Sound On

WBUR's ongoing series highlights rising local musicians.

South Shore singer Lee Zangari is our local Tiny Desk favorite

The artist won over our panel with a mesmerizing performance of "A Man Is A Man" played on the mountain dulcimer.

Arts & Culture

08:06Oct 27, 2022

Musician Eph See (OJ Slaughter for WBUR)

Dorchester musician Eph See channels teen angst into buoyant pop

Their 2021 debut EP, "g*rlhood," captures the romance of adolescence from the perspective of someone (slightly) older and (regretfully) wiser.

Arts & Culture

07:08Aug 25, 2022

Daniel Huang, Ronnica and Tiffany Sammy of Mint Green. (OJ Slaughter for WBUR)

Bubblegrunge band Mint Green refreshes heartache anthems

The Somerville band, named for the lead singer's favorite color, debuted their first full-length LP earlier this month. Their music brings a mix of emotions — light and airy, but...

Arts & Culture

09:25Jun 30, 2022

Singer Miranda Rae is intent on emerging from her cocoon

The neo-soul artist is coming into her own. “I think sometimes I play it a little safe with my lyrics. But on my next project, I really just want to...

Arts & Culture

07:22Apr 28, 2022

Ella Boissonnault of Lady Pills. (OJ Slaughter for WBUR)

Raging at the patriarchy, Lady Pills forges a new musical path

After a breakup and the near-dissolution of her band, Ella Boissonnault decided to make Lady Pills' third album on her own terms.

Arts & Culture

08:08Feb 24, 2022

Local Tiny Desk favorite HEESU takes her cues from K-pop and soul

Growing up in Seoul, HEESU (the stage name of Heesu Yu) loved to belt K-pop at the city’s nuraebangs (karaoke rooms). She brought that same infectious energy to her Tiny...

Arts & Culture

07:58Nov 18, 2021

Left to right, Daniel Radin, Colby Blauvelt, Maya Mortman and Amy Hoffman of Future Teens. (OJ Slaughter for WBUR)

Future Teens Make Sadness Sound Like Fun

The Boston-based emo band has its heart in pop music and wears its sadness on its sleeve.

Local Coverage

06:58Aug 26, 2021

Van Buren Records (OJ Slaughter for WBUR)

Brockton Rap Collective Van Buren Records Is Making A Name For Itself And Its City

Van Buren is charting new terrain for a city which must also adapt to the tides of development. They’re the rap game’s best kept secret, but like most good things,...

Local Coverage

08:05Jul 1, 2021

Indie jazz band Really From. (OJ Slaughter for WBUR)

Indie Jazz Band Really From Is Reframing Its Origin Story

Really From’s upcoming self-titled album doubles as a freshly focused declaration of the artistic direction the band has honed over the past seven years, unpacking the complexities of identity and...

Local Coverage

08:39Mar 11, 2021

Hip-Hop Broke $ean Wire's Heart, And Healed It

The Boston rapper is an artist at once tormented by and in love with the act of self-expression. “Music was always the medicine to what I was feeling," Wire says....

Local Coverage

06:39Feb 11, 2021

Squirrel Flower. (OJ Slaughter for WBUR)

With Pure Vocals And Brash Guitars, Squirrel Flower Writes Her Origin Story

The music of Ella Williams, a.k.a. Squirrel Flower, is expansive and melancholy and preternaturally sensitive to the taut threads of power that run, invisible, through relationships.

Local Coverage

06:42Mar 5, 2020

Ezra Furman Is Finally Making The Punk Music Of Her Teenage Dreams

Out with a new soundtrack to the Netflix series "Sex Education," the singer-songwriter Ezra Furman is making Boston home.

Local Coverage

10:52Feb 14, 2020

Frances Garrett, who performs as Frances Forever. (Courtesy of the artist)

In Sad Songs With Happy Melodies, Frances Forever Captures The Uncertainty Of Young Adulthood

The bedroom pop act has attracted tens of thousands of streams on Spotify with her odd, yet accessible, songs.

Local Coverage

07:06Aug 19, 2019

Rapper Latrell James. (Courtesy Niklas Weikert)

Latrell James Was Ready To Drop An Album. Then He Decided To Start Over From Scratch

The Dorchester-born rapper adopted a different approach to crafting his songs. He stopped writing, started emoting.

Local Coverage

04:39Jun 28, 2019

Vocalist Aubrey Haddard. (Courtesy Darius Hale)

Aubrey Haddard Finds Power In The Subtleties Of Her Voice

The Cambridge-based musician has the kind of voice that divas are made of, and is well-poised for national success.

Local Coverage

06:51Feb 6, 2019

Cambridge-based band Billy Wylder. (Courtesy Nate Wieselquist)

Cambridge Rock Outfit Billy Wylder Finds Its Roots In Resistance And Sound In Reverence

Frontman Avi Salloway's songs are urgent calls to action written over syncopated rhythms and mesmeric guitar riffs.

Local Coverage

07:06Nov 7, 2018

Photocomfort and Anjimile perform in Anjimile's apartment. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

Boston Singer-Songwriter Anjimile Mines Blissful Melodies From Melancholy Thoughts

The musician explores transgender dysphoria and mental health in their latest release, "Colors."

Local Coverage

06:43Aug 2, 2018

Rapper and music producer Billy Dean Thomas at Pink Noise in Somerville. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

The Radical Ambition Of Billy Dean Thomas, The ‘Queer B.I.G.’

"I’m more than just an emcee, I’m more than just whatever box people want to put me in," says the Boston-based artist.

Local Coverage

07:21Jun 14, 2018

Musician Sidney Gish. (Courtesy Xinyuan Chen)

Sidney Gish, Boston’s Bandcamp Phenom

The music of the rising bedroom pop sensation is marked by an adventurous impulse -- an eagerness to try, and even fail at, new things.

Local Coverage

06:05Mar 28, 2018

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South Shore singer Lee Zangari is our local Tiny Desk favorite

Dorchester musician Eph See channels teen angst into buoyant pop

Bubblegrunge band Mint Green refreshes heartache anthems

Singer Miranda Rae is intent on emerging from her cocoon

Raging at the patriarchy, Lady Pills forges a new musical path

Local Tiny Desk favorite HEESU takes her cues from K-pop and soul

Future Teens Make Sadness Sound Like Fun

Brockton Rap Collective Van Buren Records Is Making A Name For Itself And Its City

Indie Jazz Band Really From Is Reframing Its Origin Story

Hip-Hop Broke $ean Wire's Heart, And Healed It

With Pure Vocals And Brash Guitars, Squirrel Flower Writes Her Origin Story

Ezra Furman Is Finally Making The Punk Music Of Her Teenage Dreams

In Sad Songs With Happy Melodies, Frances Forever Captures The Uncertainty Of Young Adulthood

Latrell James Was Ready To Drop An Album. Then He Decided To Start Over From Scratch

Aubrey Haddard Finds Power In The Subtleties Of Her Voice

Cambridge Rock Outfit Billy Wylder Finds Its Roots In Resistance And Sound In Reverence

Boston Singer-Songwriter Anjimile Mines Blissful Melodies From Melancholy Thoughts

The Radical Ambition Of Billy Dean Thomas, The ‘Queer B.I.G.’

Sidney Gish, Boston’s Bandcamp Phenom