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Pond Hoppers: Seven British breakout acts primed for an American uprising

Rat Boy Press

It’s no secret that our cousins across the pond have an impressively long record of taking America by storm, especially in the game of music. When the first wave of Brits broke into the US charts in the '60s, the floodgates had opened: The Beatles. The Rolling Stones. Dusty Springfield. The Kinks. The Animals. It was a wake-up call, a sudden realization of all the good tunes American airwaves had been missing out on. Since then, a stream of British artists have shown their creative and musical prowess by leaving their stamp on American popular music.

In the '90s, the Britpop movement furthered the appeal, longevity, and dominance of British culture. It showcased the diversity and individuality that UK artists had to offer the world of music. But before many of these acts ever really broke on American soil, they grew their audience back home, crafting their art and finding their footing in clubs and concert halls across Britain. Pretty soon another wave of the British Invasion will return in full force, and here are just a few of the acts folks should be on the look-out for.

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Will Joseph Cook

Raised on a steady diet of Vampire Weekend and MGMT, Will Joseph Cook broke out with the release of his self-made EP You Jump, I Run in 2015. After garnering much attention over it, he was invited to play the BBC Introducing stage at Glastonbury where he slowly began to solidify his UK following. From there, he toured around the country and continued to write and record new material. With a knack for crafting poppy summer anthems to fit his clean, smooth vocals and clever lyrics, Cook released his first full-length album Sweet Dreamer in April. A collection of polished unashamed pop hits and dance-hall vibes, the record is a bright combination of summer-laden melodies and euphoric youth.

Listen to “Girls Like Me” below…

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