Knox

With pop-rock anthems and a discography of pure perfection, Knox is a must-add to your music library. Since his song ‘Sneakers’ went viral on TikTok back in 2022, he hit the ground running with his EPs How To Lose A Girl in 7 Songs and I’m So Good At Being Alone. His single ‘Not The 1975’ gained traction across social media, climbed the Billboard charts, and hit radio waves across the country. The real question is: do you really want to be Matty Healy anyway? In just two years, Knox embarked on several headlining tours, performed at well-known festivals, and supported artists on stage such as The Band Camino, Nightly, and Quinn XCII. On April 4th 2025, Knox’s debut album Going, Going, Gone will be released followed by a headlining tour April-May. Let’s jump in a time machine, and fast forward to April shall we?

Djo

Djo is “the musical brainchild” of well-known actor Joe Keery (crazy right?). After disbanding from his band Post Animal, Djo came to life with the first single release ‘Roddy’ back in 2019. Since then, his single ‘End of Beginning’ put him on the map after it went viral across social media and now sits at over one billion streams on Spotify. In early January 2025, Djo started to tease a new album and officially announced The Crux with a release date of April 4th. And you thought he was done? Think again. On the same day, Djo announced The Back on You World Tour with support from his old band Post Animal. With a brand new album, live shows, and festival appearances, Djo will continue to impress and inspire many across the alternative/indie scene this year and onward.

Benson Boone

With his unimaginable vocal range, signature flips, and Freddie Mercury-esque stage presence, Benson Boone has managed to assemble a substantial fan base and place in the pop-rock world in just four years. After voluntarily leaving American Idol in 2021 to focus on his career, Benson signed to Night Street Records in partnership with Warner Records that same year. His first single ‘Ghost Town’ was released shortly thereafter, and charted in 16 countries. The year 2024 was Benson’s year with the release of his debut album, Fireworks & Rollerblades. The first single from the album, ‘Beautiful Things,’ truly changed his life with almost two billion streams, landing number two on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, and winning him ten awards thus far. He embarked on a headlining tour for Fireworks & Rollerblades throughout 2024, and was consistently expanding the tour due to high demand. Following the tour and a respectable performance at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards, you think Benson would slow it down. In 2025, Benson is gearing up for festivals including Coachella in California, Governors Ball in New York, Lollapalooza in Chile, and Mad Cool Festival in Spain, and you guessed it…album number two.

Tate McRae

Talk about an impressive resume…look no further than pop singer-songwriter and dancer Tate McRae. With her Mother’s influence as a dance instructor, Tate started dancing at a very young age. She began training in all styles of dance at age 11 at her mother’s dance studio, and learned ballet around the same time. In 2016, Tate was the first Canadian finalist on So You Think You Can Dance. The following year, she started to upload original songs she had written and recorded to her YouTube channel. After gaining traction with the music world, Tate signed to RCA Records in 2019. Since then, she has released two EPs and two full-length albums. Her song ‘You Broke Me First’ was her first single to chart on the Billboard Top 100, and was the longest charting song released by a female artist for the entirety of 2020. Her album, Think Later, was a “career-defining shift” for Tate, and her first top ten album in the United States. This year is Tate’s biggest year yet with her third studio album being released on February 21st, and her first arena tour, the Miss Possessive Tour, about to take the world by storm. After witnessing her vocal powerhouse and exquisite choreography, Tate will have you asking yourself…ru ok.

Bad Suns

Alternative-rock band Bad Suns draws inspiration from the 70s and 80s, and specifically artists such as The Cure and Elvis Costello who paved the way for many in the music industry today. Bad Suns’ first EP Transpose was released in 2013, and the four tracks heavily reflect the post-punk music they grew up on. Following their debut album release a year later that landed on the Billboard 200, the band opened for The 1975 and played at the Mojave Tent at Coachella. They sure were committed from the get-go, and it was all starting to pay off. It was only up from there as they signed a record deal with Epitaph Records in 2018, and released three studio albums spanning from 2016-2022. Bad Suns received endless admiration for their EP Infinite Joy in 2023, and their most recent single ‘Communicating’ has fans on the edge of their seats. The band “built a world” during the music video for ‘Communicating’ with the expertise of well-known creative director Andy Deluca (5 Seconds of Summer, MAX). Besides new music, Bad Suns has 2025 booked with several 10-year celebration shows for their first album Language & Perspective, and filling the support slot on FINNEAS’ For Cryin’ Out Loud! tour spanning the United States.

little image

Hailing from Dallas is little image, an “alt trio of misfits - no ego” per their Spotify bio. They released their first album Musings right out of high school, and wanted to try and make a name for themselves. When the pandemic hit in 2020, little image took advantage of the time spent in lockdown to really hone in on the direction they wanted the band to go in. They also took a deep dive into their influences with producer, audio engineer Chad Copelin (Sufjan Stevens, 5SOS) to cultivate the sound you hear today. Their second album, SELF TITLED, was released in 2023 with storylines of “self-doubt, self-reflection, and self-love.” The single ‘OUT OF MY MIND’ awarded the band their first #1 alternative hit on the radio. After taking the album out on the road for their first headlining tour, little image had additional opportunities to tour with Panic! At The Disco, Colony House, and graced several festival lineups. The band released ‘THE PRESSURE’ as their first song of 2025, and have big tour plans as supporting acts to Almost Monday and Joywave throughout the spring. After almost 10 years as a band, little image has come to realize the importance of staying true to the art, and how friendship is the glue that holds all of them together.

