3 Up and Coming Bay Area Musicians

Campo’s next most popular band might just be lurking in our own backyard. From San Francisco’s indie pop to Oakland’s historic hardcore punk, the Bay Area has a thriving and diverse musical subculture. Looking for new music? Here are a few local artists to check out:

April Magazine
April Magazine most recently released their album If the Ceiling Were A Kite: Vol. 1, now on Spotify, through Paisley Shirt Records, a label known for keeping San Francisco’s twee (a jangly subgenre inspired by later riot grrrl and the emergence of dream pop) indie subculture alive. But April Magazine isn’t any old Talulah Gosh rip-off. As leading innovators in the newly-created San Francisco DIY genre of “fog pop”, April Magazine utilizes fuzzy lo-fi recordings and bright, soft vocals to create a soft dreaminess that is remarkably genuine. Find all of April Magazine’s discography on Paisley Shirt Record’s Bandcamp.

Genres: Fog pop, dream pop
Best songs: “Shirley Don’t”, “Pink Hair”

GLO
Located in Santa Rosa, GLO shouldn’t be confused with the same-named Australian R&B musician. Her 2021 compilation on Bandcamp, Collection, perfectly encapsulates the synthy dreaminess of carefree California pop. Although she has a few dance tracks, she’s best when she slows it down in songs like “Out of Reach.” That way, fans can truly absorb her gorgeous vocals and smooth arrangements.
Listen to GLO on Bandcamp: https://smokingroom-label.bandcamp.com/album/collection

Genres: Bedroom pop, R&B
Best Songs: “All Nite”, “Far Gone”, “Out of Reach”

Tanukichan
Hannah Van Loon is a San Francisco native and the artist behind Tanukichan. Her latest release, Sundays, mixes the distorted heavy guitars of shoegaze with indie pop to evoke depictions of numbness that are both haunting and frank. Though the album was released in 2018, it’s more relevant than ever in navigating the isolation of the pandemic.

Genres: Shoegaze, Dreampop
Best Songs: “The Best”, “Perfect”, “This Time”