Now Hear This: Josh Franceschi on the best new pop-punk, indie and rap-rock

Me and the rest of the guys in You Me At Six have been on an incredible high after releasing our record SUCKAPUNCH and everything going so well in that first week. It’s really spurred us on to go hard and keep being creative, and that’s something I’m really enjoying at the moment.

I’ve also been enjoying checking out some new music in recent weeks, and I’ve picked five new acts that I love to share with you all. In my opinion, all of these artists are deserving of your attention…

My friend Jack Saunders from Radio 1 took me see these guys ages ago in London, and I thought they were fucking sick! They remind me of early Arctic Monkeys with some punk mixed in – they’ve definitely got attitude. They’re a class band, and really nice lads as well. I had some drinks with them after the show and they had a lot to say and came across as good people, which was really cool. Live, they’re brilliant – they’ve got so much energy, and their message really hits home when you see them play. Kid Kapichi are definitely a band to watch.

NOISY are everything I want to hear from an up-and-coming artist in terms of the bravery they have when it comes to blending different genres. The world we’re living in now is one where, in order to cut through the noise, you’ve got to be doing something as an artist that nobody else is doing. NOISY mix hip-hop with a rock and punk ethos, and they self-produce everything, which shows they’re a band that are really confident in what they’re creating. So What? was the first song I heard by them, and I was really impressed by it, so we got them pencilled in to support us on our tour in May, which is sadly looking less and less likely to happen. I really believe in NOISY, and they’re a band who can sit in different worlds, which is a good thing. I rate them very highly.

I spoke to Cassyette recently, and I know she’s going to have new music out in March. At the moment, her sound has a hint of hair metal, though I’m pretty loathe to use that term. Her songs Jean and Devil Inside are both great tunes. We’ve brought her out with us on tour before, and she’s always struck me as someone who has a very clear idea of where she wants to take her music. She’s gone through the teething process as an artist in a pretty under the radar manner so far, but I think she’s really found her place now, so I’m excited to see her new music drop. Cassyette is massive on TikTok, too, which is something we’ve seen recently can really help an artist. People are gravitating towards her, and seeing it as a badge of honour that they know about her before she blows up. She’s got a massive future.

This guy doesn’t really make rock music, but I don’t think that matters in the society we’re now living in. I discovered him after I went down a YouTube rabbit hole and came across his song Ransom, and hearing it I really loved how he was creating a sound all of his own. That track now has close to 800,000,000 streams on Spotify, which is pretty crazy for an artist I’d never heard of. He exists mainly in the hip-hop space in America, and I love his tunes. I think some people in the Kerrang! world will really appreciate Lil Tecca’s music.

We played with MOD SUN on the Warped Tour about 10 years ago, and that was the first time I really noticed the connection that was growing between the rap and punk worlds. The transition that Machine Gun Kelly has made from being a hip-hop artist to someone who makes pop-punk is mirrored in someone like MOD SUN, and I believe those two have worked together on some stuff. He’s been around for over a decade without really getting too much attention, but what he’s doing now is really cool, and he’s someone who definitely deserves that success that’s coming his way.

You Me At Six’s album SUCKAPUNCH is out now via AWAL Recordings.

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