LØLØ

Instead of writing in a diary, pop-punk queen LØLØ writes songs for the world to hear. Since the release of her first EP Sweater Collection in 2019 and gaining traction on TikTok during lockdown in 2020, LØLØ has made waves in the music industry. The following year, she took to the stage on her first US tour with New Found Glory, Less Than Jake, and Hot Mulligan. In 2022, LØLØ was on cloud nine as she performed at Lollapalooza and Sad Summer Festival, and released her EP debbie downer. The title track ‘debbie downer’ features Maggie Lindemann, and is a nod to 2000 film Bring It On (instant green flag). LØLØ supported icons Boys Like Girls, State Champs, and The Summer Set on the Speaking Our Language Tour to end the year 2023 with a bang. Summer 2024 brought LØLØ to a whole other level with the release of her debut album, falling for robots and wishing i was one, touring with jxdn, and performing at All Your Friends Fest. With a deluxe debut album under her belt so far this year, LØLØ is eager to begin her first ever US headlining tour, U Tour Me On. With the tour name referring to her song ‘u turn me on (but u give me depression),’ you could say LØLØ’s anthems are “psychotically sentimental.”

Stand Atlantic

Known for their creative song titles and pop-punk perfection, Stand Atlantic is certainly a band you want to keep your eye on this year. Their first EP Sidewinder dropped in 2017, and landed at #10 on Rock Sound's Top 50 Albums that year. The group supported Knuckle Puck on tour before releasing their first album, Skinny Dipping, in fall of 2018. After Stand Atlantic debuted on the ARIA Albums Chart with their second album Pink Elephant, they had a rosy outlook for their future bodies of work. With ‘Pity Party’ being their lead single featuring Royal & the Serpent, fans knew the band’s next album f.e.a.r. would make for a rebellious and note-worthy 2022. It was even nominated for Australian Album of the Year. Stand Atlantic had more up their sleeve for their release of WAS HERE just a few short years later with a track list of 15 bangers, and including collabs with PVRIS, Sueco, and Polaris. What’s next for the “cuties of the music industry?” Thought you would never ask. In 2025, Stand Atlantic is taking over the globe and embarking on a headlining tour to Australia and Japan. Supporting One Ok Rock on their North American Tour will be yet another groundbreaking moment for the band. For lack of better words, don’t talk [to me]...Stand Atlantic is getting the recognition they deserve.

Aly & AJ

Remember ‘Potential Breakup Song?’ What a classic, and it was named one of the 10 Best Songs of 2007 by Time Magazine. At the end of 2007, Aly & AJ supported Miley Cyrus’ Best of Both Worlds Tour. The duo changed their name to 78violet, and released music under that name from 2009-2015 before changing it back. A compilation album called We Don’t Stop was released in 2020, and included songs from their EPs Ten Years and Sanctuary, and non-album singles. ‘Potential Breakup Song’ started to become popular on TikTok that year to which Aly & AJ responded with two re-recorded versions of the track. The duo was able to mark items off their bucket lists after performing at Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits in 2021 and 2022 respectively. Following the releases of two more studio albums and touring for both, Aly & AJ took most of 2024 to make music and use their platform for political advocacy (more than ever before). Entering 2025, the duo released ‘What It Feels Like’ as their lead single for their new era and album, Silver Deliverer. FloydFest, Sunset: The Festival at The Espee in San Antonio, and Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival are just a few performances Aly & AJ are looking forward to this year. Aly & AJ have graced the music industry for many years, and from the beginning provided love and encouragement to the fans…“Be every color that you are // Into the rush now.” <3

The Summer Set

“Let’s take this back, 2005.” The Summer Set will always be that band. 15 years ago they released their debut album Love Like This, featuring iconic tracks like ‘Chelsea’ (still an anthem) and ‘This Is How We Live.’ They performed at Alternative Press’ AP Tour with bands such as The Cab and Hey Monday, and toured with Cartel in 2009. Playing Bamboozle Festival and the Vans Warped Tour not long after was truly the icing on the cake. Just a few years later, their second full-length album Everything’s Fine was streamed non-stop. If you weren’t screaming the lyrics to ‘Someone Like You’ in 2011 what were you even doing? The Summer Set was booked and busy with winning the iHeartRadio Rising Star competition in 2013, performing at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, touring Europe and the US, and releasing two more studio albums...all within a three year span. The Summer Set announced an indefinite hiatus in 2017, but ended up reuniting and releasing a new single called ‘Street Lightning’ in 2021. Yes their song ‘Back Together’ will make you cry, and make you hold onto your favorite bands for dear life. After a new album, Blossom, in 2022 and supporting Boys Like Girls on the Speaking Our Language Tour, The Summer Set has been back and better than ever. In 2025, The Summer Set are amidst the lineup of When We Were Young Fest in Las Vegas, and are set to release their next album. This record will be their best yet, and “the purest expression” of who they are as a band. At the end of every day, The Summer Set will always be our safe haven because we are all forever just emo kids at heart.

2025 Artists To Watch