Our Favorite Underground Artists: One Sentence Staff Picks

Laundry Day 

Pick by Ellie Irish: programmer, radio show co-host, and music committee member. 

I’ve been loving this band for five years now; they make indie pop music in their apartment in NYC, and they have the potential to be big rock stars. 

Recommended Song: “Green Vision”

The Toxhards

Pick by Braeden Pelko: writer. 

The Toxhards are a prog rock band with a unique sense of humor, whether it’s writing rock operas about pig-like gods or a psychedelic pop rock song about drinking coffee. 

Recommended Song: “Ængus, The Prize-Winning Hog” 

Gabriel Black 

Pick by Rachel Foley: writer. 

His mix of sounds across albums is incredible.

Recommended Song: “welcome to hell” 

Eliza McLamb 

Pick by Ava Shaffer: writer.

Eliza McLamb is a lyrical genius; sharp yet optimistic lyrics capture what it is to be a modern woman, and her voice is gorgeous. 

Recommended Song: “Mythologize Me” 

Dayglow 

Pick by Lauren Tolliver: music director. 

I wouldn’t say Dayglow is small anymore, but he was one of my first introductions into the indie pop world; his music is so fun and makes me feel like I am in a coming-of-age movie! 

Recommended Song: “Fuzzybrain”

Del Water Gap

Pick by Megan Harrison: marketing director, writer, assistant editor. 

I’m new to the Del Water Gap hype, but it’s everything I look for in music: sweet lyrics, fun instrumentals and the kind of carefree summer vibe I’m always chasing. 

Recommended Song: “Ode to a Conversation Stuck in Your Throat”

Black Rouse 

Pick by Abby Adamson

Blake Rouse, with only 10,000 listeners on Spotify, is one of my all-time favorite independent artists; his singer-songwriter sound, paired with introspective lyrics about Colorado and a bittersweet definition of home, is gut-wrenchingly beautiful.

Recommended Songs: “Estes Park” or “If I See A Road”

Juliana Chahayed 

Pick by Ethan K. Poole: writer. 

Over the Garden Wall is a show I adore, and when I heard her cover of “Into the Unknown,” I was blown away at how it, and many of her other songs, managed to have a unique, haunting energy.

suggi 

Pick by Karla Garcia: writer. 

suggi knows how to produce melodic and refreshing tracks—his laid-back style never disappoints! 

Isaac Dunbar

Pick by Rachel Watkins: senior editor. 

It makes me sad at night to think singer-songwriter Isaac Dunbar has yet to blow up because he is so incredibly deserving of his flower; making music since 2018, his vulnerability and voice have carried a discography worth shouting out. 

Recommend Song: “Fool’s Paradise”