In this feature we ask mainstays of the indie establishment who they think will be the next big act to break. 

This time we speak with London-based cinematic soundscapers Solomon Grey.

Joe Wilson and Tom Kingston have already turned a number of heads with their body of work as Solomon Grey - one that includes a highly acclaimed self-titled debut and most recently a full-length soundtrack to BBC drama The Last Post - but it’s on their forthcoming sophomore release proper, Human Music, that they’ve landed on something truly remarkable.

Human Music is a marked product of its environment, created as it was in the wake of Wilson’s mother’s terminal diagnosis and her subsequent decision to attend Dignitas in Switzerland for assisted suicide. As might be imagined, it’s a compelling and deeply humbling piece of music.

Speaking of the record, Solomon Grey explain that the “album is fundamentally about exploring loss and finding out how integral it is to life. That’s where it started for us but as with all of these things it can mean whatever you want it to.”

Firmly set to establish themselves as one of the UK’s most enthralling acts, we caught up with Wilson and Kingston to find out which up-and-coming artists are impressing them most at the moment. Here’s what they had to say…

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Msafiri Zawose

Msafiri Zawose got recommended to us by one of our friends. Our friend is a music supervisor and used to run a label in London and always recommends really good new stuff that you don’t usually stumble across yourself. He’s the one you always ask what they are listening too so you can say it when people ask you. Msafiri has an album out called Uhamiaji which we keep playing on the way into work. The mix is ridiculous. We should really find out who mixed it! The record is so much fun. Msafiri is a Tanzanian composer, multi-instrumentalist, and bandleader. He’s one of the pioneers of Gogo-fusion music that takes the traditional folk style of Gogo and weds it to modern rhythms and production styles. Enjoy mentioning when people ask who you are listening too. You will look well cool.



Arctic Lake

Brilliant three piece that recorded their latest EP ‘Closer’ in the studio next door to ours in Bermondsey. It was a good few months of hearing them record through the wall and humming the melodies on the way home. They are a brilliant trio and that record sounds beautiful. Nice to have them around when we were doing our record as well. When you’re stuck in the studio long hours just the two of us it’s nice to have a break and chat to like-minded souls. They are lovely people and very talented as well, a winning combination! They started in 2015 and have been on the rise permanently since. They have got onto some big playlists recently and they are definitely ones to watch. I (Joe) still keep singing the melody of their track ‘Further’ once every couple of days. They know what they are doing and am sure they will have a big year.



sir Was

Does he count as new? His debut record came out last year and it’s been on heavy rotation ever since. We first discovered sir Was when his track ‘In the Midst’ came up on our Spotify Discover Weekly. That was before we had separate accounts. (Tip, don’t share a Spotify account with someone as you end up having remote battles over who is playing music!). sir Was (whose real name is Joel) is from Sweden although he’s got this whole nostalgic Hip-Hop feel to his production. We’re big fans of Hip-Hop especially 90s golden era and sir Was reminds us of that. We’re gutted to miss his show at The Lexington in London in March as we’re playing in Copenhagen on the same night. Hopefully we’ll catch him soon at another show and perhaps even work together one day, he seems a cool guy.



Human Music is out on February 16th via Mercury KX and catch Solomon Grey on their upcoming tour.

-Karl Jawara