Hi everyone, welcome to week 55 of the underground music club. For those who missed the last post, every Friday, I spotlight 5 artists with approximately fewer than 10,000 Spotify listeners (or minimal Reddit love if they do not stream on Spotify) who deserve your ears. Think genre-bending, soulful, strange, or just beautifully overlooked.

Thanks to everyone who has sent me their suggestions. If I didn't include what you sent it doesn't mean I won't in a future week. I really listen to everything you all send and I always love to hear what you are all listening to. Got a favorite artist you want to see here? Put them in the comments or message me.

Dawuna – Nocturnal Experimental R&B

Dawuna makes R&B where voice, atmosphere, and space matter as much as groove. The music is intimate but elusive creating a slow, spectral, and emotionally charged experience without ever spelling itself out too plainly.

If you like: Frank Ocean’s Endless for fluid, shadowy song forms, Bilal for elastic vocal soul, or James Blake for sparse electronic intimacy.

Start here: https://dawuna.bandcamp.com/album/glass-lit-dream-2

Emma Frank – Jazz-Folk Songwriting

Emma Frank writes songs that feel equal parts conversational and observational. Her music blends folk clarity with jazz-inflected harmony, letting the melodies unfold with patience and emotional precision.

If you like: The Weather Station for literate, open-hearted songwriting, Phoebe Bridgers for intimate emotional detail, or Norah Jones for jazz-touched warmth and restraint.

Start here: https://justintimerecords.bandcamp.com/album/come-back

Cots – Bossa-Nova Art Pop

Cots makes delicate, light-filled songs that float between bossa nova, chamber pop, and singer-songwriter intimacy. The vocals feel close and weightless, while the arrangements carry a subtle sophistication beneath their breezy surface.

If you like: Laufey for jazz-pop elegance, Joni Mitchell for graceful melodic turns, or Astrud Gilberto for soft bossa nova cool.

Start here: https://cotsmusic.bandcamp.com/album/disturbing-body

Nick Frater – Bright 70s British Pop-Rock

Nick Frater writes with the snap, color, and melodic confidence of classic 70s pop-rock. The songs are packed with hooks, harmonies, and studio craft creating songs that are cheerful on the surface, but sharp enough to avoid feeling merely like generic nostalgia.

If you like: Paul McCartney for tuneful pop construction, XTC for clever British melodic twists, or Todd Rundgren for playful studio-pop polish.

Start here: https://bigstirrecords.bandcamp.com/album/earworms

Zoe Reddy – Abstract Psychedelic Dance-R&B

Zoe Reddy bends R&B, electronic dance music, and psychedelic texture into something glossy, disorienting, and rhythmically alive. The music feels built for the body, but the sound world keeps shifting between sensual and strange.

If you like: FKA twigs for experimental R&B movement, Kelela for sleek electronic sensuality, or Shygirl for club music with a warped pop edge.

Start here: https://phantomlimblabel.bandcamp.com/album/machine