Stephen Thompson

Derince plays a stringed instrument called an elektrobağlama — think of a long-necked, amplified lute — that lends his arrangements a springy sense of playfulness

This year's pure pop find from the great city of Austin is Sydney Wright, whose "You Can Stay" exudes dynamism and drama.

L.A. singer-rapper Steven G finds more or less the exact midpoint between sleekly stylish R&B and slyly playful hip-hop.

Patio's guitar-forward post-punk packs sweetly raggedy hooks, funny lines delivered as conversational asides and references to other bands into a span of just 95 highly eventful seconds.

At the helm of Why Bonnie, Blair Howerton writes glossy, synth- and string-inflected guitar-pop songs that fit a mighty, beating heart underneath all the gleaming hooks.

A sense of feeling stretched thin and far from home informs the Yumi Zouma's songwriting, but the dream-pop group's chemistry remains undeniable.

The four women in Pillow Queens write queer punk and pop songs with sharp, anxious edges — imagine a gnarlier Cranberries, maybe? — and endearingly thick Irish accents.

Rema is an Afropop superstar with a distinctive sound mixing pop and trap, a Barack Obama endorsement and a prominent magazine cover — and he still hasn't yet released his full-length debut album.

Affection pours out of the Welsh indie-pop band The School — affection for classic '60s girl-group pop, sunny springtime harmonies and lyrics that yearn with maximum sweetness.

Some bands deepen their impact with abstract examinations of the human psyche, but Vistas' sweet and shiny songs are just irresistible, high-wattage joy dispensers.

Rasmus Littauer calls himself School of X as a tribute to the experimental 1960s Copenhagen art collective of the same name, but his arty aspirations don't drown out his pop sensibilities.

Jordan Mackampa has spent his life straddling identities. His music juggles genres, too, as it mashes classic pop together with tinges of gospel and dramatic, timeless, string-swept soul.

The electro-pop band KAZKA has participated in — but fallen short of winning — both the Eurovision Song Contest and the Ukrainian X-Factor, but it parlayed the TV exposure into massive hits.

"Creatures," from Malco's forthcoming full-length debut, taps briefly into the singer's softer side, but uses it primarily as a foil for a soaring string of marvelous, ever-grander choruses.

Aymen Saleh makes sweetly jangling, goodnatured Britpop. Dispensed with abundant charm and grace, his songs feel warm and lived-in.

Led by singer-guitarist Dimitri Giannopoulos, the band's songs sound hypnotically beautiful, with arrangements that magnify small narrative details into big, booming moments of catharsis.

Milly's published discography consists of a whopping six songs, but they add up to an auspicious beginning, meeting at the midpoint between shoegaze and '90s-style alt-rock.

Momma's lyrical Easter eggs add layers of depth and mystery to crisp, chiming pop-rock songs that'd be great even if they weren't expounding on the far-ranging consequences of county-fair fisticuffs.

Born in New Mexico and raised in New Zealand, Holly Arrowsmith writes languid, yearning folk songs that frequently draw on the natural world for inspiration.

Mavi's flow can be low-key, and he records on his own living-room floor, but make no mistake: His work, like his life, is infused with a powerful sense of purpose.