X102.9's “Winter Formal” Feat. The 1975, Phantogram, Silversun Pickups, Glass Animals and Coin

The 1975 are one of the breakthrough British bands of the past decade. Matty Healy (vocals, guitar), Ross MacDonald (bass), Adam Hann (guitar, keyboard) and George Daniel (drums) got together as school friends on the outskirts of Manchester and arrived, reinvigorating the alternative scene as they took 2013 by storm. It was a year that set the band on what Matthew Healy has described as a “delirious ascent”. Propelled by anthemic songs such as “Chocolate” and “Girls,” their self-titled debut album entered the UK charts at No 1 and went on to sell 1 million albums worldwide. Their latest release, I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it, has garnered instant favorites such as “The Sound,” “Love Me,” “UGH” and more. The album became the group’s second number one in the United Kingdom, debuting atop the UK Albums Chart. It became the group’s first number one on the US Billboard 200, with 98,000 pure album sales in its debut week and it also debuted at number one in Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

Phantogram’s universally applauded duo, Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter, have been crafting their own blend of genre-bending music since 2007 when the longtime friends first formed their group in the small city of Saratoga Springs in upstate NY. Known for their innovative music style – melding electronic, melodic indie rock with hip hop leaning beats and samples – the band independently released music and toured incessantly before the debut of their breakthrough album, Voices, in 2014. Upon its release, Voices achieved unanimous critical acclaim. The Associated Press hailed it “an epochal album, a generational capstone that will reside in playlists for a generation to come,” and SPIN named it one of the “50 Best Albums of 2014.” Phantogram will release their highly anticipated follow-up album, Three, on October 7.

Silversun Pickups (featuring Brian Aubert on guitar and vocals, Nikki Monninger on bass, Joe Lester on keyboards and Christopher Guanlao on drums) is among the most dynamic and creative rock bands of the modern era, hailed far and wide for their inimitable merging of ethereal melodies and pure sonic force. From the indie rock opening salvo of 2005’s Pikul EP and 2012’s far-reaching Neck of the Woods to their most recent release Better Nature, each successive release has seen the Silverlake, California-based band boldly venture into uncharted terrain, bravely pushing their imagination and ability towards new and surprising summits.

An intriguing mix of synth pop, indie, and hip-hop influences, Glass Animals are an Oxford, England-based band featuring singer/guitarist Dave Bayley, guitarist/keyboardist Drew MacFarlane, bassist/keyboardist Edmund Irwin-Singer and drummer Joe Seaward. While they were still at university they released their debut EP, Leaflings, in 2012. In 2014, the band released their debut album, Zaba, which blended electronics with indie guitar music and was co-produced by Bayley and Epworth. Glass Animals spent much of the next two years touring the world and gathering stories from the people they encountered. The band used these tales as lyrical inspiration for their second album, which the band recorded in late 2015. How to Be a Human Being, a concept album with each song telling the story of a different character, arrived in August 2016.

Infectious alt-pop band COIN, features Nashville-based artists Chase Lawrence (vocals/keys), Joe Memmel (guitar/vocals), Ryan Winnen (drums) and Zach Dyke (bass). Their self-titled debut album was released in the summer of last year and scored radio hits like “Talk Too Much” which is now Top 30 on Alternative Radio and has also been included in the Top 5 on SiriusXM Alt Nation’s listener driven #Alt18 Countdown for 14 consecutive weeks reaching as high as #2.