So..how do you follow the last 20 tracks, all huge songs from bands destined for 2018 success. The next ten songs take it up another level though, reach new heights and all ten only just missed out on our overall 2018 Top 40 tracks showing just how good they are.
| 20 | Sly Antics | Motion |
| 19 | Faux Pas | Healthy |
| 18 | Puppet Theory | Papillon |
| 17 | Able’s Army | Crawl |
| 16 | Hello Operator | Oosh |
There are already some people screaming at the screen for sure that some of these songs aren’t higher in the chart which once again shows just how good we think 2017 has been for unsigned music.
Sly Antics are a ridiculously exciting band from Manchester, offering something a bit different to the normal style of music that comes out of the great city. Motion is a track that best represents the bands talent with fuzzy riffs, bouncing hooks and killer vocals. Check out their 2017 release right here.
Next up are the best band to come out of York since..well maybe ever! Faux Pas are a quartet that continue to challenge boundaries of live music but their recorded tracks aren’t half bad either. Healthy is a special, special song that shows off the sublime capabilities of Joey Leyland on drums and Ru Cowl on vocals. Big things expected next year.
Two bands we have become great friends with during 2017 are Puppet Theory and Able’s Army, entering at 18 and 17 respectively. Papillon and Crawl are tracks similar in style, aimed at getting people dancing and having a great time and it’s that reason these tracks make the top 20. Where they might not be the most musically technical tracks, they make people happy, make people forget the awful things in the world, and get lost in the melody and vocals. Not an easy thing to do but these two bands are slowly mastering that skill and we can’t wait to keep in touch and watch them grow as bands.
| 15 | Sounds Like A Storm | Blind and Deaf |
| 14 | Corella | Barcelona Girl |
| 13 | Conflare | New York/Tempted |
| 12 | Cabezudos | Tempting Fate |
| 11 | Regan | Four Fingers |
Into the final few before our Top 10 countdown and what a set of five tracks these are. If you had to pick five songs to go on one EP that reflected the best of 2017, it’d be these five you choose. From full indie belter Barcelona Girl to scuzzy rock track Blind and Deaf, these five have it all.
Sounds Like a Storm, what can we say about these guys that we haven’t already in their Blind and Deaf Review. This release is one that would have probably broken the top ten if released earlier in the year and we had more exposure to it. There is everything from Sennen’s incredible vocals, to the controlled nature of the track. Nothing more needs saying just go check it out!
Our friends in Corella released several killer indie anthems in 2017 but the one that stood out most for us was Barcelona Girl. Perfect for those summer days out with the girlfriend or as music blaring out of your speakers with your mates in the garden. This should be on everyone’s summer playlists in 2018, we love it.
The three artists just missing out on the top ten are bands that mean a lot to us for a number of reasons. Conflare are a band we saw very early on in 2017 and blew us away. Toby and his band have something lots of bands don’t have and we haven’t been able to place it all year. Both tracks New York and Tempted were worthy of this spot in our chart. They have the best of a traditional punk band, whilst mixing the right amount of pop and current YMA6 sounds. Not many young bands try this style anymore, indie seems to be the way forward but Conflare challenge this wonderfully and we bloody love ’em for it!
We became mates with the legends in Cabezudos at our Oxjam gig in York and then again in Sheffield at this years Tramlines. A very pissed up afternoon with the Liverpool lads was one of our highlights of the year and their track Tempting Fate melted my face off the first time I heard it live. Go and see this band, go and speak to this band, they are crazy talented musicians but even nicer guys. Cabezudos are a credit to their city and the industry and if there’s any justice at all they’ll make it to the big time one day.
Missing out by one place are Bradford’s own Regan. Too many bands attempt britpop nowadays. It’s supposedly having a revival but it takes a lot to pull off this style of music the way they did 20 years ago. Only Regan and Northern Comfort have managed to do it in 2017 and Four Fingers, is without doubt one of the best unsigned tracks of this year and in fact the decade. It’s a britpop banger, it sticks, it’s catchy, just listen to it and fall in love. Regan are on the way to the top, you heard it here first.
Halfway 2 Nowhere 