Black Country, New Road

Formed in 2019, this young indie rock band named themselves after a dual carriageway in the West Midlands. Their experimental style pays little attention to genres, blending violin and saxophone with guitar and keyboard for a muscular, energetic sound, which has been compared to Slint or Dirty Projectors.

Many fans fell for their sardonic, zeitgeist-capturing storytelling style after hearing their first single Athens, France about dating a confident, younger girlfriend who was into Ariana Grande, followed up by Sunglasses, full of references to modern life, including NutriBullets and Danish crime dramas.