Beat the Algorithm: Five artists with fewer than 1,000 monthly listens that everybody needs to catch up with
We all know just how difficult it is to fight through the deluge of curated playlists and algorithm-focused recommendations on Spotify as a fledgling artist, and the obstacles that genuinely talented creators are faced with in the modern age seem only to get more and more restrictive as the days go by.
With an increase in AI-generated songs and artists slipping through a lacklustre filtration system and receiving undue promotion for their torrents of machine-learned slop, genuine artistry seems much harder to come by in the modern era.
As artists continue to fight the good fight against this stain on the industry, many still get stuck in a position where it feels impossible to wriggle their way up the ladder. The number of stunningly good bands and songwriters with under 1,000 monthly listeners feels not only disappointing but an exceedingly unjust reward for painstaking effort to create something that is genuinely praiseworthy.
This is why we’re taking it upon ourselves to dredge the depths of the streaming platform and highlight five acts that currently sit beneath this threshold but deserve far more attention for their impressive and industrious approaches to songcraft. In all of these cases, they’ve released new material in the last two months as of the time of posting, but haven’t received the plaudits from the wider audiences they ought to be attracting.
Of course, it might seem like an unusual or inopportune time to be directing people towards Spotify, given their ties to the military-industrial complex that is currently playing an active role in genocide, and while some established acts have taken it upon themselves to remove themselves from the platform, this isn’t necessarily the greatest option for an act that is still fighting to gain traction. Spotify may only pay artists a pittance per stream, but as a means of exposure, there still aren’t many better or more ethical ways to broadcast to a broader audience if you haven’t already got one in place.
The list below is not written in advocacy of Spotify as a platform but as a means of recommending acts that deserve more attention. If you’re a fan of what you hear, consider other means of supporting the acts where possible. Live music, physical media, and merchandise should all continue to exist; multi-billion-dollar corporations should not.
Five interesting acts with under 1,000 monthly Spotify listeners:
Ex Agent
Location: Bristol, UK
RIYL: The For Carnation, Glenn Branca, Laddio Bolocko
Latest release: New Assumptions… (EP), released July 30th
THE SKINNY: Formed in Bristol’s thriving avant-garde underbelly, and comprising of members from some of the city’s other rising favourites such as HAAL, foot foot, Broadsheets and Sunglasz Vendor, Ex Agent have delivered one of the most aurally intense EPs of the year so far in New Assumptions…, which sees the band tackle a heady concoction of no-wave, post-rock and free jazz in idiosyncratic fashion.
Their latest release follows their debut single, ‘Clutch/5’, which was released at the tail end of 2023. It sees a hotly tipped act finally deliver on the promise of a frightful offering that captures the sheer venom of their live performances. There are moments where it threatens to buckle under the weight of its own ambition, but the sheer aptitude of the band proves that they can be stretched beyond ordinary limits to create something sublime.
Libby Quinn
Location: Long Island, New York
RIYL: Black Midi, The Mars Volta, Fantomas
Latest release: ‘HA (Gabaldon)’ (single), released June 13th
THE SKINNY: On the other side of the Atlantic, math rock outfit Libby Quinn continue to tease a return in 2025 with the release of their latest single, ‘HA (Gabaldon)’ which is arguably more chaotic than our previous entry. If their previous EP, 2024’s HELLZAPOPPIN, presented us with anything to go by, the band are hell-bent on generating cartoonishly angular prog, which may sound alarming on paper, is a riot on record.
There’s a menagerie of styles and influences being hurled at the wall, and luckily for them, all of it seems to stick. Nothing seems out of place despite the completely maniacal juxtapositions happening, and that’s all down to the tightness of the musicianship and the band simply knowing where to draw a line. Named after the horror film composer, Libby Quinn can easily be described as horrific or demonic, but at the end of it all, it’s riotously fun.
Full Catholic
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
RIYL: Big Thief, Katy Kirby, Hop Along
Latest release: ‘All new drugs’ (single), released July 31st
THE SKINNY: Dialling things back, we have a psychedelic folk collective in Full Catholic, who are gearing up for the release of their third album, Things go quiet, later in the year. While their first two efforts, every dream at once and “all is well”, are both quietly stunning records that see the band fuse together earnest and heartfelt lyricism with occasionally expansive structures, the difference between the two showcased singles from the forthcoming record is suggestive of a greater development.
As mentioned, it feels irresponsible to be promoting Spotify during a time where their actions are being placed under increased scrutiny for founder Daniel Ek’s reported funding of AI-assisted military technologies, and while it’s understandable for some acts to feel under obligation to remain on the platform, Full Catholic have taken the same stance as the likes of Deerhoof and Xiu Xiu to gradually remove themselves from it after the release of Things go quiet, so make the most of it while you can.
The Newrids
Location: Doylestown, Pennsylvania
RIYL: The Microphones, Shellac, Sonic Youth
Latest release: Freedom of Consequence (LP), released June 6th
THE SKINNY: While they might not be quite as loud or chaotic as a couple of the bands mentioned so far, the sheer difference between the different moods and styles of The Newrids that is showcased on Freedom of Consequence makes for a disarming listen that is a whirlwind of styles and emotions. When Australian-born vocalist Brandon Hunt isn’t sounding like The Microphones and Mount Eerie’s Phil Elverum, there are flashes of Steve Albini and Thurston Moore being hurled into the equation.
This leads to a record that is rough around the edges at times, and doesn’t rely on flashy production to propel itself any further, but the adventurousness of the songs that flit from lo-fi folk to walls of noisy glitchy experimentation and overdriven guitars has to be admired for how it feels like a brave decision to be letting so many ideas coexist on the same record. That being said, their debut album was two hours long, so bold decisions appear to be their forte.
Volk Soup
Location: Leeds, UK
RIYL: Osees, Powerplant, Devo
Latest release: ‘Reptilian Brain’ (single), released August 4th
THE SKINNY: If you’re after some no-nonsense, slightly eggy garage punk, then Yorkshire’s Volk Soup will have you covered with the debut single from their forthcoming debut album, 10p Jazz. If you’re after something a bit more abstract, jerky and rowdy, then perhaps their earlier string of standalone singles will take your fancy instead.
Previously touted as an act to watch out for by Far Out, perhaps now is the time for Volk Soup to get their flowers with the imminent release of a full-length project, and given the recent rise in popularity for similarly-inclined snotty and experimental punk acts, you’d have to imagine that if a few more people became aware of the band, there wouldn’t be anything stopping them from having a surge in listeners over the coming months.
