Near Mint Records took a chance on The Obsessives when their label launched in the middle of 2014. The band, which hails from Washington D.C., had only just begun to gain the attention of the music industry at large, but that didn’t stop co-founders James Cassar and Corey Purvis from putting their faith and money […]
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It’s Hard To Be “Bored” While Listening To The Obsessives
July 20th, 2015 
James Shotwell 
Posted in News, Streams 
Tags: Bored, Heck No Nancy, Near Mint Records, review, single, The Obsessives, you need to know 
2 Comments »
FEATURE: Stop Making Excuses & Start Listening To Oh Honey
May 14th, 2015 James Shotwell This probably won’t be that hard for you to believe, but despite the fact I more or less make a living talking about music there are still great new bands that I don’t discover until well after they have made a splash on the national stage. I like to think I do a fairly good […]
Posted in Editorials, Features, News, Reviews Tags: Be Okay, best new artist, discover, editorial, new music, oh honey, opinion, Postcards, Sugar You, you need to know Comments Off on FEATURE: Stop Making Excuses & Start Listening To Oh Honey
Will Amnesia Beach Be Your Next Obsession?
April 8th, 2015 James Shotwell We receive hundreds of new music submissions every week at UTG, and of those only a select few ever make it to the front page. Even less appear more than once, which is probably as much our fault as theirs (communication is a two-way street), but every so often a musician or group comes along […]
Posted in News, Streams Tags: Amnesia Beach, new artist, review, single, The Light, you need to know Comments Off on Will Amnesia Beach Be Your Next Obsession?
Is Charlie Puth’s “Marvin Gaye” Pop Music’s Next Smash Hit?
February 10th, 2015 James Shotwell Atlantic Records took the music industry by surprise in 2014 with the signing, and later complete radio domination, of Meghan Trainor. Her throwback sound, coupled with timely pop culture references, made songs like “All About That Bass” inescapable pop hits. Just how long her career will last is anyone’s guess, but it should go without […]
Posted in Editorials, Features, News, Reviews, Streams Tags: .mp3, atlantic records, Charlie Puth, marvin gaye, Meghan Trainor, pop music, review, single review, stream, you need to know 1 Comment »
UTG VIDEO PREMIERE: Ivory Deville – “Drain Pipe” (Live)
January 22nd, 2015 James Shotwell Just a month after releasing their incredible debut album, Ivory Deville have partnered with UTG to share a live video that you won’t soon forget. If you don’t know the name Ivory Deville just yet, don’t fret. Though the band has been getting a lot of love from critics in recent weeks they are still […]
Posted in Features, News, Streams Tags: Drain Pipe, Ivory Deville, live, music video, performance, you need to know Comments Off on UTG VIDEO PREMIERE: Ivory Deville – “Drain Pipe” (Live)
Eden The Cat Is The ‘Amateur’ Songwriter No One Can Resist
January 7th, 2015 James Shotwell Every year I tell myself I am going to dedicate more time to writing about artists on the rise that no one else makes time to cover, and every year those good intentions fade before the heat of summer arrives. Though I often find myself inundated with music from unsigned artists, I’ve honestly never written […]
Posted in Editorials, Features, Interviews, News, Streams Tags: acoustic, Amateur, artist to watch, Eden Rohatensky, Eden The Cat, editorial, Female songwriter, ghost, interview, Saskatchewan, singer-songwriter, unsigned, you need to know Comments Off on Eden The Cat Is The ‘Amateur’ Songwriter No One Can Resist
Lion Babe Are About To Become Your New Favorite Pop Duo
November 13th, 2014 James Shotwell Big hair, don’t care forever. Have you heard about Lion Babe? Consisting of Vanessa Williams’ daughter Jillian Hervey and producer Lucas Goodman, this unique duo delivers a mix of funk, soul, urban, and pop music that is nearly impossible to resist. Their latest single, “Jump Hi,” features a dance-inducing beat and uplifting lyrics about finding […]
Posted in News Tags: childish gambino, Jillian Hervey, Jump Hi, Jump Hi Video, Lion Babe, Lucas Goodman, Polydor, review, Vanessa Williams, you need to know Comments Off on Lion Babe Are About To Become Your New Favorite Pop Duo
There’s Something Irresistible About Radical Something’s “Cali Get Down”
August 30th, 2014 James Shotwell Several weeks ago we brought you an audio stream of a new song titled “Cali Get Down” by a band we had never previously covered called Radical Something. That same group has since released a video for the that single, and we have only fallen further in love with their unique take on modern pop […]
Posted in News Tags: 2014, cali get down, music video, radical something, unsigned, you need to know Comments Off on There’s Something Irresistible About Radical Something’s “Cali Get Down”
Ayler Young Offers A Pop-Heavy Take On Funk With “You Can’t Buy Love”
August 4th, 2014 James Shotwell At the beginning of the summer, the editors of UTG held a digital meeting to discuss our plans for the future. At the very top of the list was increasing our focus on in-depth content, and following not far behind was a universal desire to expose more up-and-coming artists to our readers. We like to […]
Posted in News, Streams Tags: .mp3, 2014, ayler young, best new artist, Buzzworthy, discover, funk, nyc, portal, stream, you cant buy love, you need to know Comments Off on Ayler Young Offers A Pop-Heavy Take On Funk With “You Can’t Buy Love”
UTG Premiere: Amative – “Selfish Desires” (Official Music Video)
July 17th, 2014 James Shotwell We have been focusing a lot of our efforts in July on exposing readers to new music, and today may be my favorite of all ‘discovery’ posts to debut so far on the site. Amative are a crushingly heavy outfit from Ohio who are not afraid to wear their hearts on their sleeves. Their debut […]
Posted in Features, News, Unsigned Tags: amative, exclusive, flatlined ep, hardcore (genre), metalcore, new music, post hardcore, review, selfish desires, selfish desires music video, unsigned, UTG PREMIERE, you need to know Comments Off on UTG Premiere: Amative – “Selfish Desires” (Official Music Video)
Taylor Bennett Could Very Well Be The Next Big Artist From Chicago
December 16th, 2013 James Shotwell Anyone old enough to remember the urban music scene in the 1990s will recall that very little attention was given to the artists hailing from the middle of the country. Creative marketing and nonstop publicity fueled the rap battle between the coasts, leaving many remarkable midwest names from receiving the type of critical acclaim that […]
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UTG Premiere: Kal Duzay – “The Likk” (Music Video)
December 6th, 2013 James Shotwell Florida’s Kal Duzay has quickly become the ‘need-to-know’ young rap hero on the rise over the last few months, and today UTG is excited to do our part in furthering his exposure by premiering the official video for “The Likk.” Taken from Duzay’s recently released mixtape, Diamond Scarz, “The Likk” features Audio Dope production and […]
Posted in Features, News, Unsigned Tags: 2013, diamond scarz, discover, download, hip hop (genre), kal duzay, mixtape, music video, premiere, rap (genre), stream, the likk, you need to know Comments Off on UTG Premiere: Kal Duzay – “The Likk” (Music Video)