The Next Big Thing?

Dev
There aren’t many things better than music which is pretty, catchy and danceable at the same time, and Dev’s music succeeds very well in that aim. Tracks such as Don’t Say That Word have a sweet, girly electro-pop sound, but interesting lyrics and song structures keep them fresh and unique. The single, Fireball, is cooler and tougher, in a kind of M.I.A/Missy Elliot vibe but still with pop sensibilities, actually reminding me a little of the brilliant Swedish act Blänk. I’m not sure if any of Dev’s songs are strong enough to be hits in the US, where it’s very tough for indie electro-pop acts to break through, but I think they will appeal to a lot of people so I hope she gets the chance for her music to be heard by a wider audience.
Poptasticness: 82% Hit potential: 55%

Cady Groves
The effect of Taylor Swift’s success is starting to be seen as young Cady here, who may have sounded just like Avril Lavigne a couple of years ago, now sounds like Avril but with a country twang! It’s still probably not country enough to be classified as country, but the Taylor influence is definitely there. She’s even got an annoying face to complete the look! Her voice however is very strong, her songs are pleasantly melodic, and if anyone is going to take over from Avril now she’s definitely too old to be teen-pop, I reckon Cady’s in with a good chance. I’m not too keen on current single One in the Same, but I like Real With Me… even if it does make me think of Bryan McFadden, which is never a good thing.
Poptasticness: 73% Hit potential: 78%

The Bang Bang Club
There’s a new electro-pop male duo on the block and, hooray, the lead singer looks a bit like Lee from 911! They’re only signed to an indie label so they’ve got a lot of catching up to do if they want to beat Hurts to being the new Pet Shop Boys, but hopefully the current electro trend will go in their favour anyway. Their sound is quite interesting as the vocalist, John, sounds spookily like the singer from Empire of the Sun, but the music is luckily a bit more poptastic than that. They remind me of Protocol, an electro-pop band from the mid 00s whose only mistake was turning up a few years too early. The Bang Bang Club have some great catchy pop songs, perhaps not the most original I’ve heard, but very consistent in quality and I look forward to hearing the rest of their album.
Poptasticness: 80% Hit potential: 67%