Polish music – What I’m listening to now

So what do I think about Polish music? Well, if you were to explore my Spotify account right now, you’d see a lot of indie rock and indie pop. So right now I’m listening to BORNS, Grimes, Best Coast, Halsey, Purity Ring, Churches, and lots of others that are very similar. Here I wanted to discuss a few Polish bands which I’ve been listening to that I think everyone should know about, Polish speaking and non.

NOTE: I didn’t include singers like Brodka or Dawid Podsiadło because I wanted to include bands/singers who were slightly less mainstream. But, yes, I know they exist and are good.

Both English and Polish: 

The Dumplings – The Dumplings hail from Zabrze, just a hop, skip and a jump away. One of my students told me about them a couple years ago and I fell in love with their dreamy electronic tunes at first listen. Then I saw them in concert at the Radio Station in Gliwice, and later at Męskie Granie in Chorzów, which further solidified my love for the duo. They perform in both English and Polish which adds to their unique sound. I love/appreciate the mix.

this one too with Justyna from The Dumplings:

Bands that sing in Polish: 

Artur Rojek – I know Rojek is mainstream and basically everyone knows and loves Rojek. No need real to describe his music. I had to include him because I think he’s such an incredible artist. Once part of a famous band called Myslowitz, now a solo artist. Better in the band or solo? I’m curious what everyone thinks. What is his best song? Hard to say. I think this:

Also, this is a cover but it was lovely to see live:

Mela Koteluk – I like the way she enunciates so that I can actually understand what she’s saying and the music is really folky. She’s another artist that I discovered at Męskie Granie. She played in Poznań last year if I remember correctly.

Bezsensu – The singer of this band sounds so similar to Rojek that I thought it was him. Seriously just listen to it. Anyway, it’s super catchy music and an awesome band name (literally translating to “without sense” or maybe “senseless” would be better in English.

Mikromusic feat. Skubas – this is a really beautiful song from a duo – a guy and a girl – two singers with a killer voices. Featuring Skubas who I like to think of as the Polish Timbaland. He’s got collaborations with everyone it seems.

And here’s a few random bands which I have discovered recently who sing in English:

Side note: to my friends/students who ask if I can tell that people aren’t native speakers when they sing in English, the answer is quite simple: not really. Sometimes I can hear that something was pronounced strangely but Americans and Brits do weird things too so it’s quite difficult to say if I’m totally honest.

Wild Books – a kind of lo-fi, surf rock band from Warsaw reminiscent of the Pixies. I like. They have a real American feel which makes me feel like I’m in college again.

Bokka – Bokka puts on a badass show. When I saw them, they were all wearing the same outfits, complete with masks and stuff. Pretty awesome. Like Grimes, their music is a little dark and creepy but just the right amount.

Patrick the Pan – Ok this guy definitely sings in both Polish and English but this song is English so it’s here. The song “Bubbles” is a bit old now but it’s so lovely I couldn’t not put it here. I have to say that I didn’t love his latest album.

A big shout out to the blog, WAFP – We Are From Poland – which posts all the new music from Polish bands. Amazing blog, really. Great taste, much appreciated.

So which Polish bands/singers are you guys listening to now? Based on my taste, what would you recommend?? I’m open to all your suggestions!