NYC’s Top 10 Rising Female-Fronted Bands

At any given moment, in any given scene or subculture, there are loads of incredibly talented, boss women making great tunes. Looking back, some of the most revolutionary and dynamic voices in New York music have been women, from punks to MCs to pop queens.To show some appreciation for some of our current favorites, we’ve put together 10 of the best rising talents with women at the forefront.

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10. The Prettiots
Kay Goldberg, Rachel Trachtenburg, and Lulu Prat are a trio of NYC ladies supplying the city with a healthy dose of uke-pop. Their sound has loads of homey quirk and good humor to it, and they have even tackled making a Misfits song oddly comforting. Having gained a following with only a few songs out there, the scene is the Prettiots’ oyster.

9. Starred
Fronted by Liza Thorn, Starred are an ethereal, Courtney Love-approved band that have a hazy but biting sound to them. After touring with Love, the artsy band are attracting a much larger fanbase and even recently made an appearance at the MoMA last month. Be sure to watch out for even more dreamy pop from the group.

8. Sharkmuffin
Tarra Thiessen, Natalie Kirch, and Janet LaBelle are a force to be reckoned with when put together. Their sound is energetic and wild, fitting for a band with a name like theirs. It’s rough and raw and soaked in whisky, just the way the best bands are.

7. Heliotropes
Heliotropes are a grungy, fuzzy group straight out of Brooklyn that make as much noise as they are currently making waves. Their June release A Constant Sea is a testament to how hard they can rock and a hopeful glimpse at what more is to come.

6. Hunters
The ferocious former cover kids of the Voice Hunters recently relocated to Philly, but since we birthed them, we’re still allowed to claim them, right? Izzy and Derek have been a powerhouse of a duo since they formed and rock so hard on stage that Izzy recently fell off a stage and injured herself pretty badly. Here’s to hoping she recovers fully and swiftly so that the world won’t have to go through a Hunters live show withdrawal much longer.

5. Pearl and the Beard
There’s something very nice about Pearl and the Beard’s sound, and that is probably what has gained them the type of following that they have. It also helps that they include a cellist in their group (because everyone knows cellos make everything better, duh). With the trio of Jocelyn Mackenzie, Emily Hope Price and Jeremy Styles swapping vocal duties, their sound is dynamic and their harmonies will move you to bearing a large grin right across your face.

4. Mother Feather
Totally glam with Alice Cooper and a New York Dolls swagger, Mother Feather are as gritty and New York as it gets. Lead singer Ann Courtney has a massively ferocious voice and their live shows are some of the most captivating out there because when you see them in concert, you’re getting a full out glitter bomb of a performance.

3. Ava Luna
The soulful Ava Luna are as amazing at making infectious music as they are at making fans giggle on Twitter. Spoiler alert: they’re pretty flawless at both, and with vocal duties handled by Becca Kauffman, Carlos Hernandez and Felicia Douglass, the group’s multi-faceted sound is a shapeshifting pop beast that once heard will probably never leave your head again.

2. Swearin’
It’s no secret that the Crutchfield sisters are the queens of the NY indie scene. With Katie Crutchfield handling the folk-pop dream that is Waxahatchee, Allison is fronting the rougher and tougher and noisy all over Swearin’ based out of Brooklyn. Their album Surfing Strange brought out a heavier side to Swearin’ and received rave reviews in the process.

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1. Lucius
Led by the unified front of Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig, with their matching hair and outfits, Lucius is all about the strength of these women’s voices, coming together and creating something immensely beautiful. Their debut album Wildewoman came out last fall and they’re expected play a few festival dates after its international release in March. The only direction Brooklyn-based Lucius is heading is up and hopefully we’ll see them become as big as Holly and Jess’ voices are together.

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