2014 is already shaping up to be an insane year for music, and some of our favorite bands are on their way to huge things this year. With so many amazing artists headed towards great things, the number of drafts the list went through ended up being greater than the number of bands on it – but for the sake of our sanity, we’ve settled on these ones. For our inaugural Tuesday Ten column, check out our list of ten artists you need to have your eyes and ears on in 2014!
Better Off
Nashville quartet Better Off are causing a stir in the scene with the release of their debut album (I Think) I’m Leaving this August via 6131 Records / Blood & Ink Records. Comparisons have been rightly made to Jimmy Eat World, Knapsack, and Brand New, attracting a growing fanbase. The band has toured relentlessly all over America, sharing the stage with the likes of Comeback Kid and Real Friends. They’ll be heading out with Major League and Have Mercy next month, and their unique brand of emotional rock is sure to set them up for a huge 2014.
From Indian Lakes
As the latest band to join the Triple Crown Records family, From Indian Lakes had a hell of a 2013 and are gearing up for an even better 2014. The alternative quintet’s music is able to ease its way into your brain with intense melodies and unique vocals. Always putting on a fantastic live show, the band closed out last year with a coveted spot opening up for Anberlin and The Maine on their US tour. Currently working on the follow-up to 2012’s Able Bodies, From Indian Lakes are ready to become a mainstay in your playlist this year.
Handguns
Pennsylvania favorites Handguns are one of the better-known bands on this list and enjoyed a very successful 2013 – but it’s nothing compared to where they’ll be once the year is up. They’ve already toured all over the world with bands like as The Wonder Years and Hit The Lights on the back of their 2012 full-length Angst, also playing the full Vans Warped Tour last year. But between their upcoming big-name spring tour and the new full-length they’re currently recording – due out later this year via Pure Noise Records – 2014 is without a doubt going to launch them to a new level.
Knuckle Puck
Having just completed a string of holiday dates with Real Friends and Light Years, Knuckle Puck have been turning heads with their DIY approach to pop punk. And they haven’t stopped for breath, already writing new songs and premiering them at shows. They’re heading out on a huge tour of the US with Neck Deep in the early spring to promote their latest EP, The Weight That You Buried, a fantastic effort that will catapult them into the big leagues this year.
Modern Baseball
Modern Baseball had a great year in 2013, with a massive 50-day summer tour in support of their debut album Sports, but it looks like the Maryland quartet are only just getting started. Their new self-recorded album You’re Gonna Miss It All is due out on February 11th via Run For Cover Records, and their combination of youthfully honest lyrics and a raw live set makes them a definite band to watch. Make sure to catch them on what might be the biggest pop punk tour of the spring with The Wonder Years, Defeater, Citizen, and Real Friends and see for yourself why they made our list.
Neck Deep
UK pop punk act Neck Deep may have only formed in 2012, but their irresistible sound scored them a record deal with Hopeless Records within a year and they just released their debut album Wishful Thinking through the label this week. With two EPs of fast-paced pop punk already under their belt and a massive UK following, it’s not surprising that this band is set to explode onto the international scene – and soon. They’ll be playing a string of dates with We Are The In Crowd at the end of the month before heading out on with their first US headline tour with Knuckle Puck and Light Years in the spring.
Oh Honey
Singer/songwriters Mitchy Collins and Danielle Bouchard have teamed up for the charming sound that is Oh Honey. Their debut EP With Love came out in November, and their upbeat indie-folk songs are a fresh soundtrack to keep your winter from feeling too cold. The duo recently supported The Early November on their The Room’s Too Cold 10th anniversary show in New York, and they’ll be playing a handful of shows in the northeast US in February. Don’t miss out on what looks to be a huge 2014 for the Brooklyn pair.
PVRIS
With their debut full-length set to be released this spring, PVRIS are ready to take over the alternative scene. The Boston trio brought their hard-hitting brand of rock to a much wider audience last fall on the Rise Up Tour supporting A Skylit Drive and For All Those Sleeping, and they’re due to play at the House of Blues in Los Angeles later this month in the final round of the Warped Tour Battle of the Bands. The band’s refreshing take on female-fronted rock brings in influences from all over to produce a gritty yet graceful sound, and a full album’s worth of that sound is sure to make 2014 PVRIS’s year.
State Champs
We hear a lot of pop punk bands here at idobi, so it takes something special to make us sit up and take notice. When State Champs released their debut full-length The Finer Things last year, we jumped out of our seats. The album, produced by former New Found Glory guitarist Steve Klein, is eleven tracks of pop punk perfection and landed the band tours with the likes of Motion City Soundtrack and Cartel. The band shows no signs of slowing down this year – they’ll be taking their energetic live show to Europe with The Wonder Years at the end of this month and crossing the US with We Are The In Crowd in the spring.
You Blew It!
If You Blew It!‘s debut effort Grow Up, Dude got the recognition it deserved, #emorevival would have become a hashtag in early 2012. The Florida quintet’s music makes it feel like the 90’s again in the best way possible, and the release of their sophomore full-length Keep Doing What You’re Doing this week is already being praised across the board. With a team behind the album that includes producer Evan Weiss of Into It. Over It. and manager Joseph Marro of The Early November, the band is currently kicking off what is sure to be a successful 2014 with a US tour supporting The Front Bottoms.
Check out each of our 10 selected artists on Spotify via the playlist below:
Join the conversation – tell us on Twitter who you think will be huge this year!