St. Paul & The Broken Bones

If You Like: Otis Redding, James Brown, Al Green

Looks can be deceiving. Take a listen to any song from Birmingham, AL crew St. Paul & The Broken Bones, and you would have no idea that it came from these guys. While the group may appear like a young posse of jazz nerds, the instant they start playing, they evoke a time much before their own. Lead singer Paul Janeway's voice is as close to Otis Redding as I've heard, and the band backing him up is as tight as can be. Their debut record, Half The City, is chock full of swingin', smooth soul music that will have you dancing one second, and crooning along the next. This is one of the most fun albums I've heard in a while and it's going to be on repeat for a while. Enjoy!

Wet

If You Like: Astronomyy, CHVRCHES, GEMS

Brooklyn trio Wet picked a name that's not too Google-able, but luckily their music is noteworthy enough to warrant some web searching. After making some ripples with their debut single, "Don't Wanna Be Your Girl" they released their Wet - EP  towards the end of last year. Since then, their minimalist, synth-laden, melancholy pop songs have earned them an opening slot on tour for CHVRCHES, and some highly-coveted SXSW appearances. While NYC is constantly overcrowded by exciting buzzbands, Wet are making a strong case for themselves and seem to be near the head of the pack. 

Their music video for "You're The Best" is quite New York. Featuring dark imagery and late night shots of indie parties, it'll help you get the vibe of the big city's hipster underbelly without having to trek all the way there. 

Allie X - "Prime"

If You Like: Katy Perry, Tove Lo, CHVRCHES

Canada isn't always the go-to place to find killer, intelligent pop music, but in this case, there's no better place. Allie X, a native of Toronto, has just released one of the most exciting, sugary-pop tunes that I've heard in quite some time. Her latest single, "Prime," utilizes falsetto vocals, hard-hitting synths, and a perfect sing-along melody to firmly lodge itself in your brain. Following up her other awesome track, "Catch," her new song ups the ante, feels poppier, and could easily show up on smart indie radio stations soon. While the powerful vocals bring Katy Perry to mind, the lyrics are are smarter than that, and the synths are more interesting, placing her comfortably between the Swedish  Tove Lo, and the Scottish CHVRCHES. 

The refrain, "Forget what I want, give me what I need, and it should be fine," is something you will hear being belted from cars and showers starting now.