it, harkening back to a Harry Nilsson or Tom Petty. Give a listen to some of the early singles such as Hollywood and How Could you Babe, two excellent songs which on first listen could easily have come from any decade, such is their implacably "classic" style.

The new album is due for release in March, and the buzz is already pretty high for this debut.

Release Date: March 17th 2015


3. Metric

Metric's as yet untitled sixth studio album is due for release some time this year, and that's a very good thing.

The Canadian rockers have long been a jewel of the indie scene, and their last album Synthetica was truly underrated with great songs like Breathing Underwater to their name.

So far the only track revealed from their upcoming album is The Fatal Grift, which hints at a much more introspective, low-tempo approach to their new material. It remains to be seen whether this is indicative of the broader style of the album.

No word yet on a release date, so expect to see it sometime after the summer.

Release Date: TBA 2015


2. Gorillaz

Damon Albarn is undoubtedly music royalty for his work he has done solo and with Blur, but it's arguably his side project Gorillaz which has garnered the most widespread success.

At the time of writing this Gorillaz have just announced their return, and their plans for a new album to be released in 2015, "phase 4" of the Gorillaz project as it were. Beyond this, details are thin at the moment (read: non-existent), but if it's half as good as the group's previous album Plastic Beach then we're in for a treat.

Gorillaz of course are known for their eclectic mix of styles, from hip hop to dance, and plenty more besides. Best known for tracks like 19-2000, Feel Good Inc, and On Melancholy Hill. But this is only the tip of the iceberg, and we await with real interest to see what crazy machinations Albarn and co come up with this time.

Release Date: TBA 2015


1. "Kindred" by Passion Pit

Which brings us to our choice for the number 1 most hotly anticipated album of 2015. This year there is no upcoming musical offering that excites us as much as the return of Passion Pit.

Few details have surfaced of the new album so far, aside from the name Kindred and this incredibly teasing 12 second trailer released through the band's YouTube. But such is the astounding quality of their first two albums and the preceding EP, with hits like It's not my fault I'm happy and Moths Wings, that there is simply no other album releasing in 2015 that we are looking forward to more.

The release date is set for some time in April, which means you'll be able to enjoy the latest from Passion Pit come Easter. We can't wait.

Release Date: April 2015



So there you have it folks: 2015 in music. Tune in next week for the essential new videogames of the year!