There are probably around a million bands and artists in the world, which is obviously a lot. If you’re like me then you know most bands before your friends do, which is cool because you’re ahead of the game. If you are ahead of the game then you can share your band knowledge with the world, which is what I’m about to do for anyone reading this. So here are six bands or artists you should know.

1. Lights

Lights is a Canadian electro-pop singer who is way underrated. She has five studio albums out, two of which are rearranged acoustically. The thing that I think is the coolest about her music is the acoustic rearrangements. Hearing the album electronically, and then hearing it in a more organic aspect adds to the greatness of the music. If you’re looking for music that you can dance to and then listen to again in a different way, Lights is a singer to know. The coolest thing about Lights other than her killer tunes is her giant cat, Stanley.

FFO: Chvrches, Marina and the Diamonds, Ellie Goulding

Here’s my favorite song, "Suspension (acoustic)"

2. Phoebe Bridgers

According to musician Ryan Adams, Phoebe Bridgers is “a musical unicorn." That is a pretty accurate description of her talent - she’s only 21 years old and she writes music like a seasoned musician. Her voice is amazing, bundled together with her lyrics and her guitar make her a musician to watch out for. She lives in Los Angeles, so she plays a lot of shows locally. Phoebe is currently working on her first full-length album - she only has an EP out right now with three songs on it -but once that new album comes out, you’ll probably be hearing about her a lot more.

FFO: Folky emo music

Here’s her song, “Georgia”:

3. Basement

Basement is a British punk band. I don’t think that many people outside the punk scene know them. A few years ago Basement almost broke up, which would’ve been sad, but they came back with what I think is one of their best albums. The songs that Basement writes have really good lyrics that will make you a little emotional. If you’re looking for a new band that has meaningful songs that you can have a good time listening to, then this band is for you.

FFO: Title Fight, Balance and Composure, Citizen

Check out “Aquasun” right here:

4. mewithoutYou

This band is so weird, but also one of my favorite bands out there right now. I heard my favorite band's lead singer talking about them and decided to check them out, and I’m glad I did. They mix up their style a lot during songs, which gives the songs cool structures and makes you wonder how the song will sound. They write about fictional circus train crashes and what happened to the animals during said events. But that oddness is what makes them so great!

FFO: Cursive, Circa Survive, Minus The Bear

Here’s my favorite song, "Fox’s Dream Of The Log Flume”:

5. Carah Faye

Carah has a lot of experience singing - she is the co-lead singer of the band Shiny Toy Guns, which is awesome. Right now she is in the process of getting her solo music out to the world. I went to one of her shows last month, and even though she only has one song out from the solo record, all the songs rocked. Her voice is really incredible, and her songwriting is incredible as well. When the solo album comes out, give it a listen.

FFO: Shiny Toy Guns, Paramore

Here’s the song, “Don’t Say A Word”:

6. Movements

Movements is an emo band of greatness. Their music is awesome - it’s sung, but there’s also spoken word parts in some of their songs. The lyrics are good and they make you think about things in your life. They were just signed to Fearless Records and are now on tour with Pierce The Veil, which is great, because they totally deserve it. They have an EP out called "Outgrown Things," and it’s worth listening to.

FFO: Safe To Say, La Dispute, Thrice

Here’s their song, “Kept”: