Welcome to “Underrated Artists,” an entertainment column from the St. Louis Park Echo covering unpopular and unknown artists. Every week, a different Echo staffer takes on the role of a writer, reviewing single releases and albums from four underrated artists.
Dejima makes indie rock and alternative rock music. He first started making songs in the summer of 2021, and I enjoy listening to a variety of his songs. He reminds me a lot of similar indie artists who are more widely known, such as Men I Trust, Mac Demarco and Clairo. One song that really got me hooked on Dejima was his single, “Cool It,” released in 2022. The way he uses a mix of futuristic instrumentals to mix it up, such as him playing the guitar, makes the sound of the song flow really well with a very mellow sound. He is very versatile in how he uses the guitar, which allows him to add different beats and melodies to the song. The thing I love most about Dejima is that his whole style centers around his use of guitar, but he still mixes in different beats and flows for each song that he makes. This is really unique and shows how creative he can be with his music. It is clear how he switches between different beats but still stays true to the use of using a guitar in each of his songs. If you’re a fan of indie music, I would highly recommend you give Dejima a listen
JPEGMAFIA is a lyrically gifted artist who is very versatile with his work spanning from rap music to indie-rock music. I have grown to appreciate the music that he has made and how talented he is lyrically and production-wise. His newly released album, “I Lay My Life Down For You,” came out Aug. 2024.” There were many songs from this album that I got hooked on because of how he produced them. With some of the instrumentals that he was incorporating, the rapping was really unique, which is in line with his experimental style. He uses a lot of different beat samples and tries to make them flow in a certain way, whether they’re techno beats or more bass-heavy beats.One song that showed uniqueness was the switch up in flow from rock style music to lyrically flowing rap, was “New Black History (feat.Vince Staples).” Its beat varies—the tempo of the beats would go in a more rapid andt rhythmic tempo, similar to a rap song, but then immediately change to hardcore rock or drum beats. I was a fan of this becauseit was very different from a lot of rap music I have listened to in the past. I would give JPEGMAFIA a listen if you’re into experimental hip-hop music.
Another underrated artist that I think more people should tune into is Mac Ayers. He’s an R&B artist who has been producing music since his debut album, “Van,” in 2017. From his debut album, was a range of more sad music, he has gradually shifted to more positive, romantic music throughout the albums he has produced. Each album has its own sentiment and emotion. What I love most about Ayers is his angelic voice, which is the focal point in all of his songs. Additionally, he includes soothing beats in his songs. For instance, in his song “Roses” he ends the piece with calming and gentle flute music, producing a soothing sound. In the song “Sunny and 62,” he starts off with 30 seconds of light rain that fades into a soothing guitar. He’s all about gently bringing his music to his audience. His music can bring up people’s emotions and give them a sense of calmness when listening. I believe he should become more famous due to just the sheer talent that he holds. I would recommend Ayers to someone who is into R&B but is specifically looking more into strong R&B vocalists. Some similar artists include Daniel Caesar or H.E.R..
The final underrated artist is Selker. A DJ, is based out of Liverpool, England. He doesn’t get enough attraction due to other high-profile DJs such as Calvin Harris or Zedd. Selker’s music reminds me of “party” music—it’s very upbeat but gets extensively louder over time, which I love. I can get in a very fun mood when listening to his music, specifically when listening to the song “Too Much For Me.” The song starts off at a toned down pace but increases as the song goes on. I enjoy this about Selker’s music because it’s perfect for when you’re on a late night drive with your friends just bumping to that style of music. He also includes different beat production in his songs. For instance, the song “One Thing” includes more bass beats, but incorporates that with techno beats, which I thought was an amazing choice. I love that Selker is very versatile in his beat-production. His pieces have various beats but still maintain the element of a techno beat. If you enjoy listening to techno music, specifically DJs, Selker is an artist that I would recommend you listen to.
