🎧 Approved in 2024

Each Tuesday and Thursday, CMU's Approved introduces a new artist we’re excited about. They may already have a strong catalogue of music behind them or might be releasing their first single, but we think each one is deserving of wider attention.

Spanning a wide range of genres, from mainstream to deeply experimental, there’s a vast amount of music to delve into by the end of the year – and what better time than now to revisit it all?

We’ve collected music from all of the artists that we featured in 2024’s Approved into a playlist that you can listen to on Spotify or you can explore the original articles.

It’s the perfect escape from Christmas music, an ideal soundtrack to last minute shopping, and a ready-made way to make visiting friends and family think that you know far more about music than they do.

There are some tracks that we think particularly stood out this year:

🎧 Approved: Fcukers

New York band Fcukers blend old-school house, breakbeat, electro-indie and cutting-edge production into club-worthy bangers. Their latest single, ‘Tommy’, moves with the confidence of a band fully in command of their sound, beckoning in a new generation wanting to get lost in live dance music

CMU | the music business explainedKaya Robertson

🎧 Approved: Whitelands

Leading the new wave of black British shoegaze, London’s Whitelands showcase their mastery of atmospheric allure in new single ‘Cheer’.

CMU | the music business explainedKaya Robertson

🎧 Approved: MOULD

Bristol’s MOULD have a sound that masterfully shifts between reckless urgency and unpredictable tension. Their latest single, ‘CHUNKS’, starts with a math-rock riff before exploding into a post-punk anthem, chaotic yet controlled, capturing a frenetic exploration of disillusionment

CMU | the music business explainedKaya Robertson

🎧 Approved: Nia Smith

Fresh off supporting SZA at BST Hyde Park this weekend, Nia Smith has released second single ‘Personal’. A masterclass in controlled anger and powerful calm, the track - she says - is “about letting go of that bad energy; we don’t need that in 2024”

CMU | the music business explainedKaya Robertson

🎧 Approved: ODUMODUBLVCK

ODUMODUBLVCK, a pioneering Nigerian rapper, blends drill, grime and Afrobeats into his own unique genre he dubs ‘okporoko rhythms’.

CMU | the music business explainedKaya Robertson

🎧 Approved: THUS LOVE

THUS LOVE, a quartet hailing from Vermont, are known for their clangorous yet fabulous post-punk pop sound. Their latest single, ‘Birthday Song’, channels grungy glam rock with a transcendent hook, celebrating the joy of platonic friendship.

CMU | the music business explainedKaya Robertson