NPR Music’s 2025 Tiny Desk Contest yielded 1000’s of entries, together with some standouts within the pop and rock classes.
MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
NPR Music’s Tiny Desk live shows have hosted among the greatest names in music, however they’re additionally a automobile for locating new music. In reality, this yr’s Tiny Desk Contest acquired 1000’s – I imply 1000’s – of entries from unsigned artists. We have been highlighting a few of them this month with our NPR Music colleagues.
And now, with out additional ado, we’re going to hear about among the entries within the pop and rock genres. We’ll try this with NPR Music’s Robin Hilton. He is a contest choose. He is additionally a bunch of Tiny Desk and the All Songs Thought of podcast. Robin, welcome again.
ROBIN HILTON, BYLINE: Hey, Mary Louise.
KELLY: OK, so let’s dive proper in. Greatest pop entry you heard this yr.
HILTON: All proper, I’ll give greatest pop entry I noticed this yr to a bunch of scholars from the College of Southern California. They name their band YOYO, and the tune they despatched in is known as “All the things’s About Me.”
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “EVERYTHING’S ABOUT ME”)
YOYO: (Singing) I used to care about you and your emotions, boy, made out to maintain you from leaving. You actually twisted the knife, act prefer it’s positive. You at all times knew tips on how to play the sufferer (ph)…
KELLY: So enjoyable. What do you want about it?
HILTON: A lot enjoyable, like, all-caps enjoyable – such a bop. However in case you watch the video, they did this complete retro ’80s jazzercise class, you understand…
KELLY: Oh, my God.
HILTON: …Like in – yeah, like, leg heaters and headbands, very colourful. In reality, the lead singer spends half of the efficiency pedaling a stationary bike – like, singing and using a motorcycle on the identical time.
KELLY: Due to course.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “EVERYTHING’S ABOUT ME”)
YOYO: (Singing) Oh, all the things’s about me. All the things’s about me. All the things’s about me. Oh, guess you are considering of me. Wager you are considering of me. Wager you are considering of me. Oh, no.
KELLY: OK, I am adjusting my shoulder pads as we converse and my leg heaters.
(LAUGHTER)
KELLY: How are you going to high that? What ought to we hearken to subsequent?
HILTON: Nicely, this can be a actual vibe shift right here. Let’s go together with a tune referred to as “Caspian’s Inquisition” by Enter Sceptre. And that is two phrases, enter – E-N-T-E-R – Enter Sceptre. It is a duo based mostly in Brooklyn, New York. And that is perhaps extra within the digital, experimental pop world. It is slightly darkish, type of gothic. I at all times go for that sound. However I used to be actually blown away by the singer, Cascina Caradonna. Their voice is an absolute pressure.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “CASPIAN’S INQUISITION”)
ENTER SCEPTRE: (Singing) You are a goddess, a violet sea. You are a god, fireplace and fury. And I am a backyard, fruits and the leaves.
KELLY: Yeah, whole vibe shift. What…
HILTON: Proper.
KELLY: …Caught your ear on this one?
HILTON: Nicely, you understand, I feel one of many issues, aside from their voice on this tune, is the efficiency is fairly unbelievable in case you watch it. And it is actually arduous if you find yourself a duo and you make all of your music with electronics, type of simply turning knobs behind a desk – it is arduous typically to essentially promote that efficiency, however they do it.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “CASPIAN’S INQUISITION”)
ENTER SCEPTRE: (Singing) Free me just like the wind in a canyon. Drain me just like the rain on the street. I’ve weathered each winter, and I melted down within the warmth. You want a solution, an understanding.
KELLY: Another perhaps rock entry. Play us out, Robin.
HILTON: Yeah, for certain. Let’s hear a tune referred to as “Christ Pose / 90 Watt (ph) Water Whip.”
KELLY: OK (laughter).
HILTON: It is by one other band out of Brooklyn referred to as Slumpwick Grummo. Say all that 10 occasions actually quick, Mary Louise.
KELLY: Slumpwick Grummo. Slumpwick Grummo. Yeah, go (laughter).
HILTON: And the tune, “90 Watt Water Whip.”
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “CHRIST POSE / 90 KNOT WATER WHIP”)
SLUMPWICK GRUMMO: (Singing) You already know what it’s.
HILTON: It is a arduous one to perhaps totally recognize in case you solely hear a snippet of it or in case you do not see the video as a result of it goes in so many various instructions. Generally it is actually spare and quiet and delightful, after which it’s going to simply utterly blow up into one thing extra epic and chaotic.
It is type of humorous. I keep in mind when the band despatched of their entry, they stated that they had been frightened that it might perhaps be too intense for us to deal with (laughter), which is – simply is not attainable. I really like what they did. It is one of the crucial unique entries we noticed and heard and definitely one of the crucial memorable.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “CHRIST POSE / 90 KNOT WATER WHIP”)
SLUMPWICK GRUMMO: (Singing) She’s obtained a smile that lights up the evening. And the sector runs blue with liquid fireplace.
KELLY: All proper, going out with a bang on Slumpwick Grummo. Robin Hilton, thanks a lot for coming and sharing this with us.
HILTON: Rock on, Mary Louise.
KELLY: Robin Hilton of NPR Music. And you may hear and watch all these entries plus 1000’s extra at npr.org/tinydeskcontest.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “CHRIST POSE / 90 KNOT WATER WHIP”)
SLUMPWICK GRUMMO: (Singing) Flaca (ph), flaca, flaca, flaca.
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