Get to Know Seattle's Artist Grantees with Sonic Guild Playlists
Updated: Aug 5
Sonic Guild gives grants to support music that we love. Our Seattle Artist Grant recipients are musicians that we’ve invested in because we believe they’re creating exceptional work and want to help them continue to share it with the world. Over the years, we have found a group of truly great Seattle musicians. So, we’ve created a series of playlists as an opportunity to get to know these artists.
We’ve curated a few different ways to listen.
Option 1: Explore by year
2020 was Sonic Guild’s first year in Seattle, and we started out strong! Chong the Nomad’s electronic tracks combined with local favorites Naked Giants and singer-songwriter Sera Cahoone make for a great listen.
Acid Tongue starts the 2021 playlist off right with psychedelic garage rock before this grant class gets into hip-hop, funk, gunk pop, and a whole lot more. Probably the most varied playlist on this list, 2021 is well worth your time.
The 2022 grant class has turned out to be a very successful bunch. Deep Sea Diver and Thunderpussy have gained significant followings in the years since they received grants and Brittany Davis and Dean Johnson have also garnered national acclaim. Across the board, this is a fantastic year for Sonic Guild.
Check out the 2023 playlist for unique tracks. Terror/Cactus is self-described as a digital folklore and psychedelic electro-cumbia project. TeZATalks calls her sound hardcore pop. Alongside these opportunities for hearing something new, this playlist features some solid punk music, a few great singer-songwriters, and lots more.
From the synths of dark wave band Dark Chisme to calming vocal melodies from the Moondoggies, there is so much to love about 2024. Other highlights include rising star rapper Oble Reed and the new wave group Telehealth, who signed with Sub Pop ahead of their second record.
Combining genres as diverse as dream pop and dance punk, plus representing three different languages, our latest grant class has a lot to offer. Representing 2025, get hyped with Emi Pop and then sink into gorgeous vocals from Kate Dinsmore and Ollella.
Option 2: Explore by vibe
The first song on our “chill” playlist, Sea Lemon’s “Stay”, sets the tone well. Lush instrumentation and lovely vocals are a theme throughout the playlist, which features a whole lot of singer-songwriters along with the more low-key tracks from our jazz, hip-hop, and electronic artists. This is the perfect soundtrack to relaxing on a Seattle summer evening.
Our rock playlist, on the other hand, is made to get you moving. It’s got all the great punk, rock, grunge, and synth pop our grantees have to offer. With plenty of different takes on what rock music can sound like, this playlist will certainly keep you engaged from start to finish.
Option 3: Listen to it all at once
Created for those who want to find what they like all on their own. Hit shuffle on our general playlist or listen to it in order from most recent grantees to least recent.
There is a lot more where this came from: as you pick your favorite grantees, make sure to follow them on Instagram, find their live shows around town, buy their records, and recommend them to a friend. We hope these playlists can be a rich source of musical discovery.
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