Half Year Review: 2014 Edition #10-01

Today marks the top 10 of our Half Year Review and we couldn't me more excited to share with you some of our favorite acts of 2014 so far. There are so many artists/bands that are going to literally blow up this year and there are artists/bands that we don't even know about yet that might just be the biggest thing of 2014 (A lot can happen in 6 months). We just wanted to do a quick honorary mention of a few artists/bands that are some of our favorites and will always have a place in our heart as an act that truly can stand out: Evvy, Broken Luxury, Mattheu, and Frenship. Every artist we feature on Oblivious Pop has the talent to go extremely far in this industry. That is why we feature them on here. We put a lot of consideration when we do countdowns like these all of which include analytics and just pure instinct. With all of this out, we are proud to give you our Top 10 picks for the first half of 2014! 

We've loved IYES from the very beginning when they released their debut track "'Til Infinity" back last year, and our love for this Brighton duo continues to grow to the extreme as they wow us with each new release. Their second single "Breathe" send shivers down our back and that was when we knew IYES was a force to be reckoned with. Keep an eye on these two as we only expect more from them in the coming months.

Earlier this year it felt like the music scene was shifting hot spots from Australia to Brighton in the UK. This was all backed up when Fickle Friends made their debut at the very beginning of the year, giving them a track that has almost half a million listens on Soundcloud. Already hot on the European festival scene, this Brighton crew is going to make the world slowly fall in love with them at every turn. They definitely know how to write a big time hit.

With a single as hot as "Faded", there's no wonder ZHU had instant success with a track that is becoming one of the hottest electronic tracks around. With a debut EP out now and ZHU still staying strong on the iTune charts there's no doubt that he'll be around busting out more club ready anthems for you to blast all night long.

All it took was one listen and we instantly fell in love with the new darkened pop star Halsey. In just a day her debut single "Ghost" went viral and had every music lover melting in the palm of her hand. She delivered her second single "New Americana" that had us in a rebellious state and instantly craving more from this girl who has all the right essences of pop. We are well on the way to getting more music from this girl as her debut EP is slated for release later this year on Astralwerks/Capitol Records. 

Great Good Fine Ok released their debut track about 9 months ago and literally had the music industry crawling at their feet to get a taste. After leaving us in a wonder of what was coming next, Great Good Fine Ok let some remixes of their debut keep the steam rolling and finally led to the long waited sophomore release "Not Going Home" that literally had the same, if not more, on the industry. Great Good Fine Ok is well on their way to becoming the hottest band in the indie scene as they are set to release their debut EP on Neon Gold Records in the coming months and have a deal locked up with Epic Records in the UK. 

With their catchy indie hits circulating the world in a craze, Sylvan Esso exploded this spring in preparations for their debut LP that's out now on Partisan Records. Sylvan Esso find every essence of quirky pop tracks worked to perfection that they stick to your mind and have you humming them for months on end. A day doesn't go by when there isn't a Sylvan Esso track playing. This duo is well on their way to meeting the ranks of one of the best records of 2014. Sylvan Esso has captured our hearts and mostly likely they have captured yours too.

If you don't know who Betty Who is by now then you better learn fast because she is rising hot and steady to the front of the pack. With a debut EP behind her from last year leading up to her big sign with RCA last fall, Betty Who more ready than ever to become that name you love to chant. She released her second EP Slow Dancing this spring, toured the U.S., and made a UK live debut. Betty Who is well on her way to becoming a household name. We only hope we get that long waited LP before the years out, but if not we're sure it will be well worth the wait.

Tove Lo. "It" Girl. Superstar. Hit maker. Girl who makes us "stay high all the time". It was clearly meant to be after she released the song that's still circulating the world and becoming one of the biggest obsessions to date. "Habits" was released in the spring of 2014 and instantly caught the eyes of all the right people. A year later, we got her debut EP via Neon Gold Records and she instantly started climbing the charts. Now that even more eyes are on her, the long awaited debut full-length later this year.

There's always a major fascination with artists who are unique in the most intriguing yet creative ways and with Allie X we get just that. Coming off of a debut track "Catch" that went viral after Katy Perry blasted a tweet about the song, Allie X is making the music world crave every part of her. People want to know her back story, they want to know what makes her tick, and they want to know when they are getting more music from her. She's currently 3 songs deep in her career and all of them have been sure fire hits filled with hook after hook. The most intriguing thing about Allie X is her stance on her project. It appears she's just kind of going a long with it and testing the waters as an artist who can do without a major label and still be that pop star everyone will talk about. 

We couldn't be happier to give our leading spot to a duo that won our hearts over with one listen. Powers, an NYC/LA duo with a long list of accomplishments behind them in other projects (which include writing for Icona Pop), are hot on the verge of becoming an act that has been slowly creating some buzz. Their debut track "Gimme Some" caught the right eyes back last year, but it was this spring when things heated up from releasing their powerhouse track "Money" and then a music video for "Touch The World" that had all the right feels. A month or two ago they teased they were in the studio with the Knocks working on something sick. With all the talk, we just keep hearing more phenomenal things about this collaboration that our heads are filling with excitement as to when we are finally going to get a listen. Powers has won our entire heart and all of our support. We can only imagine what is in store for them in the coming year.