Two Montclair Acts Top List of NJ Musicians to Listen to

Two Montclair groups top the list of 12 New Jersey bands everyone should be listening to right now, according to Paste Magazine.

Neal Day, Ben Petty, John Ludas, and Dylan Richardson are members of Apparus, which is number one on the magazine's list of the best Garden State musical acts.

According to the article, Apparus' "bouncy, harmony-laden piano pop isn't exactly the kind of music you necessarily associate with New Jersey. But with their catchy debut EP, Apparus are out to change that perception."

(Find them on Facebook here.)

Coming in number two on the list is Cakes da Killa (aka New Jersey college student Rashard Bradshaw). Paste wrote that he sometimes raps about sex. But "unlike most hip-hop artists, he's open about his homosexuality. It's a bold move especially in a pre-Frank Ocean world (his latest EP was recorded before Ocean's outing). However, regardless of your sexual preferences, his latest single 'Whistle (Beat it Up)' is a party anthem of the highest order," the magazine wrote.

In general, both Apparus and Cakes da Killa—as well as other nearby groups such as Full of Fancy, Honeydrum, and Julian Lynch—are keeping alive the tradition created by the likes of Frank Sinatra and Bruce Springsteen, Paste wrote.