3 Cool Artists to Check Out This Spring

There’s a wave of artists right now that feel rooted in the past but still fresh, and these three have been on my radar lately. Different sounds, different lanes, but all doing something interesting.

Wyatt Waddell

First up is Wyatt Waddell. A Chicago artist with a huge range, pulling from soul, rock, jazz, and pop all at once. You can hear everything from Mavis Staples to Paul McCartney in there, but it never feels like a copy. He’s got that mix of strong songwriting and real stage presence, and it comes through in the recordings too. There’s a warmth to his music that feels classic, but he’s not afraid to experiment a bit, either. Definitely one of those artists who feels like he could go a lot of different directions.

John Andrews & The Yawns

Then you’ve got John Andrews & The Yawns. This one leans more laid-back — kind of that hazy, 70s California soft rock vibe. Andrews started out basically doing everything himself before building a full band around the project, and that DIY feel still sticks around in a good way. His music sits somewhere between indie pop and soft rock, with those mellow keyboards and understated vocals being the signature. It’s easy listening but still has a lot going on if you sit with it. Also, the music video's hand-drawn art is super cool.

Tyler Ballgame,

And then there’s Tyler Ballgame, who’s probably the most “what is this guy?” out of the three. He’s a newer artist who just dropped his debut album For the First Time, Again, and he’s already getting comparisons to guys like Roy Orbison and Elvis. 

He actually came up through Berklee and spent years figuring things out before creating this whole persona, “Tyler Ballgame”

The music leans heavily into that 60s/70s singer-songwriter sound, but with a really dramatic vocal style and a bit of theatrical energy. It’s heartfelt, a little over-the-top at times, but trusty me folks, it works. His debut has been picking up a lot of attention, and it feels like he’s just getting started. 

All three of these artists tap into older sounds — whether it’s soul, soft rock, or classic pop songwriting — but none of them feel stuck in the past. It’s that balance of influence and personality that makes them worth checking out.

If you’re looking for more new music, check out New Tunes For Hip Dads, updated every Monday, below: