For a hand-picked and evolving mixtape of impressive music from new, emerging, and under the radar artists, do head to this Spotify playlist. It’s always an eclectic selection too, covering not just alternative flavours, but electronica, punk, soul, Latin, psychedelia, jazz, art-pop, and more besides. So come & explore… and then come back again when it has evolved!
** January 2026 – impressive new music continues to be added weekly **
To date in 2025 there have been 348 impressive tracks in the Evolving Tunes playlist, and these are a selection of my absolute favourites. As always, it’s an eclectic array of tracks from new and under-the-radar musicians, covering everything from alternative, rock, & indie, all the way to jazz, soul, & Afrobeat. It’s relatively global too, including artists ranging from London to LA, and Cologne to Sydney. So I hope you enjoy it, and for some fabulous new music going forward, do keep an eye on the main Spotify playlist in 2026.
As autumn rolls into winter, it has gradually got darker and colder where I am – just outside London – but when I realise that Xmas is closing in, I also marvel on what a fantastic year it has been for music from new and emerging artists. Strong evidence of this will be in the upcoming Best of 2025 playlist (you can browse the previous ones here), but until then do dip into the current Evolving Tunes playlist, which currently contains everything from indie rock & pop to Afro jazz & soul, plus numerous other flavours in between.
New music releases from under-the-radar acts didn’t wind down during the summer, and so the Spotify Evolving Tunes playlist has continued to be updated (weekly) with some of the best singles, EP, & album tracks out over the holiday season. So don’t mourn the end of summer, just enjoy the music!
After 96 hours with little sleep at the Glastonbury Festival (but thankfully with no mud to trudge through), I’m now back to feeling human again and have written a little piece on this year’s festival experience for Fresh on the Net. You can grab it here, maybe while browsing the latest tracks to be added to the Evolving Spotify playlist 😅
There is always a fairly eclectic array of new music in the Spotify Evolving Tunes playlist, but I can’t say we’ve ever had much Hypnagogic pop or Black Sludge (both genres seemingly exist – do a Spotify search!). We have in recent weeks however, had everything from indie rock to electro dance, and nujazz to orchestral pop. So do drop by regularly to check out the latest impressive releases from new & under-the-radar acts, before the playlist has evolved.
The Evolving Tunes playlist continues to regenerate itself, not with algorithmic, sponsored, or ‘Perfect Fit Content‘ (PFC) additions, but with a hand-picked selection of impressive new music releases. Yes, that means it’s subjective, but I hope it consistently covers a strong array of genres and songs from talented new, emerging, and under-the-radar artists. And as the name suggests, it’s also not a stagnant playlist, so do revisit it regularly for some of the best new music releases around.
The Evolving Tunes playlist has always looked to highlight a varied array of talented new (and under-the-radar) artists, covering numerous genres. It’s currently doing exactly this, so do have a browse through them all to discover new favourites, and then pop back again when it has evolved!
The Evolving Tunes playlist has moved forward again, so dive in and explore yet more impressive new music from emerging artists. And as always, the tracks are an eclectic array, covering not just the regular dose of alternative & indie, but it currently also ranging from electro shoegaze to soulful jazz, and French psychedelic pop to delightful English pop. Enjoy!
As it always does, the Spotify Evolving Tunes playlist has moved forward, and it now has a new array of impressive new music released so far in 2025. So do browse them all, and then pop back again in a few weeks when it has evolved! It’s an eclectic mix too, so for a few suggestions:
Enjoy a bit of indie, rock, alternative, & indie pop, try:
Overpass – Take It or Leave It
Marma Lad – Pie
Blofeld Sands – People
Bermuda Search Party – Sed N Dun
Long Island – Fragile
The Bracknall – No Way Back For Me
For a bit of jazz, funk, afro, & Latin checkout:
The Lewis Express & Chip Wickham – Run Tell That
Emma-Jean Thackray – Wanna Die
NIJI & Moses Boyd – Sound of the City
La BOA & Tony Allen – TAMBOR
And there are many more flavours too.
As we leave one fabulous year of music from new and under-the-radar artists, another one starts. That’s something we can always look forward to, as the conveyer belt of music from imaginative and talented artists never slows. Albums from Hank Midnight, Skeleten, and Gizmo Varillas (who all appeared in the Evolving Best of 2024 playlist) are due in the next few months, and there is so much more released every week – so keep an eye on the main Evolving Tunes playlist for a constant update of fresh and impressive new tracks from across the musical spectrum. Happy New Year everyone, and I hope you enjoy your listening journey in 2025…
Alternative Friday 