By the time when we hit 2013, we start hunting down amazing new bands. We’ve been thinking to put Swim Deep as one of the featured artists for our weekly feature, The Next Big Thing. However, for some reason, the plan got to be delayed and then we decided to replace Swim Deep with some other names. Since they’ll release their debut album in July, guess it’s the best time to put Swim Deep in!

Swim Deep are an indie-rock band from Birmingham who were formed in 2011. The Birmingham boys are Austin Williams, Tom ‘Higgy’ Higgins, Zachary Robinson and Cavan McCarthy. The story of Swim Deep is started by Austin and Tom who worked at the same place, and one of the founding members is Wolfgang Harte, who was positioned as a bass player decided to left the band and then replaced by Cavan.

In 2012, Swim Deep signed with Chess Club and released their debut single, ‘King City’. And in the end of 2012, the band went to Brussels to work with Charlie       Hugall for their debut album, ‘Where the Heaven Are We’. Charlie Hugall is a British producer who has worked with Florence Welch, the Maccabees, Kaiser Chiefs, and many more. ” He’s one of us, he gets it. I swear to God he was in Beastie Boys in a past life or something.” said Austin regarding the experience working with Charlie. Swim Deep have performed along with Spector, Mystery Jets, the Klaxons, and Two Door Cinema Club. You might find Swim Deep closely sound like most of the great indie rock bands, but believe it or not, the band grew up with musics like Lionel Richie and LL Cool J. Yes, you heard that.

Swim Deep are promising to give a bunch of surprises in their debut album, which Austin confirmed that we can get their debut’s vibe by listening to the latest song, ‘She Changes the Weather’. Swim Deep step in the year as the ones to watch, NME also put them on their ‘Best New Bands in 2013’ list. Just like how they describe the music, Swim Deep are more ‘Roll’ than ‘Rock’

Katie in Waxahatchee definitely sounds much quieter, her debut album which was recorded in her bedroom, ‘American Weekend’, contains of her honest and emotional lyrics wrapped by a sweet acoustic guitar. The debut was released in 2012 and it was named as the top album in 2012 by Dusted Magazine, and even Mark Hoppus of Blink 182 is a fan of her song, ‘Be Good’. Her highly praised work on the debut is followed by the second album, ‘Cerulean Salt’. The second album still sounds as good as the first one, but the materials are quiet different. Both of the albums have a different state of the emotional states, “The first record comes from this place of emotional desperation. The second record comes from an observation of being at a certain place in your life, realizing that your childhood is over and realizing where your life is going to go. It’s more of an observation of a certain point in your life. It’s raw, and sad. Both records are sad. The first record is broader than the second.” said Katie on the materials of both of the albums.

Waxahatchee is just pure, you might think most of her songs are just narrating about sad stories, but there is actually more in it. It tell about the point of view in her life, it’s just not the plain sad story that has nothing in it. Musics like Waxahatchee don’t come really often lately, that is why Guardian.com also gives an A to Waxahatchee, “No wonder she is being greeted so warmly: older critics haven’t had one of these for a while, and younger ones won’t have experienced one in real time. She reeks of 1993, does Crutchfield, and she recalls the heyday of college radio and alt rock